Terrain.org Blog

Category: Events

Writing Down the Jaguar

By Simmons Buntin, January 10, 2012 10:08 pm

Terrain.org is pleased to present, with Sky Island Alliance, Writing Down the Jaguar: Writing Workshops in El Aribabi, Sonora, Mexico from March 23-26, 2011.

Offered at Rancho El Aribabi in the beautiful Sierra Azul Mountains of northern Sonora, Mexico, Writing Down the Jaguar is a three-day workshop of classes, lectures, readings, and discussions on the craft and techniques of fine writing about the natural world.

Writing Down the Jaguar is for writers who want to improve and market their outdoor, natural history, and environmental writing, as well as environmental educators and activists who want to improve their writing skills for their work. The morning and afternoon workshops and evening sessions will benefit both professional writers as well as those with a personal interest in writing poetry, essays, journalism, screenplays, or fiction that relates to the themes of nature and environment.

Writing Down the Jaguar provides an intimate group experience for writers — with just four participants plus the instructor per workshop!

Participants will select one of the faculty members with whom they will work on writing, reading, and shared critiques.

The rest of the day offers a range of readings and discussions, with ample time to write and socialize. The teaching faculty is composed of professional writers and editors distinguished in their fields, noted for their teaching abilities, and dedicated to helping participants improve their skills. The cost for the workshop, including travel from Tucson, food, and lodging, is $450 per participant.

Come write down the jaguar with us in the rugged, wondrous Sierra Azul!

Events, Photography, Writing and Publishing | arizona, conference, Dawn Sellers, Jessica Lamberton, Ken Lamberton, Mexico, Scott Calhoun, Simmons B. Buntin, Sky Island Alliance, workshop, Writing Down the Jaguar

A scary proposition

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By Megan Kimble, October 31, 2011 6:22 pm

The world’s population hit 7 billion today. Well, give or take 56 million.

The United Nation’s Population Fund acknowledges that its projection has a 1 to 2 percent margin of error—which translates roughly into the population of Italy—and that an exact date could not be determined; they chose October 31 as the “symbolic” date for hitting 7 billion. That a specific day was designated is less about the significance of the exact number—7,000,000,000 breathing, eating, sleeping people—than the usefulness of a time peg for a necessary conversation: how on Earth are all these people going to live on Earth?

Many people have focused on the environmental issue of growing consumption of energy and natural resources caused by growing populations. As more people enjoy greater access to wealth in rapidly developing countries like China and India, demands on already strained energy sources threaten to grow even higher.

At the same as wealth is rising, so are the numbers of impoverished people living in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where most of future population growth is projected to occur—which is, not coincidentally, where many women don’t have access to contraception, or are empowered enough to request it.

In the annual State of the World Population report, the new leader of the United Nations Population Fund, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, a Nigerian obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote: “In many parts of the developing world, where population growth is outpacing economic growth, the need for reproductive health services, especially family planning, remains great.”

The benchmark population count has catalyzed conversations not only about the 7 billion people but also the one. Inspired by work at National Geographic that analyzed population data for humanity’s most common characteristics, reporters at CBS hit the streets to find “Earth’s most typical person.” They found Mu Li, a 28-year-old male who lives in New York City and works for People’s Daily, China’s state newspaper.

According to the National Geographic profile, the world’s largest ethnic group is Han Chinese, there are more males in the world than females, and the global median age is 28. Mu Li fits the bill. He also:

— Is right-handed.

— Is Christian

— Speaks Mandarin.

— Owns a cell phone.

— Doesn’t have a car or bank account.

— Makes less than $12,000 a year.

In the face of 7 billion people, the power of one shouldn’t be forgotten. “Instead of asking questions like, ‘Are we too many?’ we should instead be asking, ‘What can I do to make our world better?’” Osotimehin wrote.

