Here we go again: 2014 UW Peru Exploration Seminar

By Ursula Valdez
Cusco, Peru 27 Aug 2014

Erythrina tree in the lowlands of Manu Biosphere Reserve

It was 2008, when Tim Billo and I decided to launch the first UW-Peru Exploration Seminar. At that time we were graduated students at the Biology department at the University of Washington, and we were so excited to get the support of our home department to start this exciting program. On our first year, we were lucky to have the late John Edwards (Professor Emeritus) as our faculty support. John's amazing energy and curiosity for nature was very inspiring, and even now we share with our students his stories and fascination for natural history. We also had the fantastic support from Eileen O-Connor for a few years, her energy and organization skills were so helpful to run successful programs.

Golden-collared Tanager (Iridosornis jelskii) in the Manu cloud forest

And here we are, starting our 7th Exploration Seminar "From Andes to Amazon: Biodiversity,  conservation and sustainability in Peru, this time sponsored by the POE at UW. We are in Cusco, Peru getting ready for our 6 am trip tomorrow morning on the way to Manu National Park, one of the most amazing places on earth. In Manu you can still find places that are untouched by humans, ecosystems and species distributed along an extensive altitudinal gradient that goes from high Andean peaks to lowland rainforest.

An Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratoprhys cornuta)
in Cocha Cashu Biological station

In the following weeks, we anticipate to learn and discover so much at Cocha Cashu and Wayqecha Biological stations, and later from our interactions with local communities and visits to cultural sites. We plan to report on our learning and experiences along this fantastic educational experience. Stay tuned for stories on our adventure in Peru.

I am a Tropical Ecologist, ornithologist and conservationist. Born and raised in Peru, currently I live in Seattle, WA. I graduated from the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina in Lima, Peru and later  from NCSU and UW with a MSc in Zology and PhD in Ecology and Conservation respectively. I am teaching faculty at the Environmental Sciences program of UW-Bothell where I teach a diversity of courses that range from ecology, conservation, natural history, crows and society,sustainability and others on human interactions with nature. I also teach field courses (my favorite!) and try to continue my conservation and research work in Peru.