Brian Rosborough and Dr. Meg Lowman to receive Lowell Thomas Awards at New York black tie event

Earthwatch Institute, Maynard, MA, October 3, 2006 -  Pioneering rainforest canopy explorers will be honored at The Explorers Club's 2006 Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner, which is being held on October 18, 2006 in New York City. Two of the five awardees, Dr. Meg Lowman and Brian Rosborough, exemplify the important role Earthwatch has played in the growth of canopy research.

The Lowell Thomas Award is given each year by Rolex, U.S.A., Inc and the President of The Explorers Club to groups of outstanding explorers who have distinguished themselves in a particular field.  This year the Rolex-sponsored event is titled "Discoveries in the Treetops."

"These five honorees are exploring one of the great frontiers of exploration in the 21st century-the rainforest canopy," said Explorers Club President Daniel A. Bennett. "They have journeyed around the world to study the rich biodiversity that can be found in the treetops. Their research is on the cutting edge of modern day field science."

Dr. Meg Lowman, professor of environmental studies at New College of Florida, has devoted more than 25 years to the study of rainforest canopy ecology. Known for her innovative treetop access techniques, "Canopy Meg" uses ropes, walkways, and balloons for scientific discovery. As an Earthwatch principal investigator in the 1980s, she explored insect herbivory in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia.

"Earthwatch projects and outreach had a positive impact on conservation and raising the visibility of rainforests as a precious treasure," said Lowman. "I am grateful to Earthwatch volunteers who increased the eyes, ears, and brains that were present in the rainforest canopy to assist in surveying this biodiversity hot spot with me."

Lowman's career has taken her to the treetops in Australia, Peru, Africa, China, the South Pacific, and the Americas. She is the author of several books on the subject, including the most recent "It's a Jungle Up There ," about raising a family while being a leading canopy scientist. (Read related press release )

Brian Rosborough  is the visionary founding chairman of Earthwatch Institute. His 25-year tenure at Earthwatch made scientific exploration a public endeavor, empowering both youth and adults to take part in discoveries around the world. Several of the projects that Earthwatch supported under Rosborough's guidance involved rainforest canopy work, from Costa Rica to Borneo. For instance, Earthwatch teams working in the canopy of Peru's Amazon Basin collected thousands of samples of katydids, including 400 species previously unknown to science, increasing the number of known neotropical katydid species by 25 percent.

Lowman and Rosborough share the evening with other leaders in rainforest canopy exploration, Soubadra Devy, Francis Hallé, and Mark Moffett. Devy is developing a new paradigm for restoration ecology in the unexplored canopy of India's Kalakad Mudanthurai Tiger Reserve. Hallé undertakes pioneering treetop expeditions as the inventor and captain of the Great Balloon, a blimp-borne inflatable raft that rests on the tops of the canopy. Moffett is a modern day explorer who has climbed trees all over the world, spanning six continents, discovering the tiniest ants and documenting the tallest tree crowns, as both a Harvard-trained ecologist and an award-winning journalist and photographer.

The Lowell Thomas Awards were presented for the first time in 1980 on the occasion of the Club's 75th anniversary. They are named for Lowell Thomas (1892-1991), the legendary journalist, broadcaster, and explorer who made Lawrence of Arabia famous.  Thomas was a 50-year member of The Explorers Club. The black-tie dinner at Cipriani's Wall Street will feature a number of uniquely Explorers Club surprises, one of which is designed to give new meaning to the term "social climbing."

Earthwatch Institute is a global volunteer organization that supports scientific field research by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. The year 2006 marks Earthwatch's 35th anniversary.

Current rainforest projects:
Amazon Riverboat Exploration
Forest Caterpillars: Costa Rica
Climate Change in the Rainforest: Australia
Life in the Rainforest Canopy: Australia
Rainforests of Northern Australia
Puerto Rico's Rainforest
Malaysian Bat Conservation
Madagascar's Lemurs
Macaws of the Peruvian Amazon
Lemurs and Forests of Madagascar

Earthwatch rainforest canopy research results:
http://www.earthwatch.org/results/tropforest/canopy.html

Press contacts:
Public Relations Director   
prdirector@earthwatch.org
Earthwatch Institute
(800) 776-0188 

A Press Conference featuring the awardees will be held around noon October 18 at the Explorers Club headquarters in New York. An informal lunch will be served and reporters will have an opportunity to meet and set up interviews with the awardees. To attend, or to arrange a pre-interview with Rosborough, Lowman or an Earthwatch volunteer who's been on 35 projects, contact dwillis@earthwatch.org