Environmental Concerns, Events, Places, sustainable development

Tucson BioBlitz uncovers diversity in the desert

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By Megan Kimble, October 24, 2011 10:32 am

An aquatic inventory team explored this dry wash in the Rincon Mountains during the BioBlitz (photo by Megan Kimble)

Standing under the sun on a 110-degree day in Tucson, it’s easy to assume the Sonoran Desert is a hostile, lifeless place. But, venture into the hills, and you’ll find a different story. Nestled among the giant Saguaro cacti is a brimming ecosystem, hosting the greatest diversity of vegetative growth of any desert worldwide, as well as an astonishing array of mammals, reptiles, birds, and aquatic invertebrates.

This weekend, the National Park Service and National Geographic teamed up to host the 5^th annual BioBlitz in Saguaro National Park to inventory the diversity of that ecosystem.

A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event to find and identify as many living species as possible in a national park. Scientists and experts lead inventory teams of students, teachers, and community members into Saguaro National Park East and West to explore the park’s mountains, valleys, cactus forests, washes, and tinajas in search of the desert’s wildlife.

An un-inventoried rattlesnake (photo by Megan Kimble)

Each team had a focus—from Gila monsters to aquatic fungi—and they ventured into the national park for two- to four-hour shifts. School kids took over the inventory teams all day on Friday, Oct. 20, as part of a broader mission to get young people excited about science.

Two of the major events unique to Tucson included the saguaro census, which focused on counting the growth and preservation of the iconic saguaro forests, and the night sky inventory, which measured light pollution in and around Tucson, an important measurement for the many world-class observatories located outside the city.

Tucson’s BioBlitz was the fifth in a series of 10 annual BioBlitzes planned by National Geographic and the National Park Service, leading up to the Park Service’s centennial in 2016. The first BioBlitz was held at Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., in 2007; in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California in 2008; Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in 2009; and Biscayne National Park in Florida hosted last year’s BioBlitz.

While inventorying species is the stated mission of the BioBlitz, the event is as much about the park as the people—getting people into the park—which is why all BioBlitzes focus on national parks adjacent to major urban areas around the U.S.

John Francis, the Vice President of Research, Conservation and Exploration for National Geographic, explained why: “We’re trying to awaken people who don’t really understand their deep connection with nature,” he said in an interview on the National Geographic BioBlitz website. “Sometimes in the urban setting you don’t get out into nature. But there are parks around the country that are close to the city, and we want to get the schoolchildren and the families into the park, to get them to be with those who really know it and love it and get them bitten by the bug that’s so exciting about loving nature through these BioBlitz activities.”

The Tucson BioBlitz was the first large-scale species inventory of Saguaro National Park. Check out images and results from the BioBlitz on the National Geographic BioBlitz blog.

Environmental Concerns, Events, Places | BioBlitz, National Geographic Society, National Park Service, national parks, parks, Saguaro National Park, Sonoran desert, Tucson, wildlife

100 Thousand Poets for Change

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By Megan Kimble, September 19, 2011 8:54 pm

This Saturday, 100,ooo poets will come together to write the change they wish to see in the world. On September 24, 100 Thousand Poets for Change will unite poets around the world in a sort of global poetry reading: a “demonstration / celebration of poetry to promote serious social, environmental, and political change.” In over 600 events in 450 cities and 95 countries—there are over 250 events planned in the U.S.—writers, artists, and performers will use creative expression to foment change.

While TPC provided support and an event location blog page for any community that wanted to organize an event, it was entirely up to that community to determine what their particular expression would be. It’s a global movement, but it’s local—inclusive yet decentralized—but documentation is crucial. Event founder Michael Rothenberg writes on the 100 Thousand Poets for Change website:

Each local organization determines what it wants to focus on, something broad like, peace, sustainability, justice, equality, or more specific causes like Health Care, or Freedom of Speech, or local environmental or social concerns that need attention in your particular area right now, etc. Organizations will then come up with a mission statement/manifesto that describes who they are and what they think and care about. When the whole event has taken place all the mission statements can be collected from around the world and, I hope, worked together into a grand statement of 100 Thousand Poets for Change.

