High schools Skype to save bonobos (and humanity)

Yesterday Aaron Sandel and Kara Schroepfer had a discussion about bonobo conservation with a high school in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The biology club had questions about Friends of Bonobos and bonobo cognition and conservation. After discussing research by Dr. Brian Hare's research team on bonobo cooperation, empathy and cognition, we discussed general conservation issues. We brainstormed the threats to bonobos, the problems facing humanity/the world and realized the solutions to both are the same (decrease poverty, increase education, facilitate empathy among people, etc.).

Reaching out about primates

The Duke/UNC Roots & Shoots group has been keeping busy doing outreach and awareness about primates, working with Dr. Brian Hare and Dr. Anne Pusey in the Evolutionary Anthropology department at Duke.

October 23-24 Dr. Brian Hare and members of his lab, including a handful of Roots & Shoots members, went to Washington, D.C. for the National Science Festival.

Ben Finkel sees if people are as smart as other apes (photo: Chris Adamczyk)

We have also been leading discussions with high schoolers about primates and evolutionary anthropology.

Ben Finkel and Aaron Sandel led a discussion with the high school at Carolina Friends School about bonobos and human behavior. Aaron also led discussions on primate cognition and conservation at Brookline High School in Brookline, MA.

Understanding the biology and evolution of humans and our closest relatives gives an important perspective on who we are and why we behave in the ways that we do. That is why evolutionary anthropology outreach and education is so important. Also, since so many primates are endangered, we need to raise awareness and brainstorm innovative ways to protect biodiversity. If you would like us to come lead a discussion at your school in the Durham area, please send an email to nc.roots.shoots@gmail.com.

Primate Conservation Continues

After meeting Jane Goodall and having learned lots from the Roots & Shoots summit, we continued on our adventure.

Day 3- Monday, October 11

We had lunch in Manhattan with Dr. Carter Ingram, Assistant Director of Conservation Support at the Wildlife Conservation Society. We discussed the carbon market and the potential of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation).

That night we had dinner in Philadelphia with Dr. Meredith Bastian, Curator of Primates at the Philadelphia Zoo, and Dr. Michele Rasmussen, Dean of Students at Bryn Mawr. Meredith suggested we support sustainable palm oil (which will be more effective than boycotting palm oil). She also mentioned the sad news that her orangutan field site was completely burned down (so all the animals she had studied are presumably dead).

Day 4- Tuesday, October 12

We ran into Thomas Friedman on the metro in Washington, D.C. and filled him in on our retreat (he suggested we connect with Conservation International).

After some detours on the metro, we arrived in Arlington, VA at Jane Goodall Institute headquarters. We met with Alex Thornton, Vice President of Public Policy at JGI. She suggested we create a resource page about how to take action for primate conservation. We also discussed the Alamogordo chimpanzees and strategies to improve conditions for chimpanzees used in biomedical research. We then met with Dr. Lillian Pintea to follow up on conservation strategies in Africa. He told us more about the use of GIS and high-resolution imagery. He is excited about making collaborations with universities and will be coming to Duke sometime in the next few months. We also chatted with Alice Macharia, Director for East Africa Programs, and Lisa Pharoah, 
Director for West and Central Africa Programs. They shared with us some of their conservation education materials that are used in chimpanzee habitat countries. We bid farewell to Stephanie Keller and Allison Deines, both of whom are excited about Primate Palooza 2011.

Roots & Shoots summit

Day 1- Friday, October 8

After a morning of travelling, Ben (Duke 2013), Joel (Duke 2013) and I (Aaron) arrive in Danbury, Connecticut where the first annual Roots & Shoots Leadership Summit is held. We presented a poster of projects we have done so far at meet-and-greet, had some Jane Goodall certified teas, and met some other group members and JGI staff. Later, Megan (Duke 2012) and Chase (UNC 2011) arrived (after a dilatory bus ride), and we planned what workshops we wanted to attend the next day.

Day 2- Saturday, October 9

After showers and breakfast, we went to WestConn’s campus for the workshop, where we met our James Madison University collaborators Justin and Kaeley (JMU 2011). Workshops ensued. We learned about conservation efforts around Gombe (including the use of GIS, GPS and high-resolution imaging technology), the new endangered species youth campaign, how to be a good leader, and how to engage youth.

