Explorer´s Inn RN Monthly Report: February 2008

RNs: Monica Moreno Brush, Anne Lieflaender, Robin McDaniel, Giulia
Curatola, and Sandro Makowski

Volunteers: none

Notes:

• Monica left on the 9th of February
• Sandro and Giulia arrived on the 10th of February
• Anne in Puerto: 1.2 and 26.-27.2 to see doctor, 16.-18.2 as free days
• Robin in Puerto: 13.2 for work, 18.-22. for 2 days of work and free days
• Giulia and Sandro in Puerto: 26.-27.2.

TRAILS

New trails have been opened by Elisban and his team to border our area. One connects Old Collpita Trail with Cocococha and another connects High Forest Loop with Katicocha.
A heavy thunderstorm at the 18th has caused many tree falls especially on Tapir, but the path has already been cleared. One tree fall on New Collpita Trail 950 m still has to be cleared. High Forest Loop still has to be cleared.
Due to short but heavy rainfall one half of Sunset Point has been
washed away. The port also lost a lot of ground (about 2m) and the stairs have been moved to adapt the loss. One leg of the first boat driver’s house is standing on the border of the steep shore. The marker of those Trails who experience occasional flooding, such as Katicocha, La Torre and Capirona, are regularly washed away. High Forest Loop needs new marker, because almost the whole trail is not marked. The sticks have to be bought first (30m), which is difficult due to the lack of money.
We suggest building bridges at Katicocha, Ant and New Collpita Trail,
because it is very hard and often impossible to cross the streams.
The GPS trail tracking has almost been finished. A new part of Katicocha Trail has been opened (thanks to our helpful guides!), because one part has been washed away. This new part has also been tracked. Only Quebrada Trail and the two new trails have to be tracked with the help of Elisban. From the data Giulia and Sandro are going to create at new trail map.

LIBRARY

The scientific library has been moved to the Discovery Centre. Everything has been sorted and checked. Most of the missing books have been found. The sign in/out system has been reestablished. We have ordered and received plastic to protect those books who have not been covered yet (50 books). We planned to build doors for the library shelves to enable theft. We have still not ordered the material because there is no money to buy it.

LANGUAGE TRAINING

During the month of February, the guides Christian, Dolores and Erika and staff have had English lessons from Anne and Robin. The English lessons have been formal and informal. Anne also gave some German lessons to Robin and Alexis. Robin and Anne have also received help with learning Spanish.
Giulia and Sandro also started to give Italian lessons to Erika and Natalia. These lessons were mostly conversation because of their appropriate level.

MEDICINAL GARDEN

The medicinal garden has been weeded completely and freed from branches overhanging the trails. Dead leaves and branches have been removed from the ground again at the end of the month. Giulia made an inventory of the plants. Some of them have to be brought from the forest and reseeded into the garden.

DISCOVERY CENTRE

The Discovery Centre was rearranged after we have moved the library up there. It looks very good. The floor has been brushed regularly and spider webs and dust has also been removed from all objects.

CONTACT WITH TOURISTS (Guiding, RN talks, etc.)

Guiding
The RNs did not guide tourists, because there are only a few tourists. Though we have once in a while accompanied the guides on their tours.
Talks
No talks were given by RNs or volunteers.

RESEARCH ASSISTANCE

• Anne and Robin/Natalia have picked up leaf litter from Plot 3 and 4 for Filio on the 7th and 8th.
• Anne, Giulia and Sandro have maintained walking palm project for Jorge Vivanco and measured trees on the 28th.
• Robin and Anne have helped Filio and friends to measure tree
  circumferences at the beginning of the month.
• Robin has set-up and observed Jorge Vivanco’s triplaris experiment; observations went –on for four consecutive days. This experiment was performed twice, once at the beginning of the month and once at the end, and into March.
• Robin helped Filio with the measurements of tree respiration for four days in late February.
• Anne, Giulia and Sandro have done a vegetation map of Lake Cocococha for the article of Toni Aragon and the improvement of the caiman search sample sheet.
• At the beginning of the month, the RNs and one of the volunteers (Diana), helped Filio and friends with their job in plot 3 and 4 (San Blas University of Cuzco/Oxford University project).
• Robin helped visiting investigator, Tiffany Weir, collect soil measurements from her various plots at the end of the month.

NEWSLETTER

This month we are going to start writing the new Newsletter for April-May 2008. It will probably contain an article about the black caiman population at Cocococha. The February/March newsletter has been completed and sent, but has yet to be printed; there seems to be an information gap, on who and where the newsletter needs to be printed. This problem will hopefully be remedied shortly.

OTHER/ PERSONAL PROJECTS

We would like to build the doors for the library shelves (see Library). Anne has started to rewrite the Guide for the RNs. Giulia has been searching for Triplaris americana trees to understand the patterns of distribution for that species. Sandro has been doing Liana censuses within six plots in different types of forest to assess the impact of habitat fragmentation in Liana communities. Robin has begun to look for new funding for the RN project. She has also begun a project which outlines threats to conservation in the Madre de Dios Region; she intends to make a information panel for tourists on this subject. She visited many NGOs (and spent much time with TReeS Peru representative, Alfredo Garcia) on a trip to Puerto Maldonando with the aim of collecting more information for this project, and for the library.

MONITORING PROJECTS

Caimans-Cocococha

In February, the caiman at Cocococha were monitored on 14th and 24th.

14/01/08

• The caimans were monitored from 19:02 until 20:44 in the western
  half of the lake. The half moon was bright the sky was clear
• 34 caimans were seen. Most of them underneath and close to the Agami Heron colony. Because of the sensitivity of those birds we did not go close and therefore cannot specify species and size.

24/01/08

• The caimans were monitored from 20:35 until in the eastern half of the lake. The moon was almost full and the primarily clear sky turned into black sky with rain and thunderstorm in the distance when we reached the end of the lake. That’s why we broke up searching to get back to the secure hide as fast as possible.
• Only the northeast side was properly searched and caimans were seen.

Caimans Tambopata

Caiman have been surveyed regularly from the boats going out with passengers. Because of the high river level there were not many caimans found. Also during periods of lower river level not many caimans were seen.

COLLPITA

Rainfall and the lack of tourists made it also impossible to do the Collpita monitoring 10 times this month. It has been done 7 times.
On the 28.02.08, we found out that the parrots have found themselves a new Collpita just about 200 m upstream, maybe at the same height as the mammal clay lick. Once we have seen couple of Red and Green Macaws, some Orange Cheeked Parrots and Elisban has told us that he has seen CobaltWinged Parakeets, which we could not find, because they were probably already gone.

INDEX:
BHPA=Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus), CFMA=Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severa), DHPA=Dusky-headed Parakeet (Aratinga weddellii), MEPA=Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa), OCPA=Orange-cheeked Parrot (Pionopsitta barrabandi), RGMA=Red-and-green Macaw (Ara chloroptera), WEPA=White-eyed Parakeet (Aratinga leucophthalmus), and YCPA=Yellow-crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala).

OTTERS

Cocococha

There have been 3 monitoring sheets filled out by the guides and RNs. On February 24th, 6 otters were the maximum count.

Katicocha

At Katicocha one otter has been spotted on the 1.3.08.

Rare Species Sightings

Species recorded in February are listed in the table below.

Weather Data

February was pretty dry with 14 days of no or little rain (01mm) and only 5 days of strong rainfall (more than 20 mm). As the thermometer has been moved on the 13.02.08 the temperature shown seems to be reasonable. We found out at the end of February 2008 that the time was not set correctly. Therefore it is possible that the thermometer has reset itself during the daytime instead at nighttime (which we think would be more reasonable). That might be the reason why most of the time the current temperature was equivalent to the lowest temperature. The lowest temperature should (as we suppose) be found in the early mornings and not in the evenings.