All documentation from Saturday will be on the 100TPC.org website, and will be archived by Stanford University, in recognition of 100 TPC as the largest poetry reading in history.

Events, Press Announcement, Writing and Publishing | 100 Thousand Poets for Change, Events, poetry

Aurthur Celebrates Earth Day

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By Simmons Buntin, April 12, 2011 3:36 pm

Perhaps my favorite show!

Arthur Celebrates Earth Day with 5 New Episodes Beginning Friday, April 22, 2011 on PBS KIDS GO!

Features a Special Visit from NASA Astronaut Mike Finke, Thursday, April 28, 2011

BOSTON, MA (April 11, 2011) – PBS KIDS GO!’s iconic kids series ARTHUR continues its 14th season with five brand-new episodes highlighting environmental protection, cultural awareness, and teamwork beginning on Earth Day, Friday April 22, 2011, and continuing through Thursday April 28, 2011 (check local listings). The fun starts with a special Earth Day message from Arthur and his friends in Buster Baxter and the Letter from the Sea. In this episode, Buster discovers a message in a bottle on the beach while on vacation with the Read family. Could it be an urgent message from the people of the Lost City of Atlantis? Buster is determined to find out and sends messages back…by throwing his own bottles into the ocean. Join Buster and Arthur as they learn that keeping our beaches and waterways clean is the real message.

Online, kids are invited to take the Go Green Challenge (pbskids.org/arthur/thetreehouse/gogreen) on the ARTHUR website. In this special section, kids can join their favorite ARTHUR characters in support of a green cause. Whether it’s making better food choices with Buster, or saving energy with D.W., kids have opportunities to take simple green steps that can help save the environment. Also, kids will be able to print out a “Challenge Page” to keep track of their green actions.

“This Earth Day, we wanted to show kids how simple actions can affect the environment,” says Senior Executive Producer Carol Greenwald. “Through this episode and the Go Green Challenge, kids can learn simple steps that they can take to help protect the world around them.”

Throughout the week of new episodes, Arthur and friends will follow a soccer ball as it makes its way around the world. In Follow the Bouncing Ball, airing Friday, April 22, 2011, Alberto Molina’s beloved soccer ball, signed by his favorite Ecuadorian soccer star, “El Boomerang,” is lost. Kids are invited to join Arthur in learning about new cultures and track all the places “El Boomerang” goes as it travels around the world (and into outer space!).

In a special episode airing Thursday, April 28, 2011, kids learn that teamwork can help their dreams soar when NASA Astronaut Mike Finke guest-stars on ARTHUR in Buster Spaces Out. Inspired by footage of the moon landing, Buster wants to go to outer space. Well, someday. For now, it would be really cool to build and launch a rocket. So Buster enlists his friends to help…but they can’t agree on anything and the mission stalls. Luckily, their new friend Astronaut Mike teaches them that only teamwork will accomplish this mission–and then it’s blast-off!

Tune in for these adventures and more as your favorite ARTHUR characters travel the globe in Around the World in 11 Minutes, start competing blogs in Muffy and the Big Bad Blog, try their hand at fashion design in All the Rage, cope with teasing in D.W., Queen of the Comeback, explore Africa in In My Africa, and discover knitting in Arthur Unravels. The full schedule of airdates is below (check local listings):

Friday, April 22, 2011 – Follow the Bouncing Ball, Buster Baxter and the Letter from the Sea
Monday, April 25, 2011 – Around the World in 11 Minutes, Muffy and the Big Bad Blog
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 – Arthur Unravels, All the Rage
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 – D.W., Queen of the Comeback, In My Africa
Thursday, April 28, 2011 – Buster Spaces Out, The Long Road Home