In the evening, Chase led a discussion with Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Rick Asselta. They shared Roots & Shoots stories, and inspired us as they casually chatted in sofa chairs on stage. Dr. Jane even joked about her own mortality. Roots & Shoots will be her legacy, continuing the messages of peace and empathy through community and conservation action.

That night, Dr. Jane spoke to the summit participants and about 900 people from the public on the past 50 years at Gombe and looking forward. No matter how many times I have seen her speak, her quiet obstinacy and patient passion continues to inspire. We spoke with her briefly afterwards, filling her in on some of our projects at Duke and UNC.

Day 3- Sunday, October 10

On our last day we split up into groups to discuss ways of turning ideas into projects and implementing them productively. And so ended the summit.

Photos: Kaeley Pryor

Carolina Friends, Friends of Bonobos

Korrina Duffy (Dr. Brian Hare's lab coordinator) and Aaron Sandel went to visit Carolina Friends School to talk about primate conservation, with a focus on bonobos. We talked to the whole middle school, and despite the large group, we had great discussions about what makes us human and what strategies to implement to help bonobos and other endangered species. We even played some cognition games.

If you are interested in having a guest lecture on primate behavior, evolution or conservation, please email us at nc.roots.shoots@gmail.com.

Here Korrina and Aaron show off the t-shirts they received after giving the presentation.

Pulling roots and shoots with lemurs

Today was our first Duke Lemur Center work-day of the semester. It was a nice group of Duke and UNC students. We weeded in one of the natural habitat enclosure (pulling roots and shoots that were crawling on the fence line). Then the ring-tailed lemur group came to see what we were doing.

Our next work-day is planned for Saturday Oct 30. The plan is to work on building artificial vines that will go in the indoor lemur enclosures. If you are interested in joining us for that day, please email us at nc.roots.shoots@gmail.com.

The Duke Lemur Center is a truly amazing place. It holds the largest population of lemurs anywhere outside of Madagascar. Madagascar is the only place lemurs are found in the wild, and there are many other plants and animals that are endemic to (found only in) Madagascar. Sadly over 90% of the original habitat there has been destroyed by humans...

Lemurs, monkeys and apes-6th graders and primates

Today was the last day of our 2-week course on primates with 6th graders at Chewning Middle School (through the innovation4motivation program). They presented their primate murals with facts about their respective primates to one of the other classes. Then they planted pea seeds, both to represent the Roots & Shoots metaphor and as a way to practice sustainability, gardening, respect for life, etc.! And they got prizes...insects. (Maybe they weren't prizes.) They got to choose between chocolate-covered or spiced mealworms and crickets.

This program allowed us to implement a course on primates. I know we learned a lot, and I think the students did too.

If you are interested in joining our primate education and outreach efforts or would like us to come talk to your class about primates, please email Aaron: aaron.sandel@duke.edu

Primate Education Initiative

Kara Leimberger and Aaron Sandel are co-teaching 6th graders about primates in a 2-week course at Chewning Middle School. It has been fun and exhausting so far. Each student has a primate that they are studying. Today we taught them about primate diets. After learning the terms folivore and frugivore, they made salads based on the diet of their primate. (We couldn't get our hands on insects, so we used gummy worms....).

Teaching this course is part of an independent study Kara is doing on Primate Conservation Education. She is developing lesson plans that engage students of various ages and get them interested and excited about primates and conservation.

Here Kara helps the students as they select the different food items their primates eat. We had figs, celery, leafy greens, nectar, edible flowers, and more! Conservation is...healthy eating!

If you are a student or teacher and would like a guest lecture or material on primates, please email us. Also, if you are interested in helping out, let us know. You can email us at nc.roots.shoots@gmail.com.

First Lemur Center Work Day

Have you been to the Duke Lemur Center? Ever wanted to be face to face with an endangered sifaka or aye aye?

This Saturday, Oct 2 from 10:30am-12:30pm is our first work day of the semester at the Duke Lemur Center! We will start with a tour of the Lemur Center, followed by getting our hands dirty.

