Friday, October 26

Other


Dear Colleague

DANTA: Association for Conservation of the Tropics 2012 - 2013 Field Courses

Pleased find below advertising for our 2012 - 2013 field courses in tropical biology and conservation. We have also attached a flyer. Full details about the courses and application procedures can be found on our website at www.DANTA.INFO.

We would be most grateful if you could send the text below to potential applicants so that as many students as possible get to hear about our exciting training programs.
 
Thank you,
Kimberly Dingess
 
 
Danta: Association for Conservation of the Tropics is pleased to announce its 2012-2013 field courses in tropical biology. Our courses are intended for undergraduates or early graduate level students who have a keen interest in tropical biology and conservation, but have little or no experience of working in a tropical environment.  Participants may enroll on either a credit or non-credit basis.
 
Courses will be held in Costa Rica’s spectacular Osa Peninsula. As one of the largest tracts of rain forest north of the Amazon, this area is renowned for high animal and plant diversity. It is one of only a few places in Costa Rica that has jaguar, puma, sea turtles and four species of monkey (mantled howler monkey, black-handed spider monkey, white-faced capuchin and squirrel monkey). It is also home to nearly 4,000 plant species. All students participating in our programs will have opportunity to be involved in applied conservation (i.e., sea turtle monitoring and reforestation) and community service.
 
The courses also include a 4 day field trip which includes a visit to the Osa Wildlife Sanctuary and 2 night stay in Drake Bay with a snorkeling tour of Cano Island, one of Costa Rica’s premier dive spots. Here there is a good chance we will see white-tipped reef sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, dolphins and humpback whales. On the return trip from the island, we will explore the Terraba Sierpe Mangroves, which are accessible only by boat and consists of over 100,000 acres of the largest mangrove forest in Central America. The final day of the field trip we will visit the Boruca Indigenous Reserve where we will learn about their community and traditional lifeways. The field trip is in cooperation with Planet Conservation, our sustainable travel partner.
  
Winter Session
 
Primate Behavior and Conservation (Dec. 2, 2012 – Jan. 15, 2013). Course Coordinator: Kimberly Dingess, Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington; Dr. Suzanne Strait, Biology, Marshall University
 
Summer Session
 
Primate Behavior and Conservation (June 4 – June 30, 2013). Course Coordinator: Kimberly Dingess, Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington; Dr. Marilyn Norconk, Anthropology, Kent State University.
 
Tropical Rain Forest and Wildlife Conservation (TBA). Course Coordinator: Kimberly Dingess, Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington; Dr. Thomas Struhsaker, Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University.
 
As much of our advertising is done by word-of-mouth, please help us spread the word by forwarding this email and attached flyer to students or friends who may be interested in our programs.

For more information, please visit our website atwww.DANTA.info or email conservation@danta.info.

Hope to see you in Costa Rica!
 

Kimberly A. Dingess
Director
DANTA: Association for Conservation of the Tropics
P.O. Box 316
Davenport, NY 13750