ARTHUR Online at PBSKIDSGO.org/arthur
The award-winning ARTHUR website is home to many games and activities, including the new game “Buster Baxter, Lung Defender.” In this game, kids fight common asthma triggers in a wild ride through Buster’s lungs. Supporting material for parents and caregivers can be found in the new Kids & Asthma section on the Parents & Teachers site. Also new this season, Arthur and his friends team up with Martha from Martha Speaks in a new game called “Marthur Stickerbook Mashup.” Kids can choose characters and props from each show to create unique mashup scenes. Finally, in a comic-creator feature inspired by Neil Gaiman, who guest-starred on ARTHUR last fall in Tales of the Grotesquely Grim Bunny, kids can create their very own comics, featuring Arthur and his Elwood City friends. The ARTHUR website is also home to most of the series educational materials including resources, lesson plans, and activities and has features to help kids understand their neighbors, near and far, and gain a better appreciation for the world around them. Kids can also watch video clips and full episodes of ARTHUR at PBSKIDSGO.org/video.

About ARTHUR
ARTHUR, based on Marc Brown’s best-selling books, reaches over 5.1 million people each week (NTI, Sept. 2010-January 2011). ARTHUR has won numerous awards, including the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA and six Daytime Emmys®– four for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program. ARTHUR is produced by WGBH Boston and Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. Carol Greenwald is Senior Executive producer (WGBH) and Executive producers are Toper Taylor (Cookie Jar), and Marc Brown (Marc Brown Studios). The series is directed by Greg Bailey.

Funding for ARTHUR is provided by public television viewers. Corporate funding is provided by Chuck E. Cheese’s®.

About WGBH Boston
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of one-third of PBS’s prime-time lineup along with some of public television’s best-known lifestyle shows, many public radio favorites, and a roster of children’s programs that empower kids with innovative, entertaining, curriculum-based content. Among the WGBH produced children’s titles: Arthur, Curious George, Postcards from Buster, Between the Lions, Design Squad, Martha Speaks and Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman. WGBH is the number-one producer of websites on pbs.org, one of the most trafficked dot-org websites in the world, and a pioneer in educational multimedia and in technologies and services that make media accessible to the 36 million Americans who rely on captioning or video descriptions. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards . . . even two Oscars. In 2002, WGBH received a special institutional Peabody Award for 50 years of excellence. For more information, go to www.wgbh.org.

About Cookie Jar Group
Cookie Jar Group develops, produces, distributes and markets quality products to children, their caregivers, parents and teachers. Cookie Jar Group’s products reflect its commitment to providing the best in children’s published content, animated and live action programming and innovative educational and entertainment-driven products worldwide. The group of companies consists of Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. and Cookie Jar Education Inc. Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc., Cookie Jar Group’s entertainment operation, is a leading, global, independent producer, marketing and brand manager of such renowned children’s properties as The Doodlebops, Caillou, Arthur, Spider Riders and Johnny Test. Combining globally renowned intellectual properties with an industry-recognized management team, Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. is a market-driven, brand building company that is committed to children first and foremost and is dedicated to the development and production of quality programming that embraces the whole child, with animated and live-action series that entertain, inspire and enlighten children and family audiences worldwide.

About PBS KIDS GO!
PBS KIDS GO! offers early elementary children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. For more information on specific PBS KIDS GO! programs supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom.

Environmental Concerns, Events, Press Announcement | art, arthur, children, PBS, television

Live from AWP – Terrain.org’s Editor-in-Chief

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By Rafael Otto, February 6, 2011 11:15 am

Terrain.org’s Editor-in-Chief, Simmons Buntin, made the trip to AWP’s annual conference. This year it was held in Washington D.C., attracting thousands of writers from around the country and beyond.

I was able to catch up with Simmons on the last day of the conference to talk with him about AWP 2011. Here are some audio clips of our conversation.

Terrain.org was sharing a booth (one of over 500) with Hawk and Handsaw. The old-fashioned form of face-to-face social networking is alive and well: