Explorer´s Inn RN Monthly Report: March 2009

RNs:Yasmin Lee, Jack Brodie, Georgia Kirkpatrick

Volunteers: None

Notes:

• 1st Beth left for the USA
• 5th Anna and Mark left for the UK
• 9th: Georgia went to Puerto Maldonado to pick up her aunt from the airport and came back the same day.  She spent most of her time from the 9th to the 13th with her aunt at the lodge.
• 15th – 17th Jack was in Puerto Maldonado
• 15th – 18th Yasmin was in Puerto Maldonado
• 18th - 19th Jack guiding with Edson at Collpa Chuncho
• 8th-29th Jack and Yasmin in Puerto to print newsletter

TRAILS AND HIDES

Yasmin and Jack created a pole-cutting template to create trail markers and prepared poles for High Forest Loop and Aguas Negras trails.  Yasmin and Jack painted new signs and replaced old/missing signs on Laguna Chica, La Torre, Terrace, Heliconia, Tangle, and Big Tree trails.  Yasmin and Jack rescued a catamaran that was not tied up properly from the west end of Cocococha.   Jack and Yasmin updated the trail marker checklist.

All resident naturalists and volunteers worked on clearing trails.  All trails were walked and cleared though much work is required clearing tree falls with a chainsaw, notably Main, Tapir, Katicocha and Capirona trails.  High Forest Loop was remarked by Jack, Yasmin and Mark.  Jack, Yasmin and Elisban repaired stairs and put in a bridge on Old Colpita trail.

April’s tasks will include:

• Clear a large tree fall at the beginning of Swamp trail.
• Clear and mark Aguas Negras Trail.

DISCOVERY CENTER AND SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY

• The Discovery Centre is regularly swept and dusted and the floor has been treated with diesel.  
• The tourists regularly visit the discovery centre and have been encouraged to take out books as have the new practicantes.
• A new entomology book has been bought and will be brought from the United States by Georgia’s mother when she comes to visit in April.
• Also a new copy of Neotropical Rainforest Mammals has been purchased with the RN fund.

RN BUNGALOW

Yasmin and Jack cleaned and painted the bathroom in the RN bungalow in early March and put up new shower curtains.  On March 7th, all guides and RNs moved from Bungalow 7 into the RN Bungalow and spent the day cleaning and moving in.  Jack, master carpenter, put in shelves.  Jack and Yasmin built a new RN cupboard with the assistance of Jaime.  The cupboard is a safe place to store RN equipment and Yasmin, Jack, and Georgia have safely hidden their keys to the lock.

LANGUAGE TRAINING

• Jack, Yasmin, and Georgia continue to give support and conversation practice to staff and guides of Explorer’s Inn.
• Yasmin continues with her twice-weekly basic English classes, which are regularly attended by Edil, Sammy, Jaime, Yorvi, and Alexis.
• Jack has held regular workshops for practicantes wishing to ask for help with their advanced English problems. 
• Georgia’s intermediate English classes continue on a regular basis depending on the guides’ schedules (March 1st, 13th, 14th, 16th, 21st, 24th, 26th, 28th, and the 31st).  This month, Noemi, Julio, Sonia, Edson, Paul, Listen, Elizabeth, Sammy, Alexis, Edil, and Filio have attended.
• Yasmin and Georgia helped Elizabeth translate and practice the “welcome talk”.

MEDICINAL GARDEN

The Medicinal Garden has been regularly visited by guests.  The garden was weeded and tidied up once by Jack and Yasmin, who also replaced two plants, and once by Georgia.  Elisban has agreed  to help with the chainsaw to remove a fallen tree that is blocking much of the path in the garden the 1st or 2nd of April.

INTERACTION WITH TOURISTS

Yasmin, Jack and Georgia have interacted with tourists regularly during main meals and they provided them information about lodge, nature, and RNs work.  The RNs have given the welcome talk several times this month when Dustin was not at the lodge, although Elizabeth, new assistant manager, has taken over this responsibility.

Yasmin has guided two Tucan groups and done airport/lodge transfers (March 18th-20th and March 30th-April 1st). 
Jack has also helped guide a Tucan group (April 30th-31st) and guided two independent travelers to Collpa and Cocococha (March 18th-20th).

