Field Museum ECCo 2005 annual report

ANNUAL REPORT 2005 ECCo E Environment. In ways unimagined a century ago, the complexity and interdependence of wild nature and human culture are essential to the survival of life on our planet. Through ECCo, The Field Museum works at the intersection of nature and culture, translating scientific discovery into conservation action in the interest of Earth’s richness and future diversity. C Culture. At the heart of our approach is the recognition that valuing cultural difference promotes social strength. To tap the inner capacities of human communities, we focus anthropological research on the existing organizational strengths that allow communities to identify and meet critical challenges. Giving voice to the values of rural and urban people, ECCo fosters respect for diverse views and ways of life. Co Conservation. With deep roots in rigorous science and a mission driven by concrete needs for urgent action, ECCo translates science into protection of wild lands and sustainable livelihoods for the people who live in and around them. FROM EXPERIMENT TO COMMITMENT DURING ITS CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 10 YEARS AGO, The Field Museum created two small initiatives: Environmental and Conservation Programs and the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change. Both are multidisciplinary. And both are meant to explore ways in which the Museum can direct its wealth of knowledge—in its century-strong collections, its inventory and research expertise, and its exhibits, education, and communication skills—into resolving immediate challenges in the conservation of biological and cultural diversity. This experiment brought the Museum’s tradition of rigorous science to bear on practical challenges urgently in need of action. And the experiment paid off in ways none of us dared imagine: 22 million acres of Andean foothills and Amazonian lowlands protected or in the process of becoming protected in just five years; an integrated approach to wild nature and sustainable livelihoods; expedited transfer of expertise to the next generation of conservation leaders. In 2005 the Museum consolidated its commitment to sciencebased action by creating a new division of science. Environment, Culture, and Conservation (ECCo) is now sister to the classic division of Collections and Research. ECCo fulfills the Museum’s pledge to sustain wild landscapes and cultural vitality. The new division unites the complementary strengths of Environmental and Conservation Programs (ECP) and the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change (CCUC). ECP translates biodiversity science into conservation action that protects wild places and their human neighbors. At the core of ECP’s efforts are rapid inventories that put teams of biologists and anthropologists along with in-country scientists into the field to document and evaluate the biological values and social assets of landscapes rich in diversity. ECP has led rapid inventories in Peru and Ecuador, in Bolivia and China, in Cuba and Chicago’s Lake Calumet region. But the information gathered in rapid inventories is only the beginning. ECP puts this knowledge to work for protecting threatened ecosystems, for enlisting local human communities in the care of their biological and cultural heritage, and for creating collection-based tools and education and communication materials for conservationists, both professional and community-based. CCUC identifies and catalyzes the inner capacities of human communities to achieve positive social change. It focuses anthropological research on the existing patterns of organization that allow communities to identify and meet critical challenges. CCUC encompasses four major efforts: public involvement, urban research and training initiatives, community-based conservation, and communications. Cultural Connections, a coalition of 23 institutions in the Chicago region, is CCUC’s broadest program for public involvement. ECCo’s two departments have achieved profound and rapid results by focusing on the assets — both cultural and biological — that work in diversity’s favor. ECCo embodies The Field Museum’s strong commitment to a vision of a planet that vibrates with life. ECCo’s roots are in The Field Museum’s collections — not only its 23 million natural history specimens and cultural artifacts, but also its electronic databases, books, photographs, and archival and instructional materials. In addition to these invaluable specimens is the collective field experience of the Museum’s staff. These resources enrich our understanding of diversity and are our foundation for action. ECCo has shown that a major academic institution remaining true to rigorous science can play an immediate and transforming role in the conservation of biological and cultural diversity. In collaboration with Collections and Research and Public Programs, ECCo realizes the Museum’s mission to explore, interpret, and conserve the Earth and its Peoples. In 2005 our conservation impact continued both locally and abroad with the establishment of a new conservation landscape in northern Bolivia; a rapid inventory on the Peruvian border with Brazil that is helping bridge the long-standing gap between indigenous and conservation interests in Peru; a White House Conference featuring Chicago Wilderness; a National Leadership Grant to Cultural Connections, and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant for wetland restoration in Calumet. In 2005 the Museum also launched the ECCo Initiative. To date, ECCo has operated almost exclusively with individual program grants. To sustain ECCo at The Field Museum, we need to raise funds that provide a solid financial base to retain our exceptional team of experts. In 2006 we will focus on sustainability for the Museum’s proven capacity to translate science into effective conservation action. This is ECCo’s first annual report. We invite you to explore our programs and learn more about the Museum’s efforts on behalf of wild lands and sustainable livelihoods. John W. McCarter, Jr. PRESIDENT and CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Debra K. Moskovits SENIOR VP, ENVIRONMENT, CULTURE, AND CONSERVATION and DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS in action Mission Program ¬ rapid inventories that result in conservation action 1 p.10 identify wild landscapes with exceptional biological and cultural value and high potential for conservation 2 p.19 engage people living in and around biodiversityrich areas in the long-term stewardship of their lands and their cultures ¬ conservation implementation that integrates biological and cultural diversity 3 p.30 transfer expertise to scientists, educators, and residents in affected local communities ¬ collections-based tools and training that build capacity for the next generation of conservation actors Program Staff Bil Alverson, Robin Foster, Debra Moskovits, Andrea Nogués, Mario Pariona, Tom Schulenberg, Doug Stotz, Corine Vriesendorp, Alaka Wali. 2005 Collaborators Centro para el Desarrollo del Indígena Amazónico ( CEDIA), Instituto del Bien Común ( IBC), The Rapid Inventory program is designed to address these questions. Two teams — one social and one biological — are formed from a pool of local and international experts. In-country scientists are central to the field teams. The experience of local experts is crucial for understanding areas with little or no history of scientific exploration. After the inventories, protection of natural communities and engagement of social networks rely on initiatives from host-country scientists and conservationists. While the social team visits local communities, the biological team explores the most remote and uninhabited sites. Immediately after the fieldwork, both teams together assess the conservation value of the area and develop an integrated set of recommendations to protect the biological communities while maintaining or enhancing the quality of life of the human residents. Over the last five years ECCo scientists have partnered with local organizations to conduct 17 rapid inventories in some of the most biologically and culturally rich areas in the world: China (1), Ecuador (1), Bolivia (3), Cuba (6), and Peru (6). These inventories have resulted in the protection of more than 22 million acres of land in national parks, national sanctuaries, ecological reserves, and municipal management areas. Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales (INRENA), The Nature Conservancy—Peru (TNC), Pronaturaleza, Sociedad Peruana de Derechos Ambientales ( SPDA), Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales ( DAR), Centro de Conservación, Investigación y Manejo de Areas Naturales ( CIMA), Regional Indigenous Offices of Loreto and Ucayali (ORAI, ORAU), National Indigenous Federation (AIDESEP), Regional Governments of Loreto and Ucayali, Regional Indigenous Federations (FECONAU, FECONBU) http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/rbi/ 1 Rapid Inventories and Link with Action Wild lands are disappearing the world over, often before we know the most basic information about these landscapes. Without biological information — species abundances, distributions, endemism — decision-makers cannot evaluate whether one area represents a higher conservation priority than another. Similarly, without an understanding of the social context of the area — who lives where, people’s aspirations, social structures, and organizational strengths — how can decision-makers design a conservation landscape that will actually work on the ground? 11 Social Inventory ECCo scientists joined with local indigenous federations and NGOs to conduct a rapid inventory of 9 of the 20 settlements that border Sierra del Divisor. These villages, all along the principal rivers that drain the mountain complex, represent a mix of ethnic groups. In each, the social inventory focused on identifying organizational strengths, conservation values, uses of natural resources, and local perspectives and aspirations about the surrounding wilderness. All the villages expressed an urgent need to take better care of the natural resources, given continuous incursions by illegal loggers, commercial fishermen, and unregulated miners. Universally, local residents expressed keen interest in collaborating to protect the natural resources of the region, which largely determine their quality of life. in 2005 INVENTORY: SIERRA DEL DIVISOR, PERU ECCo scientists spent August 2005 conducting a rapid biological and social inventory in the spectacular wilderness of Sierra del Divisor in Peru (see map, p. 18). Sierra del Divisor (known as Siná Jonibaon Manán, or “Land of the Brave People,” by the local indigenous peoples) is a unique feature in the Amazon Basin, a fascinating series of mountain ridges that rise above the floodplain. The only people living within the borders of this wilderness are nomadic and voluntarily isolated indigenous groups, the Iskonawa and Kapanawa. Scattered around its outskirts are a few human outposts, a mix of native settlements and mestizo villages. Short-term economic interests— including oil explorations, mining operations, and illegal logging—threaten both the biological and human communities. Biological Inventory Together with 7 Peruvian and 4 Brazilian scientists, ECP conservation ecologists spent three weeks in the mountains of Sierra del Divisor in eastern Peru. The landscape is marked by sandy soils, acidic rocks, and oddly stunted 2 forests. In this unusual mosaic the team registered more than 20 species new to science, including 14 previously unknown fish species (one so different that it has been identified only to the family level), a new coral snake for Peru, 4 potentially new species of frogs, and at least 10 new species of plants. Ornithologists registered perhaps the most remarkable find of the inventory— substantial populations of the Acre Antshrike, a bird previously seen only once in the wild by scientists. This species, Thamnophilus divisorius (see photo at right), occurs in these mountains and nowhere else on Earth. The bird embodies the rarity and endemism that define this region. 12 In the last seven years, ECP botanists and their partners have discovered more than 100 species of plants new to science. Below we highlight several of these records described or discovered in 2005. Translating the inventory into action for Sierra del Divisor/Siná Jonibaon Manán The issues involved in protecting this biological and cultural gem go well beyond identifying its cultural and biological values. Since the inventory, ECCo has been convening the primary interested parties — including The Nature Conservancy and Pronaturaleza, the Regional Indigenous Offices of Loreto and Ucayali (ORAI and ORAU), the National Indigenous Federation (AIDESEP), the Regional Governments of Loreto and Ucayali, the Peruvian NGOs IBC , CEDIA, CIMA, DAR, and SPDA, along with local indigenous federations and the national government — to build an integrated vision for protecting the 3.6 million acres of forests that shelter indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation. Our goal is to translate the inherent common ground between indigenous and conservation groups into protection for the region. We envision Sierra del Divisor as the first step toward building a strong system of protected areas throughout Peru under management by indigenous federations and the Peruvian State. This would result in conservation of vast additional wilderness for vulnerable, non-contacted peoples. Plant Discoveries A new species of the guava family (Myrtaceae ), Calyptranthes ishoaquinicca, was described by M. Lúcia Kawasaki, (FM, Botany) and Bruce K. Holst. Robin Foster found the species during RBI 3 in the Cofán ancestral lands. Well known as ishoa quinicco by the Cofán, the plant has been used traditionally in a Cofán coming-of-age ceremony for adolescent men, to impart strength for their adult lives. Robin Foster also found a new species of Calophyllum (Clusiaceae) tree with consistently milky-green sap and small, wavy-margined leaves in RBI 17, Sierra del Divisor, Peru. The genus is known for its important timber trees in tropical America, and for the discovery in an Asian species (by Doel Soejarto, Botany) of compounds that kill the AIDS virus. Irayda Salinas, a visiting botanist from the Natural History Museum in Lima, Peru, has identified a new species in Sierra del Divisor, Peru from RBI 17. It is a Besleria in the African Violet family (Gesneriaceae), for which Irayda is one of the few experts in the American tropics. Irayda is almost finished with a Rapid Color Guide to the Gesneriaceae of Peru. Platycarpum orinocense (Rubiaceae-coffee family), known previously in Peru from only one collection, was discovered to be a dominant tree in large areas of the Matsés region of Northeastern Peru, RBI 16. The tree grows in stunted forests on the broad expanses of white sand soils, a rare and specialized habitat in Peru. I N ECUADOR I N PE R U 14 CUBA RBI REPORTS In 2001 ECP received a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to work in four regions in Cuba. ECP worked closely with the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (MNHN) in Havana, the Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad (BIOECO) in Santiago de Cuba, local institutions, regional scientists, managers, and