Manceo is 52, and has been building canoes out of all types of wood for 18 years. He says catawa is his favorite type of tree because it makes very light and buoyant canoes.

Manceo says that he has made too many canoes to count in the past 18 years. The longest that he made was about 35 feet long, and was used as a motor boat. That particular canoe took two men about one month to build.

Manceo says that in the dry season, or the summer, it is much easier for him and his family to survive in the rainforest. In the dry season, the good canoe-quality trees are easier to find, and they are not water logged like in the rainy season. When the wood is easier to find, Manceo can make more canoes and therefore bring home more money to his family.

Manceo says that this year's flooding is average for April. He says that the most he has ever seen the river flood is about two yards higher than it is right now, which means that the main floor of the house where we have been staying would be under water. That was in the 1970s.

In the flooded forest, work opportunities change with the changing seasons. In the United States, many people work indoors; therefore, their work is not affected by the seasons. However, there are still many outdoor jobs in the United States that are affected by the weather. Think about the jobs that your family members have where you live. Do the changing seasons affect their work? How?

Giving thanks for mother nature,

Anna