The Global Classroom

I met Ismerie by accident many years ago when we were leading trips for a summer camp in New Hampshire. While taking a walk deep in the pine forests one morning, I heard the most amazing sound coming across the lake. It was a distant and hauntingly beautiful voice. I crept through the thickets and came to the shore and there across the misty waters was Ismerie, warming up. I felt I should leave her to her privacy, yet I was spell bound. So, I remained hidden. The notes and sounds coming from her throat were other-worldly to me. It was heavenly... and deeply moving. I literally had chills as I silently crept away.

Later that week I mustered the courage to approach her. I guiltily thanked her for her gift and asked her if she sings professionally. Sheepishly, she said no; she was too shy. I was stunned. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, clear quartz crystal called a Herkimer diamond and placed it in her hand. I told her that never before had I heard sound so crystal clear coming from a human and the only other time I was that moved inside was when I was in the rain forests with my students. I placed the small crystal in her palm and said thank you and walked away. The following morning I left for Africa.

Ten years would pass before I heard her voice again. This time it was on my answering machine. She was coming to New York City to sing and asked me to join her. I was elated. After the show I met her to thank her once again. This time she thanked me. Hanging around her neck, in a little silver pendant was the Herkimer diamond. She said it helped give her the courage to drop law school and sing professionally. Thank goodness for that. We all benefit from people brave enough to follow their passion and share their gifts with the world.

When we jointly conceived of the Arias concert idea, we both knew her voice and my pictures combined perfectly together. Ismerie wanted to help us protect the rain forest and ensure we help as many young people as possible find their true path. I wanted my friends, family and GCR supporters to hear and feel the magic that pours fourth from this amazing singer.

Share in our dream by joining us for this special event dedicated to ensuring Aula Global reserve and all her creatures are protected far into the future. Inside you will find more details. We hope to see you there.

A Forest of Loss and Hope

-Colin Garland, GCR Founder

As you know, rain forests are fantastically rich in biodiversity and terribly threatened. Unfortunately the issue of rain forest protection has become blasé. We read about it, we talk about it, we may even donate to the cause, but nothing awakens us to their plight like first hand experience.

To me, entering the rain forest is like landing on another planet. Just walking into the lush, green world with its cool mist and bird song usurps the sadness I feel when peering out the bus window on the way to our Costa Rican reserve, Aula Global. Mile after mile of steep hillsides are stripped bare from clear cuts. It is the dry season and everything is burnt or burning as the farmers try to fight back the forest to make way for their cows.

I used to be able to shut the sadness out, but now I cannot. When I see the scorched earth eroding away I cannot help feeling a sadness that runs deep. It is a sadness one would expect to experience when they feel the death of a loved one. The visceral realization that someone is gone, forever.

Though I cared about the rain forest prior to seeing one, I can't say I ever felt any loss at their destruction before spending significant time in one. It makes sense really. It is a sad fact that we generally do not grieve or care about people or things we do not know or understand. In recent years, nearly 20 species of frog have gone extinct just from the Monteverde area of Costa Rica, yet who is aware of this fact (or cares) outside the circle of specialists who study them.

The unknown world of the rain forest gives rise to hope in me. There is still great mystery and promise in that which is not yet destroyed. After thousands of hours spent in our modestly sized reserve, I still enter and depart with a renewed sense of awe and excitement at every new discovery. The rain forest continues to empty her pockets to all of us who visit. The surprises are endless. Just seeing the amazing transformations that happen to many of our students who spend time there is testament to its power and value as a healing entity.

Nothing I say can prepare our visiting students for their first ear-jarring encounter with a howler monkey, meeting the golden scarab beetle shimmering in the leaf litter or the intoxicating smell of an orchid that blooms only in the latest hours of the night. These are only the things that we already know exist! No scientist has ever dared to speculate with any accuracy just how many species of plant, animal or insect inhabit a sizable stand of pristine old growth rain forest. The unknowns are just too great. That is where the mystery. . . and the hope lie.