Georgia was trained by current guides to guide to Cocococha.
New newsletter produced and bound colour copy put in comedor and photocopies in rooms on the 30th.

RESEARCH ASISTANCE

• March 3rd: Georgia monitored the Colpita.
• March 6th: Jack and Yasmin collected leaves for Filio in Plot 3.  Yasmin and Georgia collected leaves for Filio in Plot 4.
• March 7th: Yasmin, Jack, and Georgia monitored caimans on the Tambopata River.
• March 8th: Jack, Yasmin, and Georgia collected malaise trap samples for the Lima scientists.
• March 8th: Jack, Yamin, and Georgia collected the camera traps from the Huito tree on Heliconia trail, and practiced using the Global Positioning System to note camera trap locations.  The photos captured by the camera trap included a tapir and a white-lipped peccary. 
• March 10th: Yasmin and Jack helped Adan take his equipment to Plot 3.
• March 10th: Georgia monitored the Colpita.
• March 10th: Georgia monitored caimans on the Tambopata river.
• March 15th: Georgia monitored the Colpita.
• March 17th: Georgia monitored the Colpita.
• March 20th: Georgia monitored the Colpita.
• March 21st: Jack, Yasmin, Georgia, and Sonia helped Felix Filio Farfan Amezquita of RAINFOR collect roots in soil samples at Plot 3.
• March 22nd:  Jack, Yasmin, and Georgia helped Felix Filio Farfan Amezquita of RAINFOR collect roots in soil samples at Plot 4.
• March 22nd: Yasmin collected the four malaise trap samples for the Lima wasp scientists.
• March 28th: Georgia monitored the Colpita
• March 30th: Georgia monitored the Colpita
• March 31st: Yasmin and Jack monitored agami herons at Cocococha.

OTHER / PERSONAL PROJECTS

• Yasmin and Jack had the most recent Amazon Conservation Associaton Rapid Color Guide for amphibians printed in color, put plastic protectors, and bound. This is a great improvement to the previous guides which had out-of-date species names.  The guide is available to guests in the comedor.
• Yasmin, Jack, and Georgia worked on the Cleveland Zoo grant for a total of about 20 hours.
• Georgia monitored the Colpita “all day” (usually from about 5:45am to 3pm) for the Tambopata Macaw Project on the 3rd, 10th, 15th, 17th, 20th, 28th, 30th).
• Alan Lee has kindly donated US$100 to the RN fund.

MONITORING PROJECTS

Colpita

The Colpita was visited seven times this month.  Observations were recorded in the format required by Alan Lee for the Tambopata Macaw Project (TMP) which includes parrot species detected including the number of individuals of each species, parrot species that fed on the clay, weather, and details of disturbances such as passing boats and predators.  The table below describes species presence and feeding trends for the dates of data collection for February 2009.

Abreviations: RGMA = red-and-green macaw (Ara chloroptera), SCMA = scarlet macaw (), CFMA = chestnut-fronted macaw (Ara severa), MEPA =  mealy parrot (Amazona farinosa), YCPA = yellow-crowned parrot (Amazona ochrocephala), BHPA = blue-headed parrot (Pionus menstruus), OCPA = orange-cheeked parrot (Pionopsitta barrabandi), DHPA = dusky-headed parakeet (Aratinga weddellii), WEPA = white-eyed parakeet (Aratinga leucophthalmus), BCPA =rock parakeet/black-capped parakeet (Phyrrhura rupicola), RS = southern Amazon red squirrel (Sciurus spadiceus)

Caimans- Tambopata

Jack, Yasmin, and Georgia monitored caimans on the Tambopata River on March 7th, 10th, 15th, and 20th and saw several large individuals (a 250cm spectacled caiman and a 200cm black caiman on the 20th of March).

Rare species sightings
The following rare species were seen in the month of February:

Otters
Otters were sighted on 9 occasions on 8 days by guides and tourists or RNs.

Agami herons
Yasmin and Jack went to Cocococha to count the agami herons on March 10th.  They counted 43 adults, four chicks, 25 nests, and two boat-billed herons. Again on the March 31st at dusk and counted 25 adults, 5 nestlings, 10 nests and 3 boat-billed herons.

Camera Traps

Weather data

(weather data coming soon!)