Author: Amber B. Block 2 Just think about this, being on an expedition and following the most beautiful butterfly you have ever seen and then after you get a picture of it you look around for your group and they are GONE!!!!! You are now lost in the Amazon rainforest and have no clue what direction is north, south, east, or west. In this story that is exactly what happens to Maggie. She is on an expedition trying to find a bromeliad and an orchid. Read and find out what her outcome is. Do you think she will make it out of the Amazon rainforest?
*Chapter 1* *Jamie and Danielle* Maggie fallowed her team through the dense foliage and the decomposers on the jungle floor. The team was looking for two flowers that are indigenous to the Amazon Rainforest, the orchid and bromeliad. They are doing this to show people around the world that the rainforests are important to us and that if we cut down to many more trees that the exotic plants and animals that live there will go extinct from deforestation and habitat destruction. Just then a beautiful butterfly crossed Maggie’s path. “Well it couldn’t hurt to get off of the path for just a second to get a picture of you. It would help us show the beauty of the Amazon too.” Maggie claimed in her mind. So she followed the butterfly off of the trail and after five minutes or so she got a picture of it. After that she started walking the way she thought she came, as she did she felt proud to have gotten such a pretty butterfly on camera. But at that time she had no clue that she was lost. She then noticed a jaguar looking at her from the understory. It was very hard to see becauseit had good camouflage. She screamed at the thought of being eaten by the big cat. That is when she realized that she was lost! Just then the jaguar leaped to the ground. “Calm yourself lost one, I would like to help you on your journey
through the Great Amazon Rainforest. That is if you will accept my help.” More calmly now Maggie said in a frightened tone of voice “You’re not going to eat me? You are a carnivore, right?” “Yes, I am a carnivore and no I am not going to eat you. I eat what I please, the food here is plentiful. My name is Jamie.” Claimed the jaguar. “Hi Jamie, my name is Maggie. Could you help me get out of the rain forest safely and help me find two flowers call orchid and bromeliad? They are producers, which means they use photosynthesis to make their food.” Maggie was still concerned about being lost in the rainforest. “Well I can help you find the two flowers but I have never been outside of the Amazons borders, so I don’t know the way out.” Jamie and Maggie started walking to the Amazon River. “Hi there, I’m Danielle the pink river dolphin!” “Who said that!” Shouted Maggie. Just then a dolphin emerged from the water. “It was just me. Calm down silly.” Danielle smiled. “Hi Danielle, my name is Maggie. Do you know the way out of the rain forest because….Well…I’m sort of lost.” Maggie said in despair. “Are you an omnivore, like people?” She also asked. “Yes I eat plant in the river but I mainly eat fish.” “So fish are your prey?” “Yes.” Danielle said patting her stomach with her fins which she usesto propel her through the water. “I know a herbivore that I could introduce you to.” Danielle offered. “That would be great.” Maggie beamed. Son now that Maggie had new friends she wasn’t as scared of being lost in the Amazon.
*Chapter 2* * The Yanomani Tribe* Maggie and Jamie built a boat and Danielle pushed it down the Amazon River. As they went down the river Maggie saw slight movement in the forest beside them. Danielle stopped the boat and said something but Maggie didn’t here her becauseshe was watching a person that looked like an Indian emerge from the forest. “Hello, why are you here in the great Amazon rainforest, you don’t look like you are from around here.” Said the strange man. “Well I got lost. Could you help me? I need to find two flowers and I need to get out of here.” Maggie explained “Sure. My name is Seth. But before I help you we need to teach you more about the Amazon Rainforest.” My name is Maggie. This is Jamie and the dolphin is Danielle. What do you mean by (WE)?” Maggie asked him. “You’ll see. Lets get going.” He said. Maggie and Jamie fallowed Seth to his village where they were warmly welcomed by the rest of the Yanomani Tribe. This is what they taught
her‌..The Amazon is located in South America in the following countries‌Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. The hemispheres are the southern, northern, and western, the longitude and latitude are (latitude) 45-75 degreeswest and (longitude) 0-15 degrees south. They also told her about the people that live in the rainforest. Some people are nomadic, they move from place to place with no permanent home. The people get around in the rainforest in canoes, by foot, and by walking along dirt roads that people have plowed. Sometimes they will get guns and 4-wheelkers by trading people for the products that they get from the rainforest. Some of the products are things like, bananas, pineapples, and other fruits, veggies and plants. The average temperature is 110 degrees. The climate zones are tropical wet and tropical dry. Here is a map that she sketched in her note book. She sketched another one, this one was of the deforested areas of the Amazon. All of the animals are organisms. What amazed her is that the rainforest gets around 9 feet of rain each year!!!!!!! The tribe’s village has circular houses and there are hundreds of villages throughout the rainforest. They eat fish and fruit. They use some of the plants in the rainforest as
medicine. Just then more tribal members came out of the forest holing fish. They got back from a fishing trip, they also hunt. Here is a food web that Maggie drew in her note book.
The tribes religion is based on nature. They believe that nature made everything. Therefore nature is sacred to them. This part of their culture. They also have a rival tribe called Machigunega.
*Chapter 3* *Orchids and Bromeliads* *Machigunega Tribe* “Ok, the flowers that you are looking for grow in the under story. The problem is that we can’t get up there.” Seth told Maggie. “But I can.” exclaimed Jamie. Jamie climbed up into the understory with a basket in her mouth. “Get about five each Jamie.” Maggie called up to her. “Tell me some about the flowers please.” Maggie suggested. “Well the orchid’s predator is the strangler fig, it is used for decoration, they are purple mainly but can be other colors too, and they are fairly small. The bromeliad are very big and can hold 5 gallons of water, they are green and pink, they sometimes produce pineapples for people to eat, and both flowers grow on tree trunks in the under story. Ten minutes later Jamie came down with five of each flower. “Well now we can head back to the village for dinner.” After dinner Maggie went to the tent she was staying in to find that her orchids and bromeliads were…….GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “Seth did you move the flowers?” “No. Why?” “They are not at my tent.” “I should have known this would happen.” Seth was full of grief. “Someone from the Machigunega tribe may have come and taken them. Both of our tribes have NEVERgotten along. We supposedly over took their hunting grounds this may be their
revenge. Tomorrow we will go to their village and see what we can find.” “Hello, anyone here?” “Be quiet they won’t approve that we are here.” Seth whispered. Now whispering Maggie said “Look! Over there by the cabin with no walls!” “Maggie all of the cabins have no walls!!!”Seth laughed. “Oh, well fallow me then.” “Where is everyone?” Maggie asked “The men and boys fish and hunt, the others will often harvest crops or tell stories. That is what their religion is based on. Now let’s get those flowers before anyone gets back.” “Tell me more about this tribe please.”Maggie said out of curiosity. “Well, the only thing left to tell you is that they eat the fruit from the forests and they use certain plants for medicine like we do.” Seth explained. “Ok, now that we have the flowers lets head back. But let’s stop by the river on the way.” Maggie said.
*Chapter 4* *Otis and Mackenzie* *Help at last* “Danielle, hey it’s me Maggie!!! I was wondering if you could introduce me to that herbivore now” Maggie called into the water. “Hi Maggie, Mackenzie the macaw will be here soon, but right now I want you to meet Otis the giant river otter.” Danielle flapped. “Hello nice to finally meet you Maggie, I’m Otis.” Otis said casually. “The pleasure is all mine.” Maggie smiled. “Can I join the party?” A bird giggled. “That would be one of my best friends Mackenzie Macaw.” Danielle Laughed. “Hi Mackenzie, I love the color of your feathers! I’m Maggie.” Maggie said. “Well thank you Maggie.” Mackenzie said flabbergasted. “So Otis, tell me about your species.” Maggie suggested. “Well we eat small fish, grow to be around 6 ft long and we have flaps over our ears to keep water out and we have webbed feet, those are adaptations. Both, the giant river otter and the pink river dolphin have a predator of people, and both live in the Amazon River.” Otis said. “Well before I leave I need to know about the layers.” Maggie said. “The emergent layer is where the birds live and fly out of the forest. The canopy is where most of the animals and plants live. The under story is made up of tree trunks and small trees. Last but not least the forest floor is at the bottom.” Mackenzie informed. “Thank you all for this wonderful experience, now I need to
get out of the rainforest do any of you know the way out?” Maggie asked “I can take you to the airport a few miles out of the rainforest and we could get there fast if I can get some eagles to carry you.” Mackenzie offered “That would be great Mackenzie!” Maggie smiled. “Let’s go boys!” Mackenzie hollered to the eagles carrying Maggie behind her. “Now set her down gently please.” Mackenzie asked them. “Thank you so much Mackenzie!” Maggie gleamed. “No problem. Good bye Maggie!” Mackenzie said.
*The end of Maggie’s speak to save the rain forests*
“Now that you have heard my speak about why we should preserve these special forest, Think about how many animals would die without the rainforests of the world. Not many are left. I have taken the step to help conserve the rainforests and now it’s your turn! How much longer will they last with people cutting down the trees and without our help? SAVETHERAINFORESTS!!We depend on them!!!!!!
*Sources* •
www.unique-southamerican-travel-experience.com
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www.isptr-pard.org
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www.rainforest.mongabay.com
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www.christiananswers.net
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www.kapawi.com
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www.wendeeholtcamp.com
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www.crystalinks.com
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www.news.nationalgeographic.com
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www.rainforest-alliance.org
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www.oceanwideimages.com
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www.srl.caltech.edu
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www.naturegrind.org.uk
• Rainforest Plants By: Sharon Fabian (paper we read in science)