What I Carry

Shown above is the stuff that I carry. Not to the field, but to the office everyday as part of my "going to work" kit. Start bottom left and the move counterclockwise: 1) Timbuk2 Custom Laptop Messenger Bag. Have only had it for 7 months, but it is truly waterproof and holds everything I need. Those bike messengers know how to make bags. 2) BUILT Bento sandwich box. Currently holds a peanut butter (crunchy) and sliced banana sandwich on whole wheat with some mutsu apple slices. Yum. 3) Tom Bihn organizer pouch for flashdrives, and chargers, and cables, and dongles; have tied a prayer flag from Nepal to the zipper (because it never hurts). 4) Apple earpods and carrying case (thx, Josh). 5) Smateria sleeve containing my iPad Air. The sleeve was made in Cambodia from recycled nylon fishing nets (thx, Thibault). 5) ten-trip ticket on MetroNorth and ID's from NYBG and Columbia University. 6) manila folder containing my dharma talk on Case 87 from the Blue Cliff Record for this Sunday at EHZC. Gulp. 7) An assortment of gel pens (Pilot G-2 05 and 0.38 Signo uni-ball), a Sharpie yellow highlighter, and a wooden Faber-Castell mechanical pencil that I have had for 20 years. 8) Field Notes and Moleskine notepads. Can't decide, I carry both. 9) Sunflower yellow, Davek Traveler umbrella. Without a doubt, the best collapsible umbrella you can buy. Only problem is if you ever set it down, leave it in a taxi, or loan it to someone–it will disappear. And, 10) my faithful  iPhone 4, which is not in the picture because I used it to take the picture. Probably use it more for Spotify than to make calls or send text messages, but it has been all over the world with me. Sturdy and reliable.

Long post. Sorry. I carry a lot of stuff.

Boxing and Firing

Dayak man from the village of Ensibau in West Kalimantan setting the dried leaves and twigs that he has crammed into a "box" cut into the trunk of this Dipterocarpus tree on fire to get the dried damar resin (see Damar) flowing again. This technique of collecting resin from wild trees is called "boxing and firing". I don't imagine that the trees like it very much. [NOTE: For the obsessively observant, the villager from Ensibau shown in the photo above, is the same one shown here cutting shingles (from a similar Dipterocarpus species)]. 

Above the Canopy

Looking out over the canopy of the Selva Maya (see Selva Maya) in Campeche from the top of one of the pyramids at Becan. The forest seems to extend as far as you can see in all directions. Not because of forest policies from the central government, or multi-lateral funding initiatives (REDD+), or international conservation mandates–but because local communities have decided among themselves to keep their landscapes forested. [NOTE: Reflections from an air-conditioned office in New York City. Very much missing Campeche].

Journal

I keep a journal every day that I am in the field. Have done so since the first trip to Myanmar in 2005 (see Hukaung Valley Rattan Survey). Was actually Elysa's idea (thx, Elysa) to keep a record on this trip and she gave me my first journal. I am currently on journal number five. Given time and motivation, the idea is to turn all of these observations into a book at some point. We'll see. [NOTE: As shown above, my journal of choice is the classic 5 X 8.25 inch Moleskine Ruled Notebook. The vintage Cleveland Indians cap is also a classic. Oh, and the Pilot G-2, extra fine point, retractable gel pen is a real jewel].

Collecting in Danau Sentarum

Image above was taken by dear friend, Wim Giesen (thx, Wim). It's 1994, and I am in Denau Sentarum (see Danau Sentarum) in a large, and somewhat tipsy, wooden boat collecting a specimen of Calamus schistoacanthus (see Enrichment Planting). Looks like I was having a good time. [NOTE: Maybe the boat was tipsy because Wim was standing up in front taking a picture].

Flowers In The Front Yard

You walk out the front door and there are day lilies (Hemerocallis spp.) and black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) and bee balm (Monarda didyma) and butterfly bush (Buddleja spp.) flowers all over the place. And the amazing thing is that this happens every year (see Why They Call It Bee Balm and Flowers 2013). What a great planet we live on.

Bellagio

I have been awarded a writing fellowship by the Rockefeller Foundation and will be in residence in northern Italy at the Bellagio Center, also known as "Villa Serbelloni", from August 17 to September 14. I will be working on a book about the field projects and botanical inquiries that I have been involved with over the last three decades; tentatively entitled Managing the Wild. I am thrilled about this. [NOTE: Image above, by Peter Anderson, shows the view of Lake Como from the Villa Serbelloni].

Rattans of Myanmar

Andrew Henderson and I have started working on another book together (see Finally, It's A Book). This one, entitled Rattans of Myanmar, is a collaborative effort between the Myanmar Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Myanmar Program, and The New York Botanical Garden. It covers 39 local rattan species and will be published in Myanmar language (and perhaps English?). Image above shows the spread for Calamus hukaungensis Henderson (see Calamus hukaungensis) from the InDesign file (.indb) for the book. [NOTE: I am (again) doing the design and layout for the volume, which is why the species treatments look similar to the Greater Mekong book ].

Next Steps?

As a follow up to the Pope's recent encyclical on global warming (see Laudato Si), I post the image above. A group of Catholic and Buddhist leaders met at the Vatican on June 24. Go here for more information about the meeting and to view a short video clip of the Pope's words to the group. Pope Francis, smiling beatifically, is shown to the right. To his immediate left, looking on from the background in brown okesa is Hozan Alan Senauke (see Bodhisattva's Embrace and In the Herbarium). The plot continues to thicken.  [NOTE: Image from the RomeReports.com video].

Vietnamese Translation

For all of you who have been patiently waiting, the Vietnamese translation of Systematics, Ecology, and Management of Rattans in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam: The Biological Bases of Sustainable Use (see Finally, It's A Book) is now available and can be downloaded here. [NOTE: Thanks to Nguyan Quoc Dung, Le Viet Tam, and the WWF Greater Mekong Program for making this happen].