educators. We conducted a series of joint inventories of plants and targeted groups of vertebrates and invertebrates at key sites with potential for conservation. We also integrated existing information and produced an overview, a technical report, and conservation recommendations for each region. In addition, we facilitated targeted training for field identification and developed programs with communities living near biologically important areas, with a focus on engaging citizens in gathering data for conservation management. These programs are now continuing under the leadership of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. In 2005, we published reports for our inventories in the Zapata Peninsula, Siboney-Juticí, Bayamesa National Park, and Alejandro de Humboldt National Park. FIVE-YEAR REVIEW: FROM INVENTORY TO CONSERVATION ACTION Rapid Inventories have been remarkably effective in creating new protected landscapes. Between 2000 and 2005, our inventories in the Andean foothills and Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru resulted in the creation of a national park and a national sanctuary in Peru, an ecological reserve in Ecuador, and a wildlife reserve and conservation management landscape in northern Bolivia. A third factor is our commitment to present our results to local, regional, and national audiences within a few days of leaving the field. Our audiences include the communities themselves, the broader public, governments, academic institutions, and businesses. Our aim is to start an immediate conversation with decision makers and stakeholders and to make recommendations that draw both on the findings of scientists and the wishes, needs, and beliefs of local residents. A fourth factor is the continuous exchange we maintain with interested parties. This involves convening government agencies, indigenous organizations, lawyers, scientists, loggers, miners, conservation groups, oil companies, among others. It is in these conversations that much of the negotiation takes place for the protection of the area. The fact that The Field Museum is a scientific institution speaking from hard science plays a vital role in our ability to be effective in this kind of dialogue. The final report, presented within a year of the fieldwork, includes an assessment of the biological importance of the site in a regional and global context, as well as recommendations for sustaining and improving the well-being of nearby human communities. We aim the report principally at an audience of decision-makers and conservation implementers. In parallel we produce additional materials for local audiences. Why this success and how do we translate inventory results into protected acres? Several factors are at work. First is ECCo’s integrated approach, which emphasizes the quality of life of human communities in and around biodiversity-rich landscapes. While ECP biologists and their local counterparts are inventorying critical groups of plants and animals, CCUC anthropologists and their local collaborators survey the human settlements in and around the targeted area, drawing from local residents their aspirations, mapping their social strengths, and identifying ways to link these with the needs in environmental conservation. Second, and as important as our integrated approach, is our collaboration with local partners. From the start we work entirely with local organizations that are dedicated to sustaining action on the ground. 16 Areas Protected After Rapid Inventories: 2000–2005 2001 / Cordillera Azul, central Peru .................................................... 2002 / Cofán Bermejo, northern Ecuador ..................................... 2004 / Megantoni, southern Peru .......................................................... 2004 / Filadelfia — Bolpebra, northern Bolivia ............................ 2005 / Bruno Racua, northeastern Bolivia ................................... 2005 / Ampiyacu, Güeppi, Matsés, Sierra del Divisor, Yavarí, eastern Peru ... 3.34 million acres (National Park) 148,200 acres ( Ecological Reserve) 531,000 acres ( National Sanctuary) 3.7 million acres ( Municipal Conservation Area) 183,000 acres ( Wildlife Reserve) 9.89 million acres ( on the road to protection) Proposed Anexo II Reserva Ecológica Cayambe-Coca Reserva Ecológica Cofán Bermejo Zábalo Güeppi COLOMBIA ECUADOR 2 Conservation Implementation and Community Engagement BRAZIL Reserva de Vida Silvestre Bruno Racua Madre de Dios Ampiyacu Yavarí Matsés Parque Nacional Cordillera Azul Sierra del Divisor PERU Santuario Nacional Megantoni Filadelfia — Bolpebra ANMI BOLIVIA Making land protection sustainable for the long term is ECCo’s most challenging task. To this end we directly engage the people living in and around biodiversity-rich areas in the stewardship of their lands. By converting science information into long-term conservation plans, we activate deep local interest and participation in community-based environmental management. There is no ready recipe for success. The assets and threats differ sharply from one place to another and each plan is unique. Atlantic Ocean 19 COFÁN LANDSCAPES, ECUADOR 2005 was an important year for Cofán conservation in Amazonian Ecuador. With ECCo’s technical support, the Cofán made significant progress in developing and implementing an official management plan for the Reserva Ecológica Cofán Bermejo, Ecuador’s first protected area to be administered and managed by indigenous people. Meanwhile, the residents of the community of Zábalo worked with ECCo staff to improve their methods for recovering populations of river turtles and to fine-tune their wildlife census efforts. ECCo helped to design and teach courses for the Cofán-managed Institute for Training in Environmental Conservation, which trains indigenous and nonindigenous peoples to protect, manage, and conserve their lands. In an ongoing effort supported by ECCo, a team of 50 Cofán Community Park Guards developed a monitoring system that helps them track wildlife populations and environmental threats in the 741,000 acres of montane and lowland forests managed by the Cofán nation. Program Staff Dan Brinkmeier, Michael Cepek, Debra Moskovits, Wendy Townsend 2005 Collaborators Fundación Sobrevivencia Cofán; Cofán communities at Zabalo, Chandia N’ae, and Bermejo; The Nature Conservancy www.cofan.org Program Staff Debra Moskovits, Mario Pariona, Corine Vriesendorp 2005 Collaborators IBC, CEDIA, GOREL, ORAI (Indigenous Federation of Loreto), WCS, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (IIAP) AMAZONIAN LOWLANDS IN LORETO, PERU Peru’s vast Amazonian lowlands are extraordinarily diverse and still largely intact. More than half of these forests are concentrated in Loreto, a sprawling and essentially roadless state the size of Germany. Currently, only 9% of Loreto is formally protected, although proposals exist for parks, communal reserves, and territorial reserves that would cover 40% of the land. ECCo scientists are working with the Regional Government of Loreto (GOREL) and the many other regional stakeholders to create consensus on a conservation plan for Loreto that includes a mix of multiple-use, restricted-use, and strictly protected landscapes in this megadiverse region. Program Staff Janis Alcorn, Dan Brinkmeier, Kevin Havener, Debra Moskovits, Andrea Nogués, Mario Pariona, Laurel Ross, Anne Umali, Alaka Wali Program Staff Dan Brinkmeier, Paul Guggenheim, Debra Moskovits, Andrea Nogués, Mario Pariona, Laurel Ross, Nathan Strait, Alaka Wali 2005 Collaborators CIMA, CEDISA, Choba-Choba, INRENA, PRADERA www.fieldmuseum.org/cordilleraazul/parkstory.html www.cima-cordilleraazul.org.pe 2005 Collaborators CIPA, Manconmunidad