When I think back over the last month, dozens of images come to mind. I am reminded of the many things we have learned during Project Peru 2, and the challenges that our team has overcome with your guidance and help. In a way all of the plants and animals in the rainforest rely on each other to survive in the same way that Warren, Ruben, Anna, Patrick, and I rely on each other.

If you removed any member of our team, the rest of us would suffer. We have developed a system of team work and respect for each other. We have learned that the small things keep us working together as a team. Thanking someone for cooking dinner, telling others they are doing a good job, and sympathizing with a team member when they have had a hard day strengthens the bonds between us that ensure our survival.

The plants, animals, and people of the rainforest also rely on each other to survive. They build relationships, and require knowledge, resources, and skills necessary to maintain the delicate balance that allows thousands of different species to survive in the Amazon Rainforest. If a large section of forest is destroyed, or a species becomes extinct, it affects all of the other plants and animals in the forest.

The keys to keeping the forest healthy are knowledge and practice: just like working as a team. Getting to know my fellow team members has allowed me to learn their strengths and weaknesses, and figure out how they fit into our team. The more we practice working together, the stronger we become, which allows us to tackle even greater challenges.

The rainforest has learned how to maintain a healthy balance over thousands of years of trial and error. We need to learn as much as we can about the forest, so that we know how to help protect the plants, animals, and people that live there. We also need to work to protect large sections of rainforest so that the plants and animals have places, or habitat, to maintain the intricate relationships, which allow the forest to thrive.

I plan to continue to learn more about the flooded forest, and will work hard to raise awareness about this irreplaceable ecosystem. I hope that you will also continue to learn and explore this amazing place.

What can you do to continue to learn about and protect the Amazon Rainforest?

Keep Exploring!
Dave

Thank you for joining us and providing with some many great ideas, questions, and knowledge. I look forward to visiting with many of you during our post-adventure school visits. If you have not set up a school visit yet, please contact me at dave@wildernessclassroom.com, or give us a call at 312-505-9973 to schedule a visit.

I would also like to thank Eric, Andrew, and Amy for all of their hard work maintaining the website during Project Peru 2, and the dozens of volunteers, sponsors, partnering organizations, and private donors who have helped us produce Project Peru 2.

Monday's Dilemma seemed to spark many Student Explorer's imagination. From your suggestions we are planning to draft several letters to communities, government officials, and park officials explaining that tourism could bring a lot of money to region. However, tourists want to see as many animals as possible. Therefore we will suggest a system where locals can hunt limited numbers of animals in exchange in volunteering as conservationists and park rangers. We will also suggest ways to cater to tourists' needs and describe why they would want to come to the flooded forest.