It's a Jungle up There : More Tales from the Treetops

by Margaret D. Lowman, Edward Burgess, and James Burgess; With a Foreword by Sir Ghillean T. Prance

• ISBN13: 9780300129236
• ISBN10: 0300129238
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2008-05-20
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Drawn to the mysteries of tropical rain forests and fascinated by life in the treetops, Meg Lowman has pursued a life of scientific exploration while raising her two sons, Edward and James Burgess. This book recounts their family adventures in remote parts of the world (Samoa, West Africa, Peru, Panama, India, Biosphere 2, and others), from the perspectives of both kids and parent. Together they explore tropical rain forests, encounter anacondas and piranhas, eat crickets as hors d'oeuvres, discover new species, and nurture a family ethic for conservation. The chapters of the book focus on field biology questions, the canopy access methods developed to answer the questions, and conservation or education components of each expedition. Lowman enumerates the challenges and joys of juggling parenthood and career, and the children reflect on how their mom's work has affected their lives. A rollicking, inspiring book,It's a Jungle Up Thereis an upbeat portrayal of how a parent's career can imprint children, and how children in turn can influence the success and trajectory of their parent's career.

Author Biography

Margaret D. Lowman is director of environmental initiatives and professor of biology and environmental studies at New College of Florida Edward Burgess works for Environmental Defense in New York City James Burgess is a member of the class of 2009 at Princeton University

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Introduction	p. 1
Why Canopies Are Exciting	p. 8
Canopies for Conservation: Climbing in Samoa	p. 23
Indoor Canopies: From Baseball to Biosphere 2	p. 49
Orchid Farming in Africa: Creating Sustainable Canopies	p. 72
An Emmy Award for the Treetops: Ballooning in French Guiana	p. 81
Canopy Walkways: Highways in the Florida Sky	p. 100
Of Tarantulas, Teenagers, and Turkey Basters: Distance Learning from the Treetops of Peru	p. 125
International Powwows: The Indian Connection	p. 149
Colorful Bodies: Home to the Black Waters of the Amazon	p. 164
Down from the Treetops: Life in the Padded Chair	p. 188
Billions of Needles: Calculating the Consumption of Conifers	p. 215
Downsizing 101: Dynamics of the Family Ecosystem	p. 233
Coming Full Circle: Linking the Green and Brown Food Webs	p. 249
Global Citizens: An Environmental Ethic for Families	p. 262
Appendix	p. 269
Glossary	p. 271
Selected Bibliography	p. 276
Index	p. 285
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