Rainforest Blues

[James Hanlon]

So I get a call yesterday evening from a client seeking my real estate 
consulting services and instantly my eyes light up!, and  I quickly respond 
with a bold, strong and certain " Yes!, I will do the job!",  even for a rate 
which is almost half of my already reduced rate. Work at last, for my free 
lance consulting practice has been almost nil since my last Amazonian 
expedition in November, 1996.

Well, I hang up the phone knowing that I report first thing in the morning to 
the client's house/office/estate in Bel Air for an unknown job duration. But 
overall, I am excited because any assignment, if long enough, can mean enough 
funds to launch myself back down into the Amazon basin in search for Agrias 
and other unearthly creatures in the wilds. A life style which may seem and 
probably is a bit irresponsible at times, but I experimented with the 
grey-suit responsible CPA position route for 17 years, and I have now decided 
that there is definitely more to life than just work and money.  A life which 
sometimes reminds me of sidhartha or Budda Gotama when he got caught up in the 
fast lane and riches of life, soon to be saved by his rediscovery of the 
spiritual life, his quest for the meaning of life, the story of the sounds of 
the river and the ferryman, etc.  So now I have at least preserved my health 
and fitness and my desire to travel in the rainforest is sort of like a 
Sidhartha walk across the country in search for what sometimes seems like 
heaven on earth. (You leps readers out there are probably wondering why are 
you reading about Budda Gotama on an insect list? Sorry, I don't know the 
answer to that.).   

 So immediately after the call, I clean off my desk and get out my journals, 
notes and database of information pertaining to Agrias flight periods and 
locations. I glance at my Yagua Indian made blow-gun, sheathed machete, 
compass and Indiana Jones hat which hangs so disturbingly idle on the corner 
of my bookcase, and then I pull out and start to read over the classical 
literature written by early 19th century collectors and adventurers such as 
Dr. Hahnel, Michaels and Henry Walter Bates. I ponder over recitals of Agrias 
sitings including Bate's comments on finding Agrias alone, sitting on 
defilements (probably a heap of monkey dung) on the roads, and easier to catch 
(in comparrison to feading on sap oozing from trees). But only three or four 
times during his eleven year journey did this happen. Or Michael's writes 
about the time he spotted an Agrias perched some 20 feet high out of the reach 
of his net. So he quickly cut down a long slender tree, tied his net and pole 
to the tree and successfully captured the animal. This is definitely proof 
that Agrias like to perch for great lengths of time. 

After reading these wonderful tales written by distinguished entomologist of 
the 19th century, and then traveling to these places today, one can regain a 
sense of the moments that were felt by these explorers some 150 years ago. 
Sure the cities have changed, but once deep into the primeval forest, the 
sounds and sites are the same. There are so many bizarre sounds coming from 
insects and other animals in the forest that one doesn't know where to begin. 
A couple of peculiar sounds heard on my last trip to the Tapajos forest 
included something that sounded like a large table saw that had been fired up 
and then stopped with a slice of wood. Maybe the animal is mimicking the local 
saw mill activity. Or there is a bug which sounds like a digital watch alarm 
and of course the roar of the howler monkeys is always an interesting one. 
There must have been hundreds of howler monkeys deep in the Tapajos forest for 
I could hear their loud roars at odd hours of the night and sometimes when 
deep in the forest all by myself. The howlers are both earie and awesome to 
hear. 

So I worked today but only to find out that the job assignment was only for 
one day. Bummer! Well in the meantime, I have a proposal letter out to the 
National Geographic Magazine to do a cover story on butterflies of the Amazon 
Basin along with alternative and natural economic solutions to help in 
sustaining the rainforest. I am learning that harvesting nuts, fruits, oils 
and pharmaceuticals from an acre of rainforest land can yield the owner $2,400 
per acre in perpetuity which is a far more profitable use than foresting 
timber or cattle grazing  which yields $400 and $60 per acre, respectively, 
and not on an ongoing basis. There are hundreds of medicines, vaccines and 
cures for serious illnesses facing the human race today that have been 
discovered and there are more that  can be discovered through rainforest 
research. The knowledge of medicinal properties of rainforest plants have been 
and are continuing to be unlocked today with the help of local shaman, 
medicine men/women and healers. We can not afford to lose these people and 
their culture, and the rainforest's medicinal attributes may not only lead to 
the saving of millions of lives but the continually revealed medicines may 
also save the rainforest itself. 

I also have a proposal out to Green Tracks, a neo-tropical expedition and tour 
company which specializes in a variety of interesting group eco-tour vacations 
involving subject matter including insects, nature photography, birding, etc. 
I am proposing to be a Green Track's group leader for natural history and 
butterfly tours into a variety of interesting and safe Amazonian and Costa 
Rican rain forest regions. To get a glimpse of these exciting and dynamic 
vacation opportunities, Green Tracks and their variety of vacation options can 
be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.gorp.com./greentracks     Hopefully 
my name will be posted on that web site shortly.

Well one way or the other, I will make it back to the lofty green tangle in 
the near future, and just remember, there is always hope where there is faith, 
and especially for a guy like me who now values a heap of monkey do-do more 
than a heap of gold. 

Rain Forest Energy,

Jim Hanlon
Los Angeles, California