Central Suriname Nature Reserve Visitor Center Project
November 2005
Work has begun on a conservation project in Suriname,
South America, by volunteer timber framers who are helping to construct a visitor center for the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, a nearly
4 million acre rainforest park. (That’s the size of New
Jersey!) The building is a three-story open-air pavilion.
The clients are Conservation International and the government
of Suriname.
The structure is being built in
three phases, culminating in a rainforest hand-raising.
For more information, visit this Website: www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/regions/neotropics/guianas.xml
In June and August, the work was done in Paramaribo, the
capital of Suriname. The work has moved to
Raleighvallen, 100 miles upriver in a wooden dugout
to an island in the
Coppename River, one
of the largest undisturbed
tropical river systems
on Earth. The volunteers are
working primarily with
dimensionally sawn and
hewn pieces, using snap
line square rule (SNSR)
layout. The work is both challenging
and exciting.
New wood, new techniques,
and new cultures combine to create a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
There is a leadership team consisting of Gordon Macdonald, Steve Lawrence, Rick Collins, John Miller and
Adrienne Walker, plus an intrepid group of volunteers:
Oscar Emanuel, UK
Derwyn Hanney, Oregon
Steve Morrison, Maine
Jack Witherington, Pennsylvania
Gene Wixson, Wyoming
James Chitty, British Columbia, Canada
Andrew Preston, British Columbia, Canada
Neville Bodsworth, Ontario, Canada
SueEllen Lawton, Virginia
Lisa Helmer, British Columbia, Canada
Jim DeSantis, Oregon
Daily reports with photos and descriptions are being provided by SueEllen Lawton. Click here to view the slide show. Note: you will need the Shockwave plugin in order to view them.
Want more details? Here are more photos and commentary from Jack Witherington's blog. Click here..
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