Rainforest Live Extra! Extra!

Nov 4	We arrived back at the Center yesterday evening after our much needed five-day semester break. Some of us are still recovering from sunburn and long bus rides. We all have huge smiles and many wild stories to tell about our adventures skydiving, sailing, and scuba diving. Today we toured a permaculture farm in the morning and learned about organic bush farming. The farm owners treated us to fruits foreign to our tastes including the jack fruit.
Nov 5	For brunch today we dined on orange-colored pancakes in celebration of Halloween. Tonight's activities include a Halloween costume party and a joint birthday celebration for Michelle and Mandy. We are working on costumes throughout the day, in anticipation of tonight's party.
Nov 6	Today we are working on our weekly field exercise. We are measuring the diameter, the height, and the number of leaves present on tree seedlings and comparing this data to data that we collected earlier this semester.
Nov 7	Today we are going to go watch the Melbourne Cup—the race that stops the nation. This is a horse race that everyone in Australia will be watching this afternoon. Other than that, it is back to classes this morning—the first ones since spring break. Fortunately we are all refreshed from our vacations and ready to get back to work.
Nov 8	Wednesdays are our chance to work on our Directed Research projects without having to worry about classes. This morning the Blue-faced Finch DR group was up at 5:30 a.m. to look for these beautiful birds. Now, students are writing up papers and doing domestic chores like laundry. Tonight we’re playing games in the dark with our flashlights.
Nov 9	We took a field trip to Lake Tinaroo today and visited a timber plantation and a crater lake. We came back and baked goodies for our meeting with members of the Trees for Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands (TREAT) organization tomorrow. Tonight we will watch a movie.
Nov 10	This morning we went to the main nursery responsible for rainforest rehabilitation in our area of the wet tropics. We worked with nursery staff and other volunteers from an organization known as TREAT. All of us worked on different projects around the nursery such as sorting and sowing seeds, and sorting saplings to ensure proper growth.
Nov 11	Since it’s Saturday and we don’t have lectures, most of us have taken this morning as an opportunity to write in our journals or write letters to friends and family at home. Some are even working on their directed research projects. This afternoon some of us are going to go into town to play either ultimate Frisbee or soccer.
Nov 12	Sundays are relaxing days at the research center. Today some people are taking a hike, while others are going to Lake Tinaroo to bird watch. It has been raining a lot the past few days, but this morning the weather cleared. We hope that the sunshine will stay to keep the leeches away!
Nov 13	Well, it’s Monday, so it’s field exercise day. It is the LAST field exercise for the semester. This exercise examines Neolitsea dealbata seedlings in acacia regrowth forests on the Center’s property. We’ll spend the day analyzing data and writing field reports. Tonight is the student meeting, so we’ll discuss issues from both students and staff.
Nov 14	During this morning’s lectures we discussed the effects of global warming and wildlife management on the southern cassowary—Australia’s largest bird. The rest of the day we’ll spend writing up our field exercise. Sadly, it’s our very last field exercise of the semester—we’re one step closer to home.
Nov 15	Today we had a guest lecturer named Daryl Killin come to the research center. He talked to us about private forestry issues and then took us on a tour of several tree plantations on the Atherton Tablelands. Tonight we are having a birthday party for Chad and then we are going to watch an Australian movie—should be great!
Nov 16	Today is Directed Research (DR) day so we will be going out into the field and working on our projects all day. The Geographic Information System DR group will continue to map the research center property. After several days of rain, it is finally sunny here! Tomorrow, after an exam, we are going to Mission Beach to swim and have fun for the weekend.
Nov 17	Tomorrow we have three exams. It is quiet around the research center today as most people are studying. Those few students who aren’t studying are either taking long and well-deserved naps or they are planning our trip to Mission Beach tomorrow.
Nov 18	Today we will take our last set of exams. Everyone is up early to study for them. After lunch we will leave for Mission Beach where we’ll stay for two nights. The students are excited about snorkeling there, and there is a possibility that we’ll see a cassowary.
Nov 20	Today was our last day of our visit to Mission Beach. Surprisingly, we woke up to crystal clear, blue skies. Everyone was packed by 9 a.m., and we were off to the fan-palm forest, an incredibly rare type of forest found in the region. We all went with the hope of seeing cassowaries, an endangered flightless bird, but alas only two of our staff members saw one.
Nov 21	Today begins the first full week dedicated only to Directed Research projects. Students will spend most of their day in the field collecting data. Tonight we are going to begin to crochet a blanket for the common room, our contribution to the future classes of Warrawee.
Nov 22	Our time at the Center for Rainforest Studies is coming to an end all too soon. We have about three weeks left of our three-month stay. We are all still taking in the sights and sounds of the rainforest, collecting the moments in our thoughts and journals so we can remember them when we go back to our home universities. Our DR projects and presentations are due soon and we are steadily working in the field and computer lab getting them ready.
Nov 23	The Blue-faced Finch DR group spent the morning catching birds with mist nets. The Detritivore DR group spent half the day in the lab sorting through leaf litter and the other half in the forest collecting more samples. Even more exciting today was our Thanksgiving feast, celebrating a United States holiday. Many of the students and Al, the cook, spent the entire day preparing food for dinner. The dinner was amazing: turkey, stuffing, gravy, ravioli (for the vegetarians), and lots of other things. Dessert was even better: pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, pavlova, and even Jello. We had a great time and we are thoroughly stuffed!!
Nov 24	It is pouring rain out, and once again we are working in it. Tonight we are having a campout and our center director, Bruce, is going to teach us Australian folk songs. Then we will sleep out among the stars (or the rain!).
Nov 25	Finally got a bit of a break from DR’s (more than 6 hours of sleep). Went to the Yungaburra markets, then played Frisbee and American Football in honor of Thanksgiving. Tonight we get to go to the pub. That’s about it.
Nov 27	This morning, Bruce gave a lecture on how to present our directed research projects. For the remainder of the day, most people worked on typing their research reports. This evening we will be having a student meeting.
Nov 28	This afternoon the students will give the Center a good scrubbing during Warrawork, and in the evening Bruce will show us how to make soap from the fat in the grease trap!
Nov 29	Today the Geographic Information System DR group is continuing to map the center property. If we are lucky, today will be the last day that anyone needs to go into the field to do any mapping. Other groups are done with data collection and are working on their final papers.
Nov 30	Today is yet another day filled with academic stress to meet Directed Research report deadlines. The computer room is packed with students analyzing data. Fortunately, we will have a break tonight because guest speaker Eleanor Scrambler will be talking to us about crane counting.