Morona - Features - Vision - Goals

Immediate and primary Vision:

Center infrastructure:

Cultural center with library and schoolroom

Cooking and eating facilities

Visitor lodging

Staff lodging

Health clinic (obtain medicine and needed supplies)

Extend garden area

Develop nursery

General Reserve:

Obtain river boat/boats

Build suitable dock for loading and unloading

Develop trail system, observation platforms and aerial walkways

Acquire needed computer and software

Acquire a GPS unit

Acquire survey equipment and construction tools

To the greatest degree possible the structures will be built in the native architecture and out of native materials. We will hire local people to construct staff and maintain the reserve and with their knowledge of the forest they will be invaluable as guides for visitors, scientific groups, or students conducting research. Through use of the reserve property, the Center's facilities and neighboring indigenous lands for research, education and eco-tourism and through the production of marketable products, such as herbal teas and elixirs, a low-level, sustainable, income source could begin to develop. Done properly the people could regain their health, live in traditional lifestyles and communities and bestow a great gift to humanity. In these days of technological intolerance these People's deep rooted natural intelligence and understanding of the connectedness of all things are perhaps keys to our future.

Near-term Vision:

The near term vision of the Morona Eco-Reserve Reserve, beyond protecting the land and developing the cultural education and research center, is the preservation of cultural and spiritual knowledge of the indigenous people, its proper recording, storage and dissemination to humanity. By working with the indigenous people and empowering them to see their knowledge as a source of income for their communities, humanity in general would benefit from the advancement in medical plant knowledge and new cures. The native communities would have a stable, sustainable, source of capital with which they can supplement the needs of their people and protect their forest homes. Interested cultural tourists can benefit by their direct interactions with the forest, the native people deepening their connection and personal understanding of the natural world. By establishing the Morona Reserve we can continue to build upon the successes and positive relationships that have been cultured and begin the process of developing proper ways to protect and preserve the ancestral knowledge of the Amazon for the benefit of all.

Long-term philosophy:

The gap between the industrial society and the natural world has reached a level of separation that is threatening life on Earth. I believe indigenous cultures have information and understanding vital to our times and world condition. The South American prophesy of the Eagle and the Condor speaks of a time when the people of natural world and the modern world will fly in the sky together and create a new world. In March and again in September of 2007 indigenous elders and their supporters gathered at Lake Titicaca, Peru and Otavalo, Ecuador, respectively, to celebrate the awakening of the Eagle and Condor and the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophesy. The Morona Reserve project will be a bridge between modern and ancestral cultures and participate in what has been called the Great Turning by many people in the industrial world. From these partnerships and associations information and experience can flow into the endless potential of creation. There is no president that gives us insight to what we can accomplish as human beings with the marriage of earth honoring wisdom and modern technical creativity.

Condor People will explore, play and work with the transition from our destructive world-view to a new life sustaining world-view. It will also be the home of the information and experiences I gather during my visits to the rainforest. Life in the Amazon rainforest and other remote places is hard and the people there can benefit from correct and proper involvement with the modern world. The modern world seems to have lost its soul connection to the natural world and is suffering the consequences. Both world-views are in danger of collapsing. Collectively we have the knowledge, creativity and love needed to end the human crises on Mother Earth. We humans, as a species, can take responsibility for our actions and become the stewards of Earth. We can learn to act on behalf of future generations of all species. Based in the belief that humans are inherently good, not flawed and that we have simply gotten off-track, Condor People will provide an opportunity for discussion and participation in making a difference. Traditional indigenous knowledge plays a critical role in this process. Our long term philosophy can be summed up as, helping to create an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this planet.