Questions from Christiansburg Middle School in Virginia

March 28, 1997

Hi, our names are Ryan and Jason. We are sixth graders at Christiansburg Middle School. We are interested in your project because we want to save the rainforest and learn more about it. Our class has talked a lot about your project and we looked at it on the internet. We put together questions for you and here are some of them:

Park Ranger: what are your thoughts on the distruction of the rainforest? Where are all the animals going to live?

Local Villager: What is it like knowing that your land is going to be distroyed? What do you think will happen? What are your opinions on this?

Farmer: What are you planing to do now and in the future? Whos side are you on? If you are on the other farmers side what exactly are you going to do; and if not what do you want to happen.

Teachers: Why did you dicide to go on this trip instead of another? How did you come up with this idea? (it's a good idea)

Pocher: Why do you want to kill endangered animals when there are more well paying jobs in the world?

Scientst: Have you found about the decline of animal populations?

Students: Are you excited about this project and trip or just the recognition you'll get from this? Do you want to save the rain forest or distroy it? Please answer our questions. Thanks and have a good trip!

Hi! Our names are Scott Call and Lindsay Pomrenke. We are 6th graders from Christiansburg Middle School. Here are our opinions about the Sumatran matter.

When your group purchased and released the slow loris we think that was a good thing to do. This prevented mean people from buying the loris and possibly exploiting or exterminating it. It would also be a good idea to talk about endangered animals and the problems of poaching to Sumatran youth so when they grow up they might change the ways. Also, it would be good to talk to the government for them to make stricter laws to protect animals. Also, the poor people who poach should be given alternative job choices like tour guides and other ecotourism jobs.

Here are some questions we have for the travelling students:

1. Why are you climbing an active volcano? Isn't this unsafe? Does your insurance cover it?
2. Might you be threatening the bats when you go into the cave? How are you preventing harm to them?
3. We have some great white water rafting nearby in West VA. Do you know how your white water rafting will compare to this? Is there a scale to measure how difficult it is?
4. What archaeological sites will you visit? What are the archaeologists looking for there?
5. Can you please tell us all you can about the Batak culture. Thanks.
6. In the rehabilitation center, where are you getting the animals from that need to be rehabilitated? What happened to them?
7. Can you tell us what animals you see when camping in the rainforest? Will you interact with them?

Bon Voyage! Have a great trip!

Hi, We are Ariel Matzuk and Mary Disa Raulfs. We are 6th graders at C.M.S. and would like to answer one of your questions because would like the orangutan population to stay alive. We would like you to ask the following people some questions. Local villager: What is your opinion on the orangutans? (Should they be saved?)

Park Ranger: Do you see any improvement in the rehibilitation of the orangatans?

Hotel clerk: Do you think the orangutans are important in the Sumatran Rainforest? Do you think ecotourism will help your income? Government official: Do you want to balance the orangutan's population at a certain number? Do you plan to control the people population to help the Sumatran Rainforest animal population? Do you believe that it is right for rulers from other countries to tell you what to do with the orangutans?

Indonesian students and teachers: What is your opinion on the poaching of orangutans in your community?

Poachers: Why do you kill the orangutans? Do they kill your livestock and eat your crops, do you eat them or do you use them for coats? Tour guide: Would you rather have the orangutans there to display during your tours or not?

Local tourists: Do you like seeing the orangutans in the wild?

Foreign tourists: Do you like seeing different and exotic animals like the orangutan in the wild when you visit the Sumatran Rainforest?

Local scientist working on the project at the reserve: What do you think the chances of the orangutan surviving in the wild are?

Farmer: Do the orangutans eat your crops?

Thanks for your time, and have a great trip to the rainforest!
RABECK@PEN.K12.VA.US