INDIGENOUS GALLERY
Save America's Forests and Indigenous Peoples
Save America's Forests assists indigenous leaders from around the world protect their native forests and their human rights. We help their work in their home territories and when they travel to the U.S. We have assisted dozens of leaders when they visit Washington D.C. We help them visit the U.S. Congress to educate the Senators and Representatives about deforestation and other environmental crises in their homes. We also arrange and accompany them to meetings with other agencies and groups in D.C.
Our Washington, D.C. office is near the U.S. Congress and is a convenient place for these indigenous leaders to work and meet.
We also assist these leaders when they attend the annual conference in the United Nations in New York City, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Below are some pictures illustrating our work with indigenous peoples abroad and in the U.S.
CLICK ON THE YEAR: 2011 2010 2009 2008
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2011
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March 2011- Famous Huaorani Leader Moi Enomenga and family meet Save America's Forests Director Carl Ross in hotel in Quito, Ecuador, to begin visit to Moi's village of Queriono. Carl brought a child's coloring book and crayons for Moi's daughter Nenye and Moi's wife Tamaya is teaching words to her daughter. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Moi, Tamaya, Nenye, Save Americas Forests' assistant Becky, and Carl Ross (taking photo) start on new adventure in Yasuni Rainforest in Ecuador's Amazon along the Shiripuno River in traditional Huaorani dugout wooden canoe. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Arriving at Moi's home, Moi starts on fire on the open stove in the kitchen. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Moi's kitchen, fire blazing. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Local Food in Moi's kitchen, corn and potatoes. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Moi drying wood sticks over fire making poison arrows for the Huaorani blowgun, the Cerbetana. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Moi and daughter Nenye cooking breakfast. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Huaorani hunter in Yasuni rainforest holding giant 8 foot long blowgun. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Huaorani hunter using leaf to make bird call. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Huaorani leader Felipe in dugout canoe on Shiripuno River holding an 8 foot long cerbetana (blowgun) destined for Save America's Forests' office in Washington D.C. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Traditional Huaorani house made of trees, branches and leaves in Huaorani village along the Shiripuno river in Yasuni. (photo Copyright Save America's Forests Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Famous Huaorani Leader Moi Enomenga with Huaorani children in traditional Huaorani house (photo copyright Save America's Forests Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Traditional Huaorani house. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- Traditional Huaorani house inside. (photo Copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- Inside traditional Huaorani house, ground up vine which contain poison put on the tips of arrows used in cerbetana (blowgun). (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Huaorani Felipe with Carl Ross holding Huaorani spears (photo Copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- Huaorani Leader Moi Enomenga with his famous mother and one of her many grandsons. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Mother of Moi Enomenga with Carl Ross in her Huaorani village along the Shiripuno River. (photo Copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- Huaorani admiring giant beetle who hitched a ride on a canoe trip. Save America's Forests has scientifically documented that Yasuni is the most biologically diverse known place on earth, with more species of insects, mammals, trees birds, monkeys, etc, than anywhere else. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Beautiful red flower abundant in Yasuni (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Huaorani love pet animals and keep a wide variety in their home. Here Moi holds a pet parrot. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- Moi feeds another pet in his house, this one monkey. (photo Carl Ross Copyright Save America's Forests))
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March 2011- A different pet bird at another Huaorani household. (photo Copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- A different species of monkey is a pet at another Huaorani home. (photo Copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- Mushroom on forest floor in Yasuni. Who knows what medicines are hidden in the extraordinary biodiversity of Yasuni? The Huaorani and other indigneous peoples have great knowledge of the secrets in their forests. We must be careful not to destroy the indigenous peoples cultures or harm the forests they live in. (photo Carl Ross)
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March 2011- Moi holding a bumper crop of food called chonta from wild trees. There is enough food in the forest to feed all the amazing biodiverse animals and humans who live there sustainably, like the Huaorani and many other indigenous peoples have for thousands of years. The cooked chonta is delicious! (photo Carl Ross)
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March 2011- Moi Enomenga examining the many items which Carl brought from the U.S. on this trip to donate from Save America's Forests to the new Huaorani school in Moi's village. These include Spanish-English dictionaries and CDs so the Huaorani can learn English, one of the Huaorani's most requested education goals, science and childrens books in Spanish, and scientific equipment including microscopes, telescopes, binoculars, handscopes and other equipment so the Huaorani can add western scientific knowledge of their forest to their already vast indigenous knowledge of Yasuni forest (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- New Huaorani school in village of Queri'ono - students in classroom (photo Carl Ross)
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March 2011- Becky Hollender, assisting Save America's Forests, giving lesson in new Huaorani school. (photo Carl Ross)
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March 2011- Carl speaking to class of Huaorani students. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- Huaorani student reading book about the uncontacted indigenous peoples, the Taromenane, who are neighbors of the Huaorani in Yasuni forest in Ecuador. Save America's Forests has worked closely with the Huaorani leaders and the government of Ecuador for over six years to protect the uncontacted indigenous peoples of Ecuador. Note the shape of the tips of the spears on the cover of the book- they are shaped differently from Huaorani spears. (photo Carl Ross)
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March 2011- Huaorani in the Huaorani schoolroom examing the new telescope donated by Save America's Forests, and marveling at the magnification and high quality. The telescope is both terrestrial and celestial, and will be used to aid in studying the biodiversity in Yasuni and solar system and outer space. The Huaorani are eager to learn western knowledge but are also intent on retaining their traditional knowledge and ways, and Save America's Forests is assisting them in accomplishing both of these goals. (photo Copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- Some of the students and volunteer teachers posing in front of the new Huaorani school. School was off this week, but these students are so eager to learn, they came to class that week for lessons every day for informal lessons. Normally there are about 30 students. Queri'ono community leader Moi Enomenga and his wife Tamaya in centor. Notice that the Huaorani