"We lose one hundred thousand species for every hectare deforested." 

                                ~Kelly Swing

​

Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS)​

, located in the Amazon basin of eastern Ecuador, 

​is one of the most biodiverse regions of the world.   

The region also sits on top of Ecuador's second largest oil deposit. 

 

​In July 2014, fifteen University of Michigan students on a GIEU study abroad 

program​

​​

 spen

​t​

 21 days

​ living and​

 working at T

BS. Their encounters with nature gave them a first-hand understanding of the ​

​intense struggle to 

balance sustainability with conservation efforts.  ​Join them on October 18, 2014 as Founding TBS Director, Dr. Kelly Swing,  speaks from 1-2pm with a student exhibition following from 2-4pm.  

​

​

In addition to his role a

​s​

 the Director of TBS, Dr. Kelly Swing is a professor of Environmental Science at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and serves as Director for Boston University's Ecuador Tropical Ecology Program.  He has acted as a consultant involved in analyzing industrial and construction impact specializing in waterways, habitat quality, integrity, species composition and abundance.  

His perspective on environmental pressures has been featured in  numerous places including The Guardian, National Geographic, NPR, CNN, and the BBC.  

Dr. Swing sees education as crucial and essential for conservation efforts.  Please join us for this rare opportunity to hear Dr Swing share his experience, insight, and suggestions for preserving one of the most biodiverse places on the earth. 

Open, Aware, and Humble Enough to Listen

July 30, 2014

Denise G.

Weather - foggy morning gave way to a beautiful afternoon

Diego's oil talk left us with a great deal to think about and many of us had feelings of helplessnessor discouragement   when we considered the magnitude of the problem.  We acknowledge the potential economic gains of oil extraction here in Ecuador, but can't help but feel that the short term benefits do not outweigh the negative consequences  of environmental destruction.  We spent a good part of the morning discussing threats to conservation in a broad sense.  It seems that well intended policies designed to support development often have unanticipated  outcomes.  We ended our conversation by discussing the scale at which conservation efforts can occur ranging from individual choice and behavior to intentionally coordinated efforts and we read the "Earth Charter" generated by the United Nations in 2004 out loud.

our copy of the Earth Charter

The Earth Charter was beautiful and inspirational, but there is a part of me that feels like it is very idealistic.  Where, when, and how can it be implemented on a global scale?

We spend the morning discussing our final fall project.  I was really impressed by the students' willingness to engage in the process and they came up with a fantastic range of ideas.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing what they produce.

After spending so much time inside, many of us were eager to get outside and hike.  We chose a long and relatively new trail known as Parahuaco.  Parahuaco means Saki Monkey and our experiences on the trail, in some ways, provide a great snapshot of our time in the rainforest as a whole!

We experienced challenging,  "over the boot" moments when someone slipped in knee deep mud.

perfectly camouflaged

There were thorns, and spider webs, and painful conga ant stings, but the forest also gave us moments of joy - a perfect gentle breeze, a flat path past enormous and beautiful trees, the surprising pattern of a snail shell, a frog that blends in perfectly with the leaf litter.

These simple things are the constant and seemingly limitless gifts of the rainforest and I know I will always be grateful that I have had the chance to experience it all.

Our day was rounded out by a lecture from Lissy Coley from the University of Utah.  Inga (the plant she and her research team focuses on).

Lissy Coley and her team

We had a wonderful introduction to plant defenses against herbivores and we learned a little about how to identify

Characteristics to help identify Ingas:
-no terminal leaf
-Ingas sometimes have leafy wings
-they have nectaries that promote ant defense of the plant

I guess I could sum this day up by saying that our experiences in the rainforest have many lessons to offer.  We just have to be open, aware, and humble enough to listen.

Denise G.

One Week To Go

July 29, 2014
by Denise K

I can't believe that we have been here for 16 days.

peaceful morning at the salt lick

I awoke this morning to the distant sound of the Howler monkeys guarding their territory.  A few days ago, they seemed to be right above our cabin.  The sound is haunting - a percussive and pulsating growl that percolates throughout the forest letting everyone and everything know that this is their territory!  I hope they will move closer again so that I can record it.

Breakfast, oh breakfast!  Actually, any meal...they are amazing day after day.  I am so impressed by what Olvideo and the kitchen staff are able to create in these remote conditions -- freshly baked rolls, delicious soups, salads with a lime dressing, pizza, tacos, homemade tortillas, lasagna, and even a homemade birthday cake (with frosting!) when the occasion arises.

At 9:30, our small group headed down the Lago trail to canoe in the lake.  I love hiking on Lago, even though it's a challenging, wet, muddy, and swampy trail.  There are always so many animals on this trail.  Today, we seemed to startle a number of huge birds.  We didn't get to see them, but we could sense their size by the sound of their wings crashing through the branches as they took off through the jungle.  The most surprising animal encounter for me happened on this trail yesterday when we stumbled upon a group of peccary.    We also didn't get to see them (I was okay with that!), but we heard the machine-like clacking of their tusks.  Several of us were a bit scared until we realized that they were moving away from us (they are very unpredictable and can sometimes be aggressive).

The Lago trail leads to the Anaconda trail (named after the 40 foot anaconda that has been spotted in that area) where we saw leaf cutter ants!!!  So cool!  They carry the leaf fragments to their colonies and use them to culture a specific fungus which is their only food.

I was so excited to canoe in the lake.  Our first trip to the lake was guided by Jose, but it rained the entire time, so I was looking forward to seeing the lake on a beautiful, blue sky, sunny day.  The proboscis bats were in their usual spot resting on a stick that emerged straight up from the lake water.

The Common Potoo was hidden in his spot in a collection of trees -- so still, it is nearly impossible to distinguish him from the tree trunk.  The Hoatzins were out, too.  I love their crazy head plummage.

Lunch. Delicious!

We met Juan Carlos and Santiago after lunch for more station service work.  It feels so good to give back to this station -- today we really worked hard!  The workers had stacked five piles of wood off of the Chorongo trail  for us to process.  The wood is from a tree in the cedar family.  It is not especially hard, but it can handle the constant moisture well and is suitable to line the swampy part of our trail.  It has a mesquite type of smell and and a beautiful orange color to it.  It feels so good to be physically active, sweating, and knowing that we are helping, even if in a very small way, to preserve this beautiful environment.

Surprise Mud Bath!

Will not forget the moment that John slammed his wood on a the trail, hitting a sloshy puddle, which sent mud everywhere.  Denise G took the mud bath very well!

We discussed our journal topics in the afternoon.  I find these small group conversations with the students so rewarding.  DG and I had no say in which students were selected for this trip.  I am impressed (everyday!) by their thoughtfulness, insight, sensitivity, and their ability to make anything fun.  I have told them many times that if I couldn't be on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure with my own family, they are the group I'd choose to be with.

Our journal topic discussion led to a planning meeting with Denise G and Kevin on the gazebo as an afternoon rainforest storm was blowing in.  It was stunning to watch the sky darken and the storm clouds seemed to merge at our gazebo from opposite directions.  The sound of the rain can be so loud that it is deafening.  

Denise G, Kevin, and I were in clean dry clothes.  This has become a true luxury and we were not about give that up easily.  We opted to stay in the gazebo long after the students ran back to their cabins in the downpour and even though the storm showed no signs of letting up.  We passed the time by doing yoga with the sounds of the rain.

Our evening ended with an  "Oil Talk" by Diego, the station manager.  Informative, eye opening, and very worrisome.  We left the evening pondering what we can do to stop the destruction of this precious place.  It's overwelming and there is no easy solution.  

I am hopeful, though, that this generation of students will go on to fight for positive environmental changes.  I am hopeful that we have all been changed by this experience, by learning to manage (and enjoy ourselves) even though conditions have been challenging and uncomfortable.  I am hopeful that we will embrace any opportunity to make do with less and lead more simple lives so that this exquisite place will continue to exist for generations to come.  It will not be easy, but I am hopeful.

with so much gratitude, 

denise k

First Goodbyes

July 28, 2014
By Precious S

It's only right that we've saved the best for last (haha, I know we're going to write after this, but I'm still technically the last student entry).

stopping at a beach on a sunnier day

Today we didn't do much.  It rained A LOT today.  We were supposed to help move logs for the path, but it was just raining too much.  Instead, some people conducted Forest GAP surveys while others did research in the library.

In accordance with the dreary day, we said good-bye to some members of the station - the Columbians along with guides and staff.  I was really sad to see Ramiro and Jose, in particular, leave. It's weird how the formation of relationships is accelerated  in the rainforest.  They were so nice and caring which made this already great experience so much better.

Since we were saying goodbye, it made me aware that we only have one week left in the rainforest.

goodbye to our Columbian friends

This is the beginning of the end.  The last week flew by and soon we'll be leaving.  It'll definitely be bittersweet, but all things must come to an end. Also we had tacos, which was pretty awesome.  Sorry, today was kind of slow.

Love Anyway,

Precious

There Once Was A Boy Named Gimmesome Roy

July 27, 2014
Harry F.

Just came from the talent show and I feel so warm and fuzzy inside - I don't even want to be mean to Maddie.  Some shout outs are in order - DK for style...and a very cool "hey, what's up?" -- Precious and Elana for organizing and harmonizing...

and Kelsey Du for throwing caution to the wind and giving a performance more out there than I ever

expected from her (Kelsey Dan was pretty good, too).  I don't wanna stop thinking about the show, but arrrgh, I  have to.

This morning we went on a long boat ride and saw the forest go from black to grey to vibrant green against beautiful blue skies.  I got bored at the salt lick, so I laid on a lot of people. Sorry guys.  After the bario-beach, the mood improved and we all got our tans on and saw some dope birds of various colors and sizes.

After lunch we all did our own things.  I, for instance, floated downriver with Marjai, Juliana, Jorge, and Tomas.  I really value the relationships we've built with the staff, the other group from Columbia, and some of the researchers.  Hearing about life from such vastly different perspectives (or even just watching/experiencing small interactions over fishing and futbol) teaches everyone something about life or Ecuador or la selva Amazon or human nature.  Each of us gets a different take away based on our perspective.  Perspective is something I keep coming back to here.  One hike can be seen in so many different ways depending on who's experiencing it.  The guides see so much more detail than we do, for instance, and Tony's knowledge of spider monkeys must set off a more intricate string of thoughts/emotions/brain chemicals when he sees them as compared to us.  Moreover, each person in our group attributes value to different trails, plants, animals, and experiences because of our separate belief structures, distinct lives, and unique set of coincidences that lead up to these moments.

There is no objective explanation for what is happening here - chaos, social experimentation, laughter, research, conservation - nothing can truly capture the richness and breadth of each individual life trying to survive these 3 weeks.

A picture can't capture the unfolding forest landscape across the river just as this journal provides only a muted snapshot of this group as a whole.  What is lasting and all-encompassing though, from my perspective, is the knowledge that this experience will continue to shape each of our lives even after we have separated and returned home.

This pseudo-shared perspective of the rainforest and how it will collectively shape our lives is the most valuable part of this trip.  Right.  Hopefully, that made sense.

Dinner was prime today.

We killed the talent show, folks!

I'll be sad to see Sebastian, Juliana, Jose and Ramiro leave tomorrow.  Such a short period of shared experience and such a total/final goodbye.

Last dinner that we're all together -- the Columbian students, researchers, TBS staff and our group. 

