Amazon Riverboat Exploration in Peru
Summer 2014

During this 12-day trip, students will participate as volunteers for Earthwatch Institute, an international non-profit organization that supports research related to sustainable development and brings people with all different backgrounds together to work, learn, and take action. Students will be traveling to the Amazon River basin in the relatively untouched forests of northeastern Peru. While living aboard a restored riverboat, they will travel through the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve along the Samiria River, a major Amazon tributary. The fieldwork will include helping the research staff spot animals, determine the size and composition of animal groups, determine distances to the animals, record information on datasheets, and capture, weigh, and measure animals. They’ll also participate in the application of this research in local indigenous villages as they meet and talk to local people about their fishing, hunting, and conservation efforts, learn about the subsistence lifestyle along the river, and work to incorporate those local values into community-based conservation plans. The trip is open to all students from the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016. The all-inclusive price of the trip ($5200-5700) covers all meals, accommodations, roundtrip airfare, on-site travel, emergency medical/evacuation insurance, 24-hour emergency service, the guidance of experienced field scientists and Earthwatch staff, and all costs of field research. For more information, please contact Mrs. Rahmig at crahmig@pres-net.com.