Volunteer PDF

Introduction to Shiripuno
The sophistication of the Amazonian Rainforest requires patience and time to understand. The impressions can be vague at the beginning but as the time passes by, and the more times you walk the forest trails, that approach starts to fade little by little, you have just crossed the line and begin to appreciate things more clearly, a different perspective of what is happening starts to make more sense.

We speak to you as someone who is here now, not merely to relax or to stroll around absent-mindedly, but to actually understand a little of what you see in the rainforest.

Suggested ideas:
• Remain silent ,extra thoughts are not much needed when you are with nature.
• Focus on your sensory equipment i.e.. eyes, ears, nose - let a bit of your deep-seated animal nature come to the surface.
• Be still at times, take a moment to absorb your surroundings.

Once you are inside the rainforest, walking on one of the muddy trails, one of the first feelings you may have is possibly a sense of enclosure and an appreciation of the darkness of the forest interior which is created by the canopy. This is particularly apparent in early morning light.
The shade created by the canopy prevents dense undergrowth from forming as only mottled specks of light are able to reach the forest floor upon which you are standing. Look around you, it may strike you as surprising how easy it is to move about- you may have expected the rainforest to be an impenetrable tangle of growth, only passable with the help of a machete.

If you hear rain, don't worry. The canopy usually makes an excellent umbrella during a heavy downpour, in which case you are likely to feel only a light shower which may be a refreshing treat rather than the strong soaking you were anticipating.
Look up into the canopy, its not easy to see what there is? As you cast your eyes upwards did you notice that most of the trees have tall, slender trunks, and some have strange shaped roots (buttresses + props) cast out to the ground for extra support? These places, by the way, can make cosy places for snakes to rest.

The majority of the Shiripuno Rainforest trees are around 25-30 m tall and most are void of branches until almost the very top where they radiate out from just one, or a few points creating a symmetrical, spreading, flattened crowns. If you have binoculars, take time to look up and try to distinguish one crown from the other. Can you see how heavily the trees are laden with climbers, lianas, epiphytes, etc? This makes it very difficult to tell where one tree stops and another begins.

Lianas are a type of woody vine which usually start life as a shrub on the forest floor. Their tendrils encounter neighboring trees eventually climbing up to the crown and spreading further, may be through several trees crowns. Vines almost tie the forest together and compete with trees for light, water and nutrients, while at the same time, providing fruits to various animals.

Others vines which begin life in the forest floor have aerial roots which attach themselves to the trunk of trees and then the vines cease to be rooted in the ground and instead become a climbing epiphyte (a plant that grows on another, without becoming a parasite). During your time in the forest you will see hundreds of these "air plants" living on the trunks and branches of trees.

Stranglers are the most aggressive vines usually starting life as a seed dropped by a bird among the epiphytes. From this, tendrils grow towards and down to the trunk, eventually reaching the forest floor growing its own root system. The host tree eventually dies as the other grows. See if you can spot these.

Have you noticed what's under your feet? In some areas of the path you will find you are walking on a carpet of dead leaves of various shapes and sizes including some from the Cecropia Tree, which may be larger than any leaf you have seen before. These will decompose very quickly, being eaten by a whole community of invertebrates which line the soil, or used as a food source by fungi. Most of the litter on the ground, such us branches and seed pods will also break down quickly mainly clue to the humidity. The recycling process in the rainforest is very efficient don't you think?.

Did you notice how the leaves don't crunch when you walk on them?
Something you may have notice is the quietness. From around midday and into the afternoon even the diverse orchestra of insects stop, making the forest almost too quiet.
On the other hand, what about the sounds you can hear? The unmistakable purring wings of a hummingbird or the loud raucous call from macaws as they pass overhead. If you stand still for a few minutes you will hear debris falling all around you, from tiny seeds and leaves to huge seed pods, leaves, branches and possibly even a distant tree coming down.

Maybe you can see and hear the canopy shaking up ahead / or a lot of debris falling in a located position - this is often the sign of monkeys. Approach slowly and quietly for the best chance of a good sighting, but don't hang around for too long; give them a little respect and move on after a couple of minutes.

How about those little insects that keep buzzing in your ears?

If you hear birds ahead, again approach slowly and quietly and then stand still for a few minutes, they are around in their social clubs ( Professional Antbirds or Mixed species feeding flocks).

Remember, walk for a while, stop for a while.

The humidity of the rainforest can be very tiring. But the time you return to the lodge you are likely to feel hot and clammy and having walked through many unseen spider webs be in need of a cold drink and a refreshing shower.

Afterwards, why not take a time to kick-back in the hammock and update your diary. If you were lucky enough to see some wildlife, there are some field guides to help you decide what it was you actually saw in the jungle.

We hope to encourage you to learn more about what is one of the world's most biodiverse and important natural areas.

Shiripuno Research Center would take only 10 volunteers per month

Cost: $ 1500

Calendar.

YEAR 2009

September 21
October 19
November 16
December 14

YEAR 2010

January 11
February 08
March 08
April 28
May 26
June 28
July 26
Augost 23
September 20
October 18
November 15
December 13

What to bring?

PERSONAL ITEMS

• Long Trousers
• Long Sleeves
• Wind Jacket
• Cap or Hat
• T-Shirts
• Shorts
• Socks
• Compas
• Raincoat
• Sunglasses
• Bathing Suit
• Rubber Boots
• Insect Repellent
• Personal First Aid Kit
• Zip-lock bags for wet cloths
• Soap & Shampoo ( Biodegradable)

TECHNICAL I T EMS (Highly Recommended)

• Camera with Extra Memory Card
• Spare Rechargeable Camera Batteries
• Flashlight with Spare Batteries
• Binoculars ( 8 X 32 or 10 X 42 )
• Notebook and Pencil

COMMUNITY ITEMS ( Optional: for the community children)

• 50 Page Notebooks
• Crayons
• Pencils
• Markers
• Rulers
• Tooth Brush and
• Tooth Paste