Filadelfia-Bolpebra, Universidad Amazónica de Pando, Yangareko RUBBER TREE AND BRAZIL-NUT FORESTS, NORTHERN BOLIVIA In 2005 we focused on efforts that will lead to the consolidation of the large Municipal Protected Area in northwestern Bolivia (ANMI Filadelfia-Bolpebra), where the grassroots motto has become “Conservation is our Decision.” Our activities and technical support centered around: (1) Zoning of community lands to secure large contiguous wilderness areas for strict protection; forested areas for Brazil-nut gathering, rubber tapping, regulated hunting, and other natural resource use; and areas for intensive local use such as housing, agriculture, and other economic activities. (2) Advising on local rules and regulations to implement the zoning, focusing on the biological and social aspects. (3) Training selected residents to disseminate the zoning and regulations, focusing on improvement of quality of life through managed use and protection of the forests. (4) Searching with community members for ecologically compatible economic activities that will reduce their income gaps. Our conservation education programs in Cobija schools celebrate local biological and cultural diversity, and value the knowledge and tradition of forest peoples. PARQUE NACIONAL CORDILLERA AZUL, PERU Consolidation of Peru’s majestic national park in the Andean foothills, Cordillera Azul, continues to be a strong collaboration with the Peruvian NGO CIMA and with the communities surrounding the park. We now work with 71 communities in 10 critical clusters that are gateways into the park. Our extension materials, school programs, and technical training focus on establishing the crucial link between the quality of life of local residents and the health of the surrounding natural resources. Communities in the park’s buffer zone increasingly adopt and champion park activities. As these efforts proceed, the Park is becoming an island of calm and stability in a region suffering the resurgence of violence associated with narcotrafficking and illegal logging. 20 21 Bringing Chicago’s voices to The Field Museum The unique and diverse voices of Chicago broaden The Field Museum visitors’ view of urban landscapes and the people who live in them. CCUC coordinated six exhibitions in the Museum’s Marae Gallery, showcasing Chicago communities’ ways of life and emphasizing how diverse communities work to improve civic life and intercultural relations. Each of the exhibits – focusing on urban anthropology, the role of art in building communities, and affordable housing – involved close collaborations with community-based organizations, scholars at local universities, and Museum Exhibitions and Education staff. Our 2005 exhibit, Design Innovations in Manufactured Housing, demonstrated that affordable housing for urban dwellers can be aesthetically pleasing while being pragmatic and environmentally compatible. The exhibit also compared urban mobile homes with examples from other cultures, like Native North American teepees and Central Asian yurts. THE CHICAGO WILDERNESS (CW) REGION The Chicago Wilderness region harbors a wealth of cultural and natural assets (see map). More than 300,000 acres of protected natural lands thrive among millions of people in this great American metropolis. In this landscape of abundance, ECCo collaborates with many others to study, protect, and restore the region’s natural and cultural resources to enrich the quality of life of all residents. Beaubien Woods — a site with great potential Owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Calumet’s 100-acre Beaubien Woods has great natural and social potential. A mosaic of prairie, marshes, and oak woodland that has become degraded from lack of management, the site is ripe for research and restoration. It is an educator’s dream. Working from an ambitious ecological management plan, groups of citizen volunteers led by ECCo and our collaborators have begun the exciting work of removing invasive brush and replanting the native flora. Field Museum scientists will inventory invertebrates, fungi, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and other organisms to inform the work as it proceeds. The site also has deep historical significance as a former Underground Railroad stop. Beaubien’s location adjacent to the Altgeld Gardens public housing makes this an attractive field site for local schools. Program Staff Betsy Quail, Laurel Ross, Kirk Anne Taylor, Chad Taylor, Lisa Thoss, Jonathan VanderBrug 2005 Collaborators Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Chicago Public Schools, Calumet Stewardship Initiative, Chicago State University, Chicago Underground Railroad effort 22 Calumet Environmental Education Program (CEEP) Early 2005 marked the completion of a three-year evaluation of the CEEP pilot project with Washington High School and its eight feeder schools. Results showed that participating students and teachers gained significant knowledge and understanding of biodiversity, of their local community, and of environmental issues. Additionally, teachers participating in CEEP coordinated their work with teachers at other grade levels and integrated material about the environment across their curricula. Based on the success of the pilot, ECP expanded CEEP to six new schools in five new communities of Chicago, doubling the number of students annually involved in the program to more than 4,300 students and 91 teachers from 30 schools, plus 21 volunteers. In 2005 we also focused on developing a corps of volunteers to build community participation that will sustain and expand environmental education programs in Calumet. Work done by CCUC in 2001 was crucial in identifying a diverse pool of conservation constituents. Chicago Wilderness (CW) Calumet Initiative Eighty-four people, representing 45 CW organizations committed to the Calumet region, attended a workshop organized by ECCo and sponsored by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. The goal was to develop consensus on key themes for conservation and outreach in the region, and to identify priority collaborative projects. Four themes with widespread, common interest for the bi-state region emerged: 1) water quality; 2) restoration /remediation/brownfields; 3) economic engines related to the environment; and 4) planning for sustainable development. Based on these themes, more than 20 partners developed nine collaborative proposals that are now being reviewed by Chicago Wilderness and others for funding and implementation. Program Staff Betsy Quail, Laurel Ross, Kirk Anne Taylor, Chad Taylor, Lisa Thoss, Jonathan VanderBrug 2005 Collaborators Chicago Wilderness, Calumet Stewardship Initiative, City of Chicago Department of the Environment, USDA Forest Service, Chicago State University, Forest Preserve District of Cook County http://www.fieldmuseum.org/ceep/ 2005 Collaborators City of Chicago Department of the Environment, US Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, Chicago Wilderness http://www.chicagowilderness.org/ White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation The Calumet Initiative: Healthy Economy, Healthy Environment, Healthy Communities was the title of a case study presented at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation held in St. Louis, and attended by more than 1,000 delegates. The presentation received much attention because the complex problems we are tackling in Calumet are similar to those faced in other urban landscapes and the solutions we are crafting here have wide application. “Wild Things” Conference Close to 1,000 people attended the conference in April — organized by and for volunteers — that featured practical workshops, vision-building talks, and interactive discussions. The conference led to increased participation in CW from grassroots groups and stewardship volunteers. Chicago Wilderness: Stretching into the Social Sciences In 2005 Chicago Wilderness (CW) expanded its vision for achieving our goals to improve both the native biological diversity of the region and the quality of life of Metropolitan residents. A new Social Science Team is now part of the organizational structure of CW. CCUC collaborated with partners in designing a strategic plan for social science research in Chicago Wilderness. One focus that emerged is Scientists Off the Shelf, or SOS. Spearheaded by CCUC, SOS will improve the efficiency of our work in Chicago Wilderness by including the social angle in every conservation project we undertake. The SOS mechanism engages two-to-three social scientists with each project team, weaving the crucial human factor into the conservation work from beginning to end. Program Staff Laurel Ross Collaborators Volunteer Stewardship Network, Audubon Society Chicago Region http://chicagowildernessmag.org/ wildthings/ Program Staff Laurel Ross, Rebecca Severson, Alaka Wali 2005 Collaborators Chicago Wilderness, Northwestern University, DePaul University, USDA Forest Service, Purdue University, Brookfield Zoo 24 25 Program Staff Rosa Cabrera, Elise Fulara, Mario Longoni, Michaela Marchi, Yvonne Nieves 2005 Collaborators American Indian Center, Arab American Action Network (Arts Council), Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, Brazilian Cultural Center of Chicago, Bronzeville/ Black Chicagoan Historical Society, Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, Chicago History Museum, Chicago Japanese American Historical Society, CPS Office of Language and Cultural Education, DuSable Museum of African American History, The Field Museum, Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago, Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, The HistoryMakers, Indo-American Center, Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, Italian Cultural Center, Korean American Resource and Cultural Center, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, The Polish Museum of America, Swahili Institute of Chicago, Swedish American Museum Center, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Ukrainian National Museum www.fieldmuseum.org/ccuc/ cultural.htm Cultural Connections: Promoting Diversity in Chicago Now in its eighth season, Cultural Connections offers a dynamic exploration of Chicago’s communities’ histories, perspectives, and cultural changes. Under the themes for 2005 —“Narratives: Doorways to Our Communities” and “The Language of Looks”— 23 Cultural Connections (CC) partners collaborated in 8 cross-cultural public presentations. The program engaged nearly 1,800 participants including teachers, parents of school-aged children, college students, and the general public. More than 40 teachers completed the Professional Education Course, and more than 150 parents and children who visited partner museums also visited The Field Museum during the CC Kick-off event and the Museum’s Children’s Holiday Celebration. In 2005 CCUC led the development of the Cultural Diversity Alliance, with support from The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and CHASE. This Alliance will serve as the public voice and convener of local community-based ethnic museums, cultural centers, and historical societies in partnership with other civic institutions. The aim is to highlight the value of cultural diversity as a powerful asset in our communities, through public/private partnerships, advocacy, public education, and tourism. A Steering Committee of CC partners was formed to carry out the development of the Alliance, which is scheduled to be launched in June 2006. Urban Research: Mixed-income Housing At Lake Park Crescent — a mixed-income development that is part of the Chicago Housing Authority’s plan for the transformation of public housing — CCUC trained residents to assist us with a rapid social assessment. We used the data collected, along with CCUC’s previous ethnographic research results on the social impact of adult informal arts, to shape programs and services that will build community and increase family stability. We trained 11 collaborators in applying CCUC’s approach to property management and social service delivery. Program Staff Hannah Anderson, Carlos Dean, Josh Ostergaard, Rebecca Severson, Madeleine Tudor, Alaka Wali 2005 Collaborators Draper and Kramer, Abraham Lincoln Centre 27 Using Cultural Assets to Build Communities M EXICANS FIRST CAME TO CHICAGO IN THE 19TH CENTURY, attracted to work in the steel mills and factories of a growing industrial metropolis. Their contributions to Chicago’s economic and cultural life are evident in the vitality of neighborhoods throughout the city. Since 1994, when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented, the pace of immigration has accelerated and the character of migration patterns and relationships across national borders has changed significantly. The Rockefeller Foundation invited the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change to investigate a little-known aspect of new immigrants — how they use their cultural and artistic assets to develop livelihood strategies and build communities. CCUC partnered with University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Communications Professor, Noshir Contractor, and his Team Engineering Collaboratory (TECLab) to develop a new methodology that integrates social asset mapping and network modeling to document connections between individuals and numerous organizations that support immigrants. From March to August a team of five anthropologists conducted field work in neighborhoods on the North, South, and West Sides of Chicago, as well as in the northern and western suburbs. They observed festivals and performances, attended church services, and volunteered at social service organizations. They interviewed people in a range of occupations, including artists and leaders in the Mexican community. Together with CCUC’s media specialist, they also documented the communities’ vibrant cultural and artistic life. Finally, they did a survey on networks both of a random sample of immigrants and of key community and social service organizations. The full report together with a website that demonstrates the assets and networks will be completed in the spring of 2006. Preliminary findings indicate that immigrants have formed strong ties through a variety of organizations, most prominently religious institutions and “hometown” associations (these act as focal points for maintaining ties to the regions in Mexico that immigrants come from). Immigrants’ arts include everything from wall murals (continuing a famous Chicago and Mexican tradition) to more domestic arts such as embroidery, costume design, and confectionary art. Music is a huge part of everyday life and also is highly varied, promoting and preserving numerous regional styles. Art-making connects immigrants to home communities and enables the maintenance of cultural values and beliefs that sustain people in the face of hardship and livelihood struggles as they establish a foothold in Chicago. Findings from the study will help the Museum design more effective ways to include this growing demographic in our public programs, environmental education, and community-based stewardship of nature. 3 Collection Tools and Training ECCo’s third programmatic direction is to transfer expertise to locally based scientists and educators 1) by capitalizing on the Museum collections as potential tools for field identification in areas of high conservation priority, and 2) by providing science-based training for conservation action and community strengthening — both in Chicago and in the tropics. 30 creating a reference collection that greatly speeds up specimen identification, especially in regions where our conservation work is focused. The RRC for tropical plants now contains 58,871 specimens of 23,213 species. By scanning representative specimens of this collection and putting them on the web (http://www.fmnh.org/plantguides/; see also below) the RRC is becoming an invaluable and popular tool for scientists and students working in Latin America. RRC Photo Archives In 2005 ECP and collaborators from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and Peru added more than 6,600 images of plants to the photo archives. These images represent the only comprehensive collection of scientifically identified plant images from the American tropics, freely available on the web and in rapid color guides to particular regions. Plant Specimens Added to The Field Museum In the John G. Searle Herbarium, The Field Museum houses one of the premier collections of plants from the American tropics. In 2005 scientists TOOLS Museum collections, and the long hours curators spend organizing and examining them, represent an enormous contribution to our knowledge of Earth’s diversity. Collections can tell us where an organism occurs, its relationship to other organisms, its parasite and disease loads, and whether it is rare or common. Such information is crucial in understanding conservation priorities, in designing management plans, and in formulating basic research needs for effective management. Large collections are a powerful library for science and conservation. Other tools, such as manuals and guides, facilitate transfer of knowledge. ECCo works in areas that are among the highest global conservation priorities. Paradoxically, these areas are among the least known on Earth. In rare instances there are a few field guides to the local fauna; usually there is no field guide to the local flora. The Tools and Training initiative aims to bring collections-based information from The Field Museum to the people who need it most: local communities, biologists, students, and conservation practitioners. Rapid Reference Collection (RRC) for Tropical Plants The Field Museum’s enormous herbarium with its 2.6 million specimens has drawbacks for ecologists, anthropologists, and other scientists who are not working on a single group of plants but are attempting to identify plants from a specific region. Navigating the entire collection can be daunting and take an inordinately long time. By creating a smaller, computer-catalogued collection of selected specimens with updated names, and arranging these specimens by geographic area, Robin Foster, Tyana Wachter, and Nancy Hensold (ECP), and numerous botanists from the U.S. and abroad, are Program Staff Bil Alverson, Dan Brinkmeier, Pete Cruikshank, Robin Foster, Lydia Gentry, Kevin Havener, Nancy Hensold, Sarah Kaplan, Ute Knoerr, Jennie Kluse, Ryan Peters, Sergio Rabiela, Tom Schulenberg, Doug Stotz, Nathan Strait, Sarah Thompson, Corine Vriesendorp, Tyana Wachter 2005 Collaborators Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Peru), Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco (Peru), Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana (Peru), CIMA (Peru), Florida International University, University of Michigan, The Field Museum Botany Department, The Missouri Botanical Garden, The New York Botanical Garden, Zoological Society of San Diego, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil), Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil), Wake Forest University, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Instituto Alexander von Humboldt (Colombia), University of Florida, Universidade Federal do Acre (Brazil), Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Louisiana State University, Universidad Amazónica de Pando (Bolivia) from rapid inventories added 835 specimens from the Matsés and Divisor regions of Loreto, Peru. These specimens are duplicates of collections that remain in Peru; we are committed to supporting in-country herbaria and collections. http://www.fmnh.org/plantguides/ http://www.fmnh.org/animalguides/ Tropical creatures on the Web Both the RRC and the Rapid Color Guides (see below) have proven to be extremely useful for hands-on work. Now they are accessible to a much broader audience, and the results have been spectacular. The Neotropical Herbarium Specimens page currently has 25,916 scans of 15,130 species available to the public and has been visited 2,067,000 times. The Neotropical Live Plant Photos page has 5,956 color photos of plants and has been visited 45,000 times. During 2005 the Rapid Color Guides website has had 276,061 pages downloaded representing 56,000 full guides. 33 Rapid Color Guides — International The lack of readily available pictures of tropical forest plant species has been a serious impediment for conservation inventory, teaching, and research in the tropics. With the advent of slide-scanners and high-definition desktop printers in the late 1990’s, inexpensive production of simple collections of images for specific localities or specific groups of organisms became feasible. In 1998 R. Foster and M. Metz produced the first in a series of field guides focused on Neotropical plants. More than 150 different guides have now been developed and produced, and the demand for them has exploded. In 2005 ECP and collaborators produced 13 guides to Neotropical plants, seeds, fruits, birds, and lizards representing nearly 700 species. Rapid Color Guides — Local Our first rapid guide for Chicago Wilderness, dedicated to dragonflies and damselflies, received expert guidance and superb photographs from citizen scientists, Jane and John Balaban. Volunteer Jennie Kluse made the guide a reality. The local series will involve other organisms and collaborations with several institutions in Chicago Wilderness. Local Plants on the Web vPlants (virtual plants) began as a collaborative project among The Field Museum, Morton Arboretum, and Chicago Botanic Garden: Data and images of 90,000 plant specimens collected in the Chicago Region (see map) went up on the web. In 2005 the project expanded to include local mushrooms, plant collections of the Illinois Natural History Survey, and 4,000 Species Pages (with descriptions of the species, photos of living plants, and information about ecology and identification). We expect vPlants to become an important resource for volunteer stewards in Chicago Wilderness. 34 www.vplants.org http://www.fieldmuseum.org/ projecttoolbox Bird Sounds and Field Guides Effective bird inventories rely on quick and accurate identifications and a thorough knowledge of the avifauna. In ECP, Tom Schulenberg and Doug Stotz are translating their expert ornithological knowledge into identification tools for other scientists, students, amateur birders, and conservation practitioners. Sound recordings are one of our principal bird-identification tools. Birds in dense forests are much easier to hear than to see. During our work in tropical countries, we record bird songs and compile them onto compact disks, making the vocalizations of hundreds of bird species available to biologists. These audio CDs compress the “learning curve” for bird songs from years to weeks or days. We produce our sound CDs in collaboration with the Cornell Laboratory of Natural Sounds. Our second identification tool is the traditional field guide. Roger Tory Peterson’s popular field guides to North American birds brought generations of citizens into the conservation movement. For many South American countries, identification manuals are still lacking. We are completing A Guide to the Birds of Peru to be published in 2006. Project Toolbox This tools-and-training initiative strengthens the capacity of partner institutions to communicate effectively — through appropriate visual media — and to engage rural communities fully in the conservation of surrounding lands. Projects in 2005 focused on grassroots conservation in Bolivia, rural extension in Peru, and indigenous knowledge documentation in Ecuador. 35 TRAINING Mentoring and capacity-building are the foundation of ECCo’s projects, and our training efforts traverse disciplines and geographies. We work with biologists, anthropologists, local peoples, conservation institutions, indigenous peoples, and others in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chicago. In 2005 we made several important breakthroughs in our long-term goal of developing a new cadre of young conservationists. We trained 11 conservation biologists through the rapid inventories program, 15 scientists in Chicago and Peru in social asset mapping, 30 community facilitators in conservation implementation in Peru and Bolivia, 7,500 students and 370 teachers in conservation issues, and 15 conservation practitioners in communication strategies. In Chicago, through workshops and intensive training sessions, we trained collaborators and community partners in how to use intrinsic social assets to improve community building efforts. In Calumet, local community organizations were invited to play a leadership role in the environmental education programs formerly led entirely by ECP staff. The expanding role of community volunteers in 2005 has shown us that these programs can grow, become sustainable, and contribute to the environmental and economic recovery of the region. The training efforts result in strong scientific contributions to inventory reports, better conservation educational materials and teacher training, improved communication strategies, and effective media leading to community involvement in conservation in all the areas where we are involved. ECCo’s investment in human potential is resulting in priceless dividends for biological and cultural diversity Building tools to record cultural history CCUC hosted two major workshops to increase the capacity of Chicago urban communities to use anthropology and museum practices to record the heritage of their communities. In the Spring, as part of a History Channel funded project to document the story of Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood, participants of the Umoja Student Development Corporation at Manley High School learned how to collect oral history and to use photography in developing small exhibitions. In the Summer, CCUC invited CityLore, Inc., a New York based public folklore project, to train more than 30 community partners to document folklore in their efforts to preserve neighborhood heritage. FIELD MUSEUM SERVICE, PUBLICATIONS, AND PRESENTATIONS Program Staff Bil Alverson, Hannah Anderson, Dan Brinkmeier, Rosa Cabrera, Robin Foster, Elise Fulara, Paul Guggenheim, Kevin Havener, Mario Longoni, Michaela Marchi, Yvonne Nieves, Andrea Nogués, Mario Pariona, Laurel Ross, Tom Schulenberg, Rebecca Severson, Doug Stotz, Nathan Strait, Josh Ostergaard, Betsy Quail, Kirk Anne Taylor, Lisa Thoss, Madeleine Tudor, Anne Umali, Jonathan VanderBrug, Corine Vriesendorp, Alaka Wali The multidisciplinary group in ECCo participates fully in The Field Museum activities, serving as Scientists on the Floor, members of Museum committees, presenters at Member’s Nights, support for Exhibits, participants in workshops, and mentors for interns. Outside of the Museum, ECCo staff publish their work in a broad spectrum of venues, from peer-reviewed journals to technical reports, and from field guides to community-level pamphlets and posters. This diversity reflects the different audiences our group reaches out to: conservation practitioners, decision-makers, organizers in local communities, and other scientists. Similarly, we present our work internationally, nationally, regionally, and locally in congresses, workshops, communities, and government offices. For a comprehensive list of 2005 service, publications, and presentations by ECCo staff: www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/ecco.htm. 36 Active Grants in 2005 Foundations, Corporations, and Public Agencies FU N DI NG AGENCY PROJ ECT TITLE PR INCIPAL I NVESTIGATOR GRANT PER IOD TOTAL AWAR D The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Science in Action for Conservation Management of Parque Nacional Cordillera Azul Completing the Evaluation of the Conservation Status of Peru’s Endemic Plants Moskovits Moskovits Vriesendorp Moskovits Moskovits Vriesendorp /Brinkmeier Severson Cabrera Ross/Taylor Ross Ross/Taylor Ross/Taylor Ross Wali/Severson Moskovits /Underhill Severson Cabrera Wali/Severson Cabrera Cabrera Cabrera Cabrera Cabrera Ross/Taylor Ross/Taylor Cabrera Lube Ross Cabrera Wali/Tudor May 02 – Apr 07 Jun 04 – May 06 Nov 05 – Nov 06 Jun 02 – May 07 Oct 01 – Sep 05 Dec 05 – Aug 08 Oct 04 – Sep 05 Oct 05 – Sep 08 Jan 04 – Jun 06 Jul 05 – Jun 06 Aug 04 – Jul 06 Jul 04 – Jun 06 Jan 05 – Mar 06 Oct 05 – Sep 06 Feb 05 – Oct 06 Nov 05 – Oct 06 Oct 05 – Oct 06 Jan 05 – Dec 05 Oct 04 – Sep 05 Jan 05 – Dec 05 Jan 05 – Dec 05 Aug 05 – Jun 06 Sep 04 – Aug 05 Jul 04 – Jun 05 Jul 05 – Jun 06 Sep 05 – Jul 06 Feb 05 – May 05 Oct 05 – Oct 06 Sep 05 – Jul 06 Jun 04 – Jan 05 $ 10,785,000 $ 1,000,000 $ 14,000 U.S. Agency for International Development The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Economic and Environmental Opportunities in Parque Nacional Cordillera Azul and its Buffer Zone Huallaga (Coca) Valley, Peru Cuba: Urgent Conservation Opportunities in the Caribbean Conservation Communication Training Initiative Post-Occupancy and Community-Building Programs at Lake Park Crescent (collaborative program) $ 5,250,000 A natural investment. . . for a priceless return $ $ $ 350,000 200,000 125,000 423,374 133,000 75,000 132,000 60,000 10,000 150,000 147,500 75,000 25,000 100,000 70,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 30,000 15,000 15,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 Institute of Museum and Library Services McDougal Family Foundation National Leadership Grants Museum — Advancing Learning Communities: Cultural Connections Implementation of the Calumet Environmental Education Program’s Second Phase Calumet Environmental Education Program — Bowen High School Expansion Project $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation Calumet Stewardship Initiative — Community Educator Earth Force in the Calumet Region Support of Calumet Focus of Chicago Wilderness The Ford Foundation Hamill Family Foundation CHASE Creating Effective Action from Participatory Action Research Rapid Inventories for Conservation of the Nu River, Yunan Lake Park Crescent Program Cultural Diversity Alliance — Phase III The Rockefeller Foundation Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust Joyce Foundation Kraft Foods Polk Bros Foundation Lloyd A. Fry Foundation The Field Foundation of Illinois, Inc. Mapping Cultural and Network Assets in Mexican New Immigrant Communities Support of Cultural Connections 2004–05 Cultural Connections 2005 Cultural Connections Cultural Connections 2005–06 Cultural Connections Urban Watch: Engaging Underserved Southeast Chicago Youth in Science and Conservation Support of Urban Watch 2005–2006 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Illinois Humanities Council Save Our History Grants Program The Palmer Foundation Charles and M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Inc. Woods Fund of Chicago Cultural Connections Our Stories: Discovering Lawndale’s History Support of Urban Watch 2005–2006 Cultural Connections: Promoting the Understanding, Appreciation and Vitality of Chicago’s Cultural Diversity Lake Calumet Roundtables $ 2005 Program Expenditures 2004–2005 Gifts Individuals, Foundations, and Corporations Rapid Inventories and Link with Action .............................................. $ 1,100,585 ECCo depends on your support. We are deeply grateful to our growing list of sponsors. $150,000 and Above Niamogue Foundation † $100,000–$149,999 Jack W. Fuller * † Holly & John Madigan $10,000–$99,999 The William C. Bannerman Foundation The Bay Foundation BP The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation The Kaye Family Mr. & Mrs.* Dennis J. Keller Josephine Bay Paul & C. Michael Paul Foundation Nuveen Investments Mr. & Mrs. Richard H. Schnadig The Don & Rebecca* Ford Terry Family Fund † Warwick Foundation Waste Management, Inc. — CID Recycling & Disposal Facility The Women’s Board $5,000–$9,999 Joanne Benazzi Friedland Mrs. Robert C. Hyndman $1,000–$4,999 Anonymous Mr. & Mrs Stephen W. Baird Mrs. Mary L. Borysewicz Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Brown Rick Callahan & Benedicte Wirtz Lawrence & Martha Casazza Mr. & Mrs. Byram E. Dickes Jocarno Fund Mr. & Mrs. Donald G. Kempf, Jr. Ms. Elisabeth C. Meeker Mrs. Withrow W. Meeker Gene Rintels Foundation Trust Ross Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs.* Neele E. Stearns, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Harvey J. Struthers, Jr. The Weeden Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Zander Up to $999 Ms. Susanne B. Bush Mrs. John M. Butler, Jr. Joan T. Carrow Mr. & Mrs. John T. Cunningham Mr. & Mrs. W. Gregory Doolin The Gary E. Gardner Family Dr. & Mrs. John S. Garvin Suzanne F. Guyot Ellen V. Howe Diane Humphrey KCBX Terminals Company Mr. & Mrs. Richard R. Kracum Nancy W. Mack Mr. & Mrs. Donald W. Patterson Annette Biemond Peck Wilmia C. Ramsey Mr.* & Mrs. John S. Runnells II Gael R. Strong Sallie W. Vanarsdale Mr. Michael William Richmond & Ms. Laura S. Washington* Ms. Esther Ruth White * Trustee † Multi-year Pledge Conservation Implementation ......................................................................... $ 3,476,378 Chicago Region Calumet Initiatives Cultural Connections Urban Research $ $ $ $ 923,169 245,325 393,733 284,111 $ Ecuador (Cofán foothills and lowlands) Peru (Cordillera Azul and Loreto) Bolivia (Pando) 174,451 $ 2,046,787 $ 331,971 Tools and Training............................................................................................................ $ 662,702 TOTAL................................................................................................................................................ $ 5,239,665 2005 Staff Listing Office Of The Vice-President Debra K. Moskovits, Ph.D. Vice President Robert McMillan, B.A. Finance and Accounting Environmental and Conservation Programs (ECP) Debra K. Moskovits, Ph.D Director William S. Alverson, Ph.D. Conservation Ecologist, Botany Daniel Brinkmeier, M.Sc. Int’l. Community Outreach Manager Michael Cepek, M.A. Research Assistant Alvaro del Campo, M.Sc. Operations Manager, Cordillera Azul Jennifer B. Eagleton, J.D. Operations & Communications Manager Robin B. Foster, Ph.D. Conservation Ecologist, Botany Lydia Gentry, M.Sc. Research Assistant John Gonzalez, B.P.A. Grant Compliance Specialist Paul Guggenheim, M.A. International Conservation Education Kevin Havener, M.A.Ed. Visual Communications Nancy Hensold, Ph.D. Botanist Sarah Kaplan, B.S. Research Assistant Guillermo Knell, B.S. International Field Programs Ute Knoerr, M.Sc. Research Assistant Robert McMillan, B.A. ECP Finance and Accounting Manager Brandy Pawlak, B.A. Sr. Administrative Assistant Mario Pariona, M.Sc. International Programs Manager Ryan Peters, B.S. Digital Media Elizabeth Quail, B.S. Conservation Education Sergio Rabiela, B.S. Digital Media Bianca Ramirez, B.A. Grant Compliance Laurel Ross, B.A. Conservation Implementation Director Thomas S. Schulenberg, Ph.D. Conservation Ecologist, Zoology Jennifer M. Shopland, Ph.D. Conservation Ecologist, Writer Douglas F. Stotz, Ph.D. Conservation Ecologist, Zoology Nathan Strait, B.A. Visual Communication Kirk Anne Taylor, B.A. Conservation Education Manager Sarah Thompson, B.A. Research Assistant Lisa Thoss, B.A. Conservation Education Wendy Townsend, Ph.D. Community Conservation Manager Anne Umali, B.S. International Conservation Education Jonathan VanderBrug, B.A. Conservation Education Corine Vriesendorp, Ph.D. Rapid Inventories and Tools Director Tatzyana Wachter, B.S. Conservation Programs Coordinator Center for Cultural Understanding and Change (CCUC) Alaka Wali, Ph.D. Director Janis Alcorn, Ph.D. International Programs Hannah Anderson, M.A. Communications Specialist Rosa Cabrera, M.A. Public Involvement Manager Carlos Dean, M.A. LPC Resident Services Coordinator Elise Fulara, M.A. Cultural Connections Samantha Johnson, M.A. Communications Specialist Mario Longoni, M.A. Cultural Connections Meganne Lube, B.A. Sr. Administrative Assistant Michaela Marchi, B.A. Program Coordinator Yvonne Nieves, B.A. Cultural Connections Administrative Assistant Andrea Nogués, M.A. Community Conservation Specialist Joshua Ostergaard, M.A. Urban Research Programs Coordinator Rebecca Severson, M.A. Urban Research Programs Manager Madeleine Tudor, M.A. Communications Manager PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS THE FIELD MUSEUM is a research, conservation, and educational institution devoted to biological and cultural diversity. Founded on collections originally assembled for the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Museum now houses 23 million specimens from around the world, and a state-of-the-art Collections Resource Center. On a par with its two distinguished Divisions of Science — Collections & Research, and Environment, Culture, & Conservation — the Museum’s temporary and permanent exhibitions draw more than 1.5 million visitors each year. Its education and outreach programs benefit more than 200,000 school children annually. www.fieldmuseum.org www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/ecco.htm FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL OR WRITE Laurel Ross Conservation Implementation Director lross @ fieldmuseum.org 312.665.7432 The Field Museum Environment, Culture, & Conservation 1400 South Lake Shore Drive Chicago, Illinois 60605–2496 312.665.7430 COVER N. Stone, INSIDE COVER Cordillera Azul~N. Stone, PAGE 2 Shipibo woman and ceramics~N. Stone, PAGE 4 Spider Monkey~H. Plenge, PAGE 8 Advance team descending into Sierra del Divisor~G. Knell, PAGE 13 ( left to right) volcanic cone, Sierra del Divisor~A. del Campo, Shipibo child~A. Nogués, Acre Antshrike~G. Knell, PAGE 15 R. Foster, PAGE 21 ( left to right) Ampiyacu lowlands~A. del Campo, Cofán and tools~D. Brinkmeier, Cordillera Azul~N. Stone, PAGE 23 Courtesy of the City Design Center, UIC, PAGE 24 J. VanderBrug, J. Weinstein (far right) PAGE 25 J. VanderBrug, PAGE 26 The Field Museum, PAGE 28 Southwest Youth Collaborative Center~I. Watkins, PAGE 29 Mexican woman dancing~J. Mumm, PAGE 33 R. Foster, PAGE 34 ( left to right) Orchid color guide~R. Foster, using guides for teaching~D. Brinkmeier, using color guides in Bolivia~D. Brinkmeier, PAGE 36 ( top to bottom) Peruvian mammalogist with bat~H. Plenge, Using color guides in Bolivia~A. Umali Designed and produced by: Costello Communications, Chicago printed on recycled paper 42 1400 SOUTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE, CHICAGO ILLINOIS 60605–2496