When I walk through Aula Global, I ponder the thought that somewhere among these trees there grows a cure for AIDS, cancer or malaria. Hidden in the vines or deep in the undergrowth, there is an unidentified creature that would defy our senses if we truly knew its mysteries. Among the highest branches of the canopy there is surely a new miracle drug that will enable thousands to rise up from wheel chairs or see for the very first time. These thoughts stimulate an awesome and exciting place deep inside me.

What continues to haunt me, is knowing we live in a world where things must have obvious and immediate economic value to be spared. And even then, it is no guarantee. When I enter the forest I often pray for a day when all humans find value in wild things solely because they exist. No one knows how large an area of rain forest is needed to ensure its survival. What is clear to us is that unless we spare as much of it as possible from clear cuts and slash and burn, we will all suffer in the end. We must ensure its protection far into the future.

As it stands right now, Aula Global reserve needs nearly $15,000 annually to cover supplies and routine maintenance at the reserve, as well as wages for anti-poachers and land taxes (we are working on becoming tax exempt in Costa Rica). Most reserves cover this operating expense by admitting thousands of visitors into the forest. However, this strategy is in direct conflict with the mission of Aula Global. It is our goal to keep the ancient forests of Aula Global pristine and untrodden for the sake of all that live there. This means GCR volunteers must spend huge amounts of time fundraising, writing grants and seeking donors. This takes us all away from what we do best: teaching and sharing the magic of the natural world with students. When we secure our endowment, we will no longer need to worry about these and so many other issues that face us in keeping Aula Global intact and protected for generations to come.

Hundreds of volunteers, students and supporters have given so much to save the magical forests of Aula Global. Arias for the Rain Forest is an excellent way to joyously celebrate our successes and jump start our endowment fund ensuring the long term survival of the reserve. If you cannot join us at a show, please consider making a tax-deductible donation. Checks can be sent to the Global Classroom, 39 Glasheen Rd, Petersham, MA 01366.

Sea Turtle Conference

-Gretchen Keller, GCR Volunteer

In January 2006, GCR volunteers assisted with the 8th Annual Sea Turtle Conference held in Loreto, Baja Mexico. Hosted by Grupo Ecologista Antares (GEA) and organized by ProPeninsula, the conference mission was to bring together sea turtle researchers and local turtle protection groups to share new data and give updates on conservation and education projects in Baja, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Indonesia. Over 250 people attended the 3-day conference.

Sea turtles have been protected by Mexican law since 1990; it is illegal to sell sea turtle eggs or meat, hunt, or even disturb the nests. Regardless of legislation, inadequate enforcement and long-standing traditions cause an average of 35,000 sea turtles per year to be poached by Mexican and U.S. citizens. Five to 7,000 of those turtles are eaten during Easter week alone. Fishing accidents and pollution also contribute to declining turtle populations. All five of the Baja sea turtle species: hawksbill, leatherback, green, loggerhead and olive ridley, are threatened or endangered.

For more information, visit: www.propeninsula.org, www.geantares.org.mx, www.grupotortuguero.org, and www.blueocean.org

GCR works with GEA

-Gretchen Keller, GCR Volunteer and Colin Garland, GCR Founder

This year Global Classroom volunteers in Loreto, Baja Mexico have had an increased involvement with our sister organization Grupo Ecologista Antares (GEA), directed by Fernando Arcas. Together, we promote a healthy environment and community in the Loreto area. Projects GCR volunteers have assisted with include the annual Sea Turtle Conference (mentioned above), whale and dolphin research, underwater video and equipment donations and coordinating environmental education for Mexican and U.S. youth.

Global Classroom volunteers also helped with a misplaced sea lion, nicknamed Chivo Lobo (Goat Wolf). He was named Chivo Lobo because he bleated like a goat and sea lions are called Lobos del Mar by local Mexicans, which means "Wolves of the Sea." The young sea lion was brought to Fernando by environmental police, who had captured the animal dockside in Cabo San Lucas. Chivo Lobo was becoming very friendly with boaters in the crowded port causing PROFEPA to remove him so he would not get hurt in an accident.

Keeping the one-year old pup happy and comforted until he could be released in a safe area was a moving and challenging experience. Being highly gregarious, young sea lions demand much attention and contact. If you attempted to leave him alone he would follow at your heels, calling out in a most heart wrenching way. His need for contact was so ingrained that after only minutes of being un-caged and free to roam around GEA, he clambered up into Fernando's lap and proceeded to make himself comfortable. During Colin's turn at "baby sitting", Chivo Lobo found him fast asleep on a heap of fishing nets and proceeded to climb onto Colin's chest for a sunny, flipper hugging snooze.

The following day, we brought Chivo Lobo to a distant island to be released. Slipping over the side of the boat with the pup, Fernando was eventually able to introduce the little sea lion to his curious peers and he happily swam to the colony basking nearby on rocks.

We are also proud to announce Global Classroom was able to help secure a $37,000 donation toward GEA's project of building an animal rehab facility. This money will be used to purchase land close to the Sea of Cortez. With land prices soaring, it was critical that we acted fast. A location close to the sea is needed to ensure easy access to salt water for the many sea creatures like Chivo Lobo that Fernando and GEA will nurse back to health.

Diving Into Another World

-Meggie Winchell, GCR Director

Silver bubbles rise to meet the shining blue opal that stretches above me. Corals and fish of a million colors dance below me. Simultaneously, I am filled with the uncontainable excitement of new discovery as well as the great serenity of this underwater world. Did I ever imagine that I would find myself here, scuba diving on a shipwreck in Baja? Never. The idea ranked in the "impossible" category for me. However, with the guidance of an incredible mentor the "impossible" became "possible."

The Global Classroom gives students such guidance to step beyond imagined limitations and achieve dreams. The method is simple and profound. When trust is placed in the hands of a true mentor, that trust then stands between you and limiting fear. Without fear anything is possible: new worlds open, perceptions evolve, and your life transforms.

Such an experience was gifted to me by Global Classroom's mentor and friend, Fernando Arcas. Fernando is the director of Grupo Ecologia Antares in Loreto, Baja Mexico. For me, Fernando opened the universe under the sea. However, before I could dive in, my fears had to be calmed. Frankly, the idea of scuba diving gave me the claustrophobic heebie-jeebies.

Enter Fernando, with his toolbox full of enthusiasm, humor, and kindness. He is the wise grandfather figure with a 70's rock star flare. Given his passion and lifetime of diving experience, trust came easily. Trust took the edge off my fear and then encouraged me to learn. In the presence of trust and knowledge combined, my fear was completely disarmed.

A few days before my first dive I had a dream. I was guiding a student group on a hike when we came upon an unexpected canyon. I looked down into the gorge for a moment, and then spoke to the students, "We'll just have to fly across." And that's what we did. We swam through the air, across the canyon. Easy as pie.

Could it be that scuba diving would feel like flying? To my joy the answer was, yes! I geared up, took the plunge, and became superwoman under the sea. Only instead of flying over canyon, forest, and city, I was flying over whole rainbows of corals and hundreds of colorful fish of every size. Parrot fish, angel fish, and puffer fish flew along side me while polka-dotted star fish adorned the ocean floor. National Geographic wasn't kidding, it really is that beautiful down there.

And so, the way to another world was opened. My body brought me there. My eyes drank up the beauty. My lungs breathed in a new way. The journey seemed to last forever as awe, discovery, and deeper understanding intermingled and washed over me. We have all had such experiences and when we return home to our own world we are often surprised. Now that our eyes are wide with the magic of another world, we carry with us broadened perceptions. In this light, we see our old world in a new way. New realizations are made and we grow. It is in this way that mentors guide us in experiences that change us and transform our lives. I now have a whole new understanding of that glassy, silver, wavy substance I used to know as "ocean." "Ocean" was something two-dimensional for me; a plane that undulated, went calm, got stormy, but still remained a relatively flat surface. Now, when I see "ocean," a sensation wells in me, a combination of great wonderment and eager curiosity--that is no two-dimensional surface, it is a doorway into another world. Fernando opened the underwater world for me. For that I am so grateful.

Aula Global Update

-Colin Garland

As our readers may recall, last year GCR was faced with the potential destruction of rain forest abutting Aula Global. We successfully spearheaded a massive fundraising campaign. The owners were willing to sell and we jumped. Our only concern was that one of three parcels was not titled. Buying untitled land was a risk we were not willing to take, so we waited hoping this would change. We are happy to announce the title has come through and GCR has purchased this 40-acre gem. Thanks to your financial support and the hard work of all GCR volunteers, Aula Global continues to grow.

Gratitude from Israel's Family

-Meggie Winchell

Many of you have inquired about the health of Sari, the wife of Israel, our Costa Rican reserve caretaker. Sari has been diagnosed with a bone-marrow dysfunction called myodysplasia. The donations you have made have given the family hope for treatment. They are currently in mid-process of testing Sari's brothers for a possible bone marrow donor and subsequent transplant. While there is a long road ahead, the relief in Sari and Israel's eyes is amazing--sometimes hope is the most powerful medicine of all. They wish to send their gratitude to all of you. Donations are continually welcome and badly needed throughout Sari's treatment. Unfortunately, these donations are not tax-deductible. Please email meggiewinchell@yahoo.com for more details.

Costa Rica Student Trip

-Colin Garland

In April 2006, our annual high school trip to the Aula Global Reserve was a huge success. A bonus for us was including Frontier High School to our growing list of participating schools. Many thanks go to Patricia Bell for her tireless work of spearheading fundraisers and pulling together the Frontier students.

Open to any high school student, our enrollment grew in leaps and bounds, finally maxing out at 18 people (including guides). Though I was happy to see so many students motivated to come to Costa Rica, I was concerned about the size of the group. Many in the group said they hoped to see lots of animals while on the trip, a goal not likely to happen when so many people move through the forest. I was elated to discover that not only could these students walk silently as a group, their endurance was amazing. During the trip we were blessed with the sightings of margay, tayra, monkeys, coatimundis, snakes and of course, dozens of species of birds.

A bonus to having a big group was the amount of fieldwork accomplished in a very short time. Many hands made light work. We improved the walkway to the composting toilet, built several more quetzal and owl nesting boxes, planted trees and added a few coat racks to the dorm. A heart felt thank you to all of our student and teacher volunteers!

Reaching New Heights

-Colin Garland

Sometimes the hard work is worth the effort. In late December 2005, we were notified by FONOFIFO (a carbon sequestering program in Costa Rica) that part of the Aula Global Reserve has been accepted into their program. This is very exciting news for Global Classroom for two big reasons. We are now officially acknowledged as a protected territory. Secondly, we will be paid for keeping that forest pristine and intact.

Because the program accepts a limited number of hectares, our chances seemed slight to none. But, thanks to the tireless efforts of our Costa Rican helper Israel Mendez, we were accepted into the five-year program. The level of bureaucracy and running around needed to make this happen was unbelievable. Getting this done while working at the reserve, being a full time dad to three daughters and caring for his ailing wife was nothing short of superhuman. Thanks Israel.

The payment for being a part of the forestry program is no small matter. Over the next five-years, Global Classroom will collect over $25,000!

Gondwana Conference, Mendoza, Argentina

-Gretchen Keller

In November 2005, Colin Garland and Gretchen Keller were invited to present for Global Classroom at the Gondwana 12 Conference in Mendoza, Argentina.

The conference was for plate tectonics experts, paleobotanists, and paleogeologists (to name a few of the 'ologists there). So, what were GCR environmentalists doing at a hard-rock geology research conference? GCR was asked to spark interest in how scientific research is connected to environmental issues, encourage scientists to reach out to youth and lay-people and generate interest in the Gondwana Alive Society.

The Gondwana Alive Society is a global initiative started by nine South African biologists. The GCR is contributing to a book the Society is sponsoring entitled, "101 Strategies to Stem the Sixth Extinction," about biological corridors around the world on continents that used to make up Gondwanaland. GCR's section focuses on the Aula Global Reserve in Costa Rica and how it is connected to the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC). This corridor is a conservation effort by all seven countries of Central America, to consolidate nature reserves to reestablish and protect migration patterns.

A preview booklet is available about the mass extinctions in history as well as the human induced onset of a mass extinction underway. For more info visit www.gondwanaalive.org.

Give the Gift of Life

Every year millions of children die of dysentery from drinking contaminated water. This February, GCR students will take part in a service project while visiting Baja. The small school located in the village has an open-pit well in the playground and students must drop a bucket into the hole to get their water. The well is a serious safety hazard prone to contamination from runoff, livestock waste and small animals falling in. It is our goal to install a small solar system and low-volume pump which will fill a 400-gallon plastic water tank. This system will allow us to cap the well and protect it and the children. We are seeking sponsors for this project. The estimated cost is $2,500. Please consider helping us with this cause. Send your check or go to www.globalclassroom.net to make a secure Paypal donation before November 15, to ensure we have time to purchase this equipment.

Collecting School Supplies

Once again we will be collecting school supplies and clothing donations for rural schools in Baja this February. Just three weeks ago a slow moving hurricane devastated the town of Mulege. For those living close to us, we will be happy to collect items from you. For those farther away, please consider making a monetary donation. We will purchase the supplies needed and deliver them. These isolated schools desperately need paper, pencils, art supplies, etc. Our truck departs December 15 from Massachusetts, so be sure to contact us soon.

Sea Kayak with Whales this Jan-Feb

Once again, it is time for Raven Adventures - GCR to migrate south to Baja. Stunning scenery, miles of deserted beaches and warm sunny days await you this winter. Join us for a fun-filled holiday that is guaranteed to thrill you.

As a special bonus, we offer a side trip to see the friendly whales that gather each winter in the calm waters of Magdalena bay. Nearly driven to extinction from hunting, these gentle giants have forgotten their grievances with humans. What a joy it is to see a mother sidle up to our small panga and allow her babe to be touched and patted by onlookers. It is something you will never forget. Spaces are limited so contact us soon for reservations and information. Trips are 7-9 days and cost $1595. Whale watch side trip is $65pp. This includes airfare from the lower 48 states. Reservations made after Dec. 15, may include a $100 surcharge. A $500 deposit is required to save your space. Email us: globalclassroom@crocker.com or call 978-724-3530 for more details.

Costa Rican Rain Forest Adventure

We have begun registering students for our annual Rain Forest Adventure trip to be held during April break. Students will join Raven Adventures and Global Classroom leaders on an exciting journey to our very own rain forest reserve. Students will wake to the roar of howler monkeys and see the endangered Quetzals and Bell-birds. During our stay we will go on night hikes, plant trees, participate in species counts and explore the jungle around Aula Global.

A special side trip to Rincón de la Vieja volcanic park is also possible. Here we will explore the rare (only 2% are left world wide) tropical dry forests to see bubbling mud pits, steaming fumeroles and swim in spectacular waterfalls. The Aula Global trip price is $1595 and includes airfare, food, transportation, park fees and in-country lodging. Side trip to Rincon de le Vieja is $65 pp. This is a fantastic trip and has been a highlight for past participants. We highly recommend it. Note: We also lead adult and family trips to Costa Rica and Baja.

African Safari

We have just returned from another amazing trip to South Africa. Lions on kills, cheetah, leopards, elephants...Plan ahead. We only allow 6 people. Coming August 2007. $2995 (includes airfare from JFK). Contact us soon.