Booking It

You've heard of brainstorms. IonE resident fellow Jennifer Powers, an assistant professor in the College of Biological Sciences, has "rainstorms" instead - lluvias de ideas, deluges of out-of-the-box thoughts about things she can do to help promote stewardship of the subjects of her research, Costa Rica's tropical dry forests.

Two of Powers' recent lluvias are now becoming reality, thanks to her IonE resident fellowship. Both focus on helping local people and visitors appreciate the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica.

In one, Powers is overseeing the development and production of a coloring book for young visitors to the ACG. The Biological Education Program of the ACG brings 50-some elementary schools in Guanacaste province to ACG 12 times over three years to learn about its four distinct habitat types: coast, dry forest, wet forest, cloud forest. The coloring book, co-written and illustrated by Ph.D. biologist Damond Kyllo, will help students take their new knowledge home, where they can share with family members what they've learned about the uniqueness and interconnectedness of the habitats, organisms and humans of the region.

In her second book project, Powers is overseeing creation of "Notas de Campo," a field guide to some 80 species of plants of the tropical dry forest. Botanical drawings for the book will be contributed by Annie Rosenthal, a 17-year-old botanical artist from Minnesota.  The book taps the wealth of knowledge of long-time ACG naturalist Daniel Perez and will provide a much-needed guide for ecotourists and other visitors to the unique flora of the area.


Photos courtesy of Jennifer Powers. Top: ACG environmental educators
in action, talking to local school children about the coastal zone. Above right: Artist Annie Rosenthal and biologist Damond Kyllo.