Andover Townsman, Andover, MA

Townspeople

Related Photos

  • Joe Zahka in the cloud forest near the equator.

    10095953ET.jpg

  • A view of the area under study in Ecuador.

    10159183ET.jpg

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. To join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address. Once you do, your comments will post automatically. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.

comments powered by Disqus
July 22, 2010

11 days in the clouds: Andoverite does research in 'cloud forest'

Resident, teacher part of volunteer team studying rainforest

By Bethany Bray Staff Writer

Andover resident Joseph Zahka spent 11 days with his head in the clouds last month.

Zahka, a physics and engineering teacher at Bedford High School, journeyed to Ecuador's "cloud forest" to work with a team of researchers for the nonprofit conservation organization Earthwatch.

Located on the steep slopes of the Andes Mountains, clouds form in the treetops of the cloud forest's unique rainforest ecosphere. Located in a high elevation, the forest has less tree growth than a typical rainforest, but great diversity, said Zahka.

"you might not find the same species of tree for half a mile. The trees may look alike but they are different species," he said. "The environment is so suitable that many things can survive, and survive side-by-side because they don't compete with each other. They each use a different part of the environment."

Through the last week in June, Zahka helped scientists measure tree growth, collect climate conditions and other data and trap and identify lizard species. Zahka's Earthwatch team worked in a 1,500-acre preservation area.

"The feeling that the people of Ecuador have for their environment, they talk like Native Americans do, about living in harmony. Their constitution treats the environment as a living thing. They have cities, but most of (Ecuador) is rural and they really have to respect the land to survive," said Zahka. "The word sustainable is used a lot."

With a chemical engineering background, Zahka felt right at home working with scientists and collecting data for experiments. What surprised him, he said, was how interconnected the ecosystem is. Cutting down trees affects the entire system, as tree roots keep the soil's nutrients from washing away in the constant rain fall.

Boston-based Earthwatch sends teams of volunteers all over the globe for research and education projects focused on environmental sustainability. In Ecuador, Zahka worked with an Earthwatch team of people from all over the world, from teenagers to folks in their 60s.

Earthwatch's goal is to have "everyday sorts of people" involved in environmental research, said Zahka.

Zahka's trip with Earthwatch was funded by an anonymous donor. He still does not and doesn't want to know which of his colleagues or friends funded the trip.

Zahka's rainforest experience gave him "plenty of examples to talk about" in his classroom, he said. He'll keep in touch with one of the scientists in Ecuador, and hopes to work out a way to have Bedford students communicate with Ecuadorian students.

He also plans on giving his engineering class a year-long project to design a solar hot water heater for the cloud forest's lodge.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
11 days in the clouds: Andoverite does research in 'cloud forest'
by By Bethany Bray , Staff Writer , Thu Jul 22, 2010, 02:02 PM EDT
Townspeople

Question of the Week
Pictures of the Week
Stocks