Harry reciting There Once Was A Boy Names Gimmesome Roy... for the talent show, from memory!

Taaaaaaaaaang,

Harry F.

Today Me Will Live In The Moment...

July 26, 2014
By Kelsey Du

I thought that today would be an impossible day to write about.  With an hour alone in the jungle and "poetry exercises" being the 2 items on our agenda, I was convinced that I would have nothing interesting to say in here.  To my surprise, today today turned out to be a pretty "top tang" day.

Our post-breakfast activities began with a meditation during which we discused the idea of impermanence (RIP DK's photos) and we followed that up with our hour of solitude in the forest. For me, the hour flew by.  I could have stayed in there all day.

Next, after Harry and Maddie took table naps in the library, we had a group discussion ending with a poetry exercise.  Even though I'm not a big poetry fan, it was a lot of fun.  We broke into 3 groups and wrote three poems one line at a time.    Each poem turned out beautifully and painted an accurate picture of our time here.

After lunch, I desperately needed a nap.  Last night, we discovered a giant cockroach on our porch so I didn't sleep very well.  So, after passing out on my top bunk for about 30 minutes, DK woke me up to help the workers move logs on Matapalo. The sun was out, our "guns" were out, and everyone was dripping with sweat.  The hard work is fulfilling - it's really cool to be a part of the upkeep of this amazing station.

Our last activity for the night was another poetry exercise - this time in teams of 2.  Everyone absolutely killed it.  I'm completely impressed by the talent in this group!

Also, while Jeff was reading his team's poem, Mackenzie hit her head on a pole and turned on the gazebo light -- it was really funny.

The moral of my story is that this place and these people are amazing.  I'm never bored, never disappointed, and I'm always looking forward to the next adventure we will share.

I think the cookie monster accurately sums up the vibe of this trip by saying,
Today me will live in the moment 
unless it's unpleasant in which case
me will eat a cookie.
(shout out to the Festivals, the limon cookies which have stolen my heart)

Exquisite Corpse in the Jungle

Poetry in the hot, sweaty, humid jungle? I would have to say that most students were skeptical.  Prior to our departure, we invited Christopher Matthews, a fellow advisor, writer and poet to stop by one of our GIEU meetings to share some tips for writing creatively.  He was wonderful!

Now, in our second week in the jungle, we were ready to give poetry and creative writing another try.  For the exquisite corpose exercise this time, we divided our group of 17 in to three and assigned them topics. Group 1 would focus on challenges they were facing, Group 2 would focus on how they were rising above the challenges, and the Group 3 would focus on how their relationships with nature were evolving.  

We adapted the writing technique created by the Surrealists in the early 1900s by having each group take a sheet of paper and fold it like a fan.  Each student would only be able to see the sentence created by the person before them, prior to adding his/her own line.   We felt it would be a low-stakes way to encourage some creativity.  Sitting in the classroom of the lab, we got to work.  We gave them permission to let go - of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.   The results were amazing!

Challenges

Boots sinking further into the mud as sweat collects on my forehead.

Hoping to become clean and dry, but everything is always wet, even the sheets on my bed.

Even though the pillows smell so bad, what's worse is the omniscient smell of possum.

Just don't smell your soggy, muddy, socks before you put them on your feet.

Or having to eat some random meet, both feet and heart growing weak,

Can't wait to go home where we can meet.

And I can have red-skinned potatoes, greenbeans (crispy and garlicky) and a nice juicy burger.

Yesterday, a cockroach attacked Mackenzie's empty juice box.

Always looking for cinnamon rolls in my socks.

Overcoming

The forest is dense and populated vertically and horizontally with species that are hard to deal with, but you eventually even see them as amazing and a part of more.

Trudging through, step by step, morphs into leaps over leaps.

Breaking the barrier, frustration turns to joy and humidity becomes nothing.

I catch myself enjoying the little things and running out of time to think of the negative ones.

