 Students and Shorebirds Converge on Alaska |
In May 2007, students in grades 5-8 from throughout the Western Hemisphere took a virtual field trip to the Copper River Delta in Alaska to learn about shorebird migration, capping a 6-month program in conservation education. Through satellite and Internet technology, the students traveled more than 6,500 miles, from the birds’ wintering grounds in Panama to their breeding grounds in Alaska. Along the way, they stopped at seven critical wetland habitats.
Provided free to classrooms everywhere, the program—called “Migration Science and Mystery:
A Distance Learning Adventure”—reached about half a million children in both English and Spanish. Educators were thrilled. Leadership came from the Prince William Network, with support from the Copper River International Migratory Bird Initiative, an effort by the Forest Service and its partners. |
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| The Elusive Empress of Brazil |
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In the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro, an ecologist from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska went in search of the Empress of Brazil, an extravagant blue flower on a stem that can be several feet long. Found only on remote mountainsides, the plant is critically endangered due to agricultural development and the spread of wildfires. For years, the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden has studied the Empress to conserve and restore its vanishing habitat.
In November 2006, a garden biologist teamed up with the ecologist from the Forest Service to seek out the elusive Empress. Using satellite imagery, aerial photography, and a geographic information system, the team mapped remaining Empress populations and modeled the flower’s habitat. The project was funded by the Forest Service’s International Programs and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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| Combating Illegal Logging in the Balkans |
Illegal logging accounts for more than half of the timber produced in some countries, and it is a serious problem in the Balkans. With the logs traded globally, international interest in curtailing the problem is strong. In May 2007, the Forest Service, working with partners, brought representatives from several Balkan countries together to share strategies, approaches, and tools for reducing illegal logging. The partners hosted a 4-day regional workshop in Budapest, Hungary. Participants included forestry officials, law enforcement officers, and prosecutors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia.
The workshop conveyed best practices and methods used in the United States. Perhaps more importantly, it provided a neutral forum for officials from Balkan countries to discuss issues of mutual interest and to establish relationships with counterparts. The workshop was funded by the U.S. Department of State, with in-kind contributions from the Forest Service, World Bank, U.S. Department of Justice, and U.S. Agency for International Development.
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