We may do some trail work in the natural habitat enclosures, build enrichment for the lemurs, and/or work in some of the lemur enclosures weeding and adding gravel.

If you can't make it this weekend, don't worry. We have work days planned for Oct 30, Nov 6, Nov 20, and Dec 4.

Email megan.morikawa@duke.edu if you are interested in coming (and mention whether you have a car or not) and we will figure out transportation.

Photos from work day last winter. Photo credit: Brandon Semel.

Palm Oil

One of the threats to primates discussed at the "Role of undergraduates in primate conservation" working group last May was palm oil. Palm oil is becoming increasingly popular in consumer goods, from cookies to lotions. Much of palm oil agriculture is unsustainable. Forests in south east Asia are leveled for palm oil plantations, destroying the animal inhabitants (including endangered orangutans).

Photo: Aaron Logan, wiki commons

Look at the ingredients of the foods you eat. Ask your grocery store or dining hall about where their palm oil comes from.

We went to Whole Foods to ask about their palm oil use (since they should be more sensitive about sustainable food practices). We got this (somewhat positive) response, which came from the Global Coordinator of Whole Foods' Exclusive & Private Label Brands:

Palm Oil

Due to the health concerns about hydrogenated fats, manufacturers have switched to palm oil as a trans-fat-free alternative that provides similar results in product consistency and stability.

Whole Foods Market has partnered with the Institute for Marketecology (IMO), a highly regarded international certification agency whose social responsibility and fair trade certification program requires successful implementation of environmental, social responsibility, and sustainability practices on the land and within the company’s organization.

This reliable certification program provides for the verification and development of additional sources of sustainable, fair traded palm oil. WFM pledges that only certified sustainable sources of palm oil will be used in our Exclusive Brands products by 2012.

Palm oil is a consumer product. As consumers, every individual has the power to change the way palm oil is produced. Express your concerns! Don't let orangutans go extinct in our lifetime...

Here is more info on palm oil:

The Problem with Palm Oil

Green Palm

Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil

The role of undergraduates in primate conservation

On May 1, 2010 at Duke University, we organized a working group ("The role of undergraduates in primate conservation") to review the threats facing primates and discuss the role of American universities, zoos and primate centers in primate conservation. Members included leaders in primate conservation from universities and zoos (e.g. Dr. Tom Struhsaker, Dr. Rich Bergl and Dr. Josh Linder), university administrators, and graduate and undergraduate students passionate about primate conservation.

Some of the take-away points from this working group are:

• need for increased conservation themes in university curriculum
• solutions to many of the threats to primates relate to human health and education, requiring collaborations with people in global health, environmental education, and social justice

In addition, from this working group, undergraduate students from James Madison University who participated decided to create their own Roots & Shoots group.

We hope to have a second working group in the spring of 2011 that includes more people from global health and civic engagement as well as primatology and conservation. The goal of the second meeting will be to develop a primate conservation undergraduate action plan.

Roots & Shoots in 2010

After 2 years, the Duke/UNC Roots & Shoots group finally has a critical mass of members. Our group was formed in April, 2009 by Megan Morikawa (Duke 2012), Chase Pickering (UNC 2011) and Aaron Sandel (me) (Duke 2010). Now we have more members and are working on lots of projects.

Two things that come to mind:

We will be starting volunteer work-days at the Duke Lemur Center (lemur.duke.edu) in a few weeks (the first one is planned for Oct 2). At the work-days we go on a tour (see photo to the left of Megan and me leading a tour) of the Lemur Center and then help out with various projects, ranging from pulling weeds to making enrichment for the lemurs.

Kara Leimberger (Duke 2011) and I are co-teaching a 2-week course on primates for 6th graders at Chewning Middle School in Durham. This is part of the Duke/UNC Roots & Shoots group's Primate Conservation Education initiative. We are about to start day 3. Hopefully Kara will post some comments and photos. After the 2 weeks, Kara and I will keep developing lesson plans on primates and primate conservation for elementary-high school students.

There are lots of other projects underway. If you are interested in getting involved, email me (aaron.sandel@duke.edu) or Megan (megan.morikawa@duke.edu). This is mainly for people in the Triangle area (but we are also interested other collaborations, especially with college students).