An Eagle’s Guide to the Rainforest | Adventure Talks Webinar

Fellow World Explorer, Gabriel Burgos (left), and Evan Dann (right) holding up the NESA World Explorers flag while out for a hike through the forest searching for the best spot to set up wildlife cameras.

In the summer of 2018, I was one of several Eagle scouts chosen to participate in the NESA World Explorers program. I travelled to the Amazon to participate in a two-week research experience at Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS), a part of the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador. On Tuesday, July 14, 2020 I’ll share a presentation in the Adventure Talks Webinar Series about my experiences while on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure to one of the most remote places on earth.

I’m sitting in the front of a canoe as Gabriel and I are birdwatching on a small lake in the forest.

I will cover some information about the research that is performed at TBS, what we did to help document and map Jaguar populations in that part of the forest, and what it was like to live at TBS. I’ll highlight some of the most amazing plants and animals we encountered while hiking; and I’ll tell you my wildest stories about the forest – including being chased by a pack of peccaries! At the end of this presentation, I’ll be able to answer your questions about the NESA World Explorer program and how to apply!

A downed tree on which a trail crosses a ravine. When it rains the water level in the ravines can rise upwards of 10 feet!

My Bio : I am currently studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Nanotechnology at Boston University. I earned my Eagle Scout award in 2015 and five Eagle palms. I’ve been a volunteer Merit Badge counselor at BSA Camp Airy for 7 years teaching the Ice Skating and Pioneering merit badges. In addition to participating in the NESA World Explorer Amazon Research Experience, I’ve completed a Philmont backpacking trek in 2015; I’ve sailed Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island with Sea Scout Ship 59 in 2016; and competed in the Sea Scout Koch Cup in 2018 in Galveston, TX.

A saddleback tamarin spotted climbing on the trees just outside of the station’s laboratory.

I also volunteered as a scout at President Obama’s Inauguration in 2012 and President Trump’s Inaugural parade in 2017. Personally, some other adventures I’ve undertaken include hiking the Appalachian Trail through all of Maryland, parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, living in France for 6 months, and skiing through the Alps, Colorado Rockies, and parts of New England.

Photo 5 : I’m standing in the station’s lab and library that me and Gabriel used in the evening to learn more about the animals we encountered during the day.

Tune into Evan’s presentation and join him for a conversation on July 14, 2020 at 7PM in the Adventure Talks Webinar. Register here: https://scoutingevent.com/082-adventureTalks