Rain, sweat, humidity and smell - there are moments when it is all overwhelming and I wonder how much more I can take?  But then a cool breeze blows and I catch the flutter of a butterfly's wings and I am happy to still be here.

Oh the discomfort...and I wonder about how man and all his inventions helped him overcome them.  Coming this far, I realize that I didn't need those anymore, because I've grown stronger.  

Return to Nature

A palate of noise, a symphony of hues, and hub of smells.

A cascading overture of birds, ringing like bells.

And the silent church bells summon the ants to a common destination.

Stinking boots - do they appear fertile? - pull spiders in with no hesitation.

Time to set these boots on fire or slam them against the wall for further use in precipitation.

Rain, a source of life and sometimes death, constantly dripping from the leaves.

We walk, not pausing, we feel everything.  What remains?

The vibrance of the jungle, coursing through our veins.

Like the rain coursing down the vines.  

THE BIG SHABANGANANG!

July 25, 2014
By Sylvia E.

Remember the days when your only hopes were that the next storm would bring more and bigger puddles?  I've never been transported so fast and back in time with emotion than today (to be explained in more detail).

Today was the day...THE BIG SHABANGANANG!  We woke up at the usual hour and ate eggs and bread for breakfast.  At 7am, we took a group picture at the Giant Kapok Tree in front of the lab and split into Maquisapo Groups.

Of course, I lead Team 1:  Fast & Furious...Harry, Kevin, Jeff, Emily, Leonard, Kelsey, and me. 

We did Maquisapa - Harpia - Chorongo - in 4 hours and 10 minutes with 5 leeches on Emily's pantlegs (which Jeff and Kevin set on fire with a lighter).  We have boots filled with swamp water, 3 bee stings on Leonard, 1 bee sting on Harry. Both Harry and Leonard hallucinated (they heard the voices of non-existent people).  Oh, and we saw lots of spiders, butterflies, insects, etc.  Kelsey also saw a snake slice across her path on the walk.

LET ME TELL YOU...Maquisapa is like no other path!  Because of the distance from base camp and the length, it is not very well kept (at least relative to the other paths), but I absolutely LOVED it!  About 1/3 to 1/2 of the way through Maqui there was no trail...just a swamp (1 foot of water deep) - just high enough  where you can definitely sink in that last 1-2 inches and fill your boots with souvenir water - you could also do this by angling your foot  wrong with the intent of moving forward by pressing on your forward foot!  Anyway, it looked like it came straight out of a movie or Discovery Channel or a National Geographic special. Just forest and murky water.

That swamp was my life's rain puddle and I could not be any more happy experiencing it today with a good pair of Michigan Duct-taped-Banana Spider Rainboots and some good company.

[Giant side note:  there was also a tree in the way that we pulled out of the way and an even bigger tree that was way beyond our immediate help but blocked our trail...because of how unkempt the trail was, how in-frequented it was -- we had to keep sending scouts and re-find the trail several times and determine if it was a continuous trail...which kept things exciting.]

We also kept wondering where the other group was since we never saw them (they were supposed to meet us in the middle from the opposite direction).  Apparently they went off-trailing with Jose the tour-guide and took 6 hours to complete.  The rest of the day was filled with relaxation, swimming, napping, reading, working out, showers.

(Fast & Furious Maquisapa Group returns in 4 hours and 10 minutes!)

This is the first time in a long time that I am VERY MUCH ENJOYING LIFE & APPRECIATING IT!  AND I ACTUALLY LOOK FORWARD TO WAKING UP EVERY MORNING AND SPENDING THE DAY WITH FAN***TASTIC PEOPLE IN THE MOST AMAZING PLACE.

Also -- STARGAZING IN SILENCE...WORTH IT!

Love.  Deet.  Rice.

Sylvia E.

Humidity in the Jungle

July 24, 2014
by Denise K.

