Join us in studying the two species of freshwater river dolphins in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve in northern Peru.

In August of 1999, we traveled with the Oceanic Society and researcher Tamara McGuire for eight days, aiding in a conservation effort and study of these elusive creatures.

Tamara is currently living in Peru to continue her dolphin studies. November 13-27, 2000 we will be traveling with her once again to assist with her research.

This trip we will be traveling deeper into the Reserve to view dolphins in areas where there has been little human impact. Moreover, our boat, the Miron Lento, is much smaller this year and all of our computer equipment will be solar powered. We will post our new data and highlights to our site while we are there.

Getting Ready

Meet the volunteers, the researcher and the Director of the Oceanic Society and learn about the preparations for this expedition. Find out what equipment we took, what vaccinations we needed, and what clothing we packed for the trip in this section.

River Dolphins

You can learn what scientists already know about river dolphins and what new information the researcher hopes to gain in this study. During the expedition, data we collected were posted to this website on a daily basis using a satellite phone. You can also learn about the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve and what a unique place it is.

Daily Highlights

We swam with the dolphins and visited local villages. Read all about our adventure from start to finish in the daily log kept by the expedition participants.

Peru & Its People

Find out about the history of Peru and its people and see how their ancient culture continues to influence their lives today. Also, in this section you can meet some of the people we met while we were there.

Take Action

We believe individuals can make a difference by becoming involved. You can take action and initiate change in your local community using the resources provided on this site.

Future Research

Studying wildlife requires a great deal of patience and dedication. Sometimes, even just a little bit of knowledge takes years to acquire.

Tamara McGuire (from Texas A&M University) will continue her study of dolphins in the reserve with the EarthWatch Institute beginning in January 2000. While there, Tamara will update us on the dolphins and her research efforts. We will continue to post new data she collects on the dolphins to this website.

We invite you to participate in this project and help Tamara and the people of the reserve create a conservation plan that benefits the dolphins and also the people living in the area. 

How To Participate

You can receive updates about the project and website changes by signing our guest book.

If you would like to contact us, you can email us with questions you have. Your questions and our answers will be posted to the Q & A page. You can also email Tamara and other wildlife experts on the Email an Expert page. 

Earn Continuing Education Units

This project has been designed as a teacher inservice opportunity whereby teachers can gain experience in web-delivered instruction. Three continuing education units (CEUs) are available from Saint Mary's College, Moraga by participating in this project. 

Teacher Resources

To facilitate the usefulness of this site in classrooms, there are teacher resources available to help teachers share this information with their students.

We have also included a glossary. The meaning of any word with an " * " in front of it can be found by clicking on the word. The glossary will open into a separate browser window. The window can be resized and moved so that it can remain open when viewing the site. The browser "Back" button will not be activated. To leave the glossary, just close the window. 

Spanish Translations

We are very committed to making the information on this site available to Spanish speaking students and teachers. We are currently working on translating this site into Spanish. 

Viewing This Site

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Unless otherwise noted, all text, photographs and graphics on this site are Copyright (©) 1999 Virtual Explorers. You may use them in your classroom; however they may not be otherwise reproduced or distributed in any form (electronic or printed) without the written permission of Virtual Explorers.

 

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