In addition to learning how to live in an environment that is wet, muddy, and sweaty, we are also learning how to take care of our eletronic equipment in 100% constant humidity.  The station has a few hours of electricity a day and when the electricity is on, we have lights in our cabins, air condition in the library to preserve the books, and the light boxes are on to dry out our equipment.  Most of us have systems by now.  For me, my camera goes into the light box around dinner and dries out from 6-9pm.  In the morning, it's removed and subjected to the humid environment.  After our morning hike, the camera goes back into the light box to dry out during lunch and is then taken out again in the afternoon.  In addition to the light box, I am also using a double layered, sealable bag with sacs of dessicant inside.  I place the camera inside anytime I'm not using it.  Even with the lightbox, dessicant, and careful use, electronic equipment does not like humidity.  Unfortunately,  I found this out on our afternoon hike with Jose today.

Before I describe what happened, let me say that I love documenting moments, stories, and people's lives with photography.  We were halfway through our jungle experience today and I had already taken 3000 photos - photos of the students that captured beauty and also documented the challenges they were overcoming in our wet and muddy environment, the friendships they were making, and the many things they were learning.

A "lens error", an electronic system that was struggling in the humidity, and a new camera that I wasn't familiar with...in a moment, I managed to delete all 3000 photos.  Denise G stood behind me and watched me navigate the programmed questions, "Delete all photos on  the camera?" "No" (of course not!).  But the camera did not seem to want to listen and proceeded to delete every photo that I had taken so far in a matter of 15 seconds.

Since I was leading the mindfulness component of the trip, it was a bittersweet moment for me to practice what I was teaching the students, "everything is changing,"  "nothing is permanent," "rather than pushing away what is difficult and clinging to what is easy, try to just be with what is," "try to observe how quickly our experiences are changing in the jungle and then see how this relates to our larger life experiences."  Much easier said than done.  I felt sick to my stomach for days.

It took me several days to process all that had been lost.  The beautiful photo of Elana holding the walking stick bug, Marzai stepping out of her comfort zone to climb on the canopy walkway tower, our very first hike in the jungle with Jose, the bat sleeping under the leaf, the crazy soccer match that caused too many injuries, the squirrel monkeys that walked right by our cabin, and, probably my favorite, the close-up shots of the conga ant that I took with the macro lens.  It posed so patiently, with jaws open wide ready to bite...

In my journal, I wondered if I would be able to capture equally nice photos again. I was suddenly grateful that we were only halfway into the jungle stay.   Denise G was very supportive after I deleted the photos.  She and Elana picked up the first thing they could find in the jungle and enouraged me to begin taking photos again. The photo below is my first shot and I still have no idea what it is.  It is not a peach.  Everytime I see this photo it reminds me of letting go and beginning again.  Will I be able to capture equally beautiful moments?  Only time will tell.

Halfway!

July 24th, 2014

By Kelsey Da.

Today was exactly 1/2 into our stay in the rainforest.  The day started out great with my favorite breakfast...fruit & granola.  From there, we were able to steal one of the guides to go on a guided hike. Our hike lasted until lunch and we saw lots of different types of monkeys, a few birds, and a lot of other things we have seen previously.

After lunch, we did one of our service projects.  

We all walked out on the Matapalo trail a little and helped carry and place wooden steps that the workers processed from a fallen tree. They were heavy, but with all of us working together, we finished in less than 30 minutes. 

As we returned, Jose offered us another hike at 3pm.  Only about  of us went on the hike, but we saw titi monkeys and scratch marks on a tree from a Jaguar.  

Before dinner, a lot of people played soccer and hung out on the boats. 

One of the birds in that area even pooped on me :-(, but at least it wasn't a spider :-).  Some people went out for a night hike after dinner tonight.  Others will go tomorrow and Saturday.  Apparently, the group the went out tonight saw the eye shine and the body of the Jaguar!

Overall, this trip has been a big challenge for me, but is still an amazing experience.  I am meeting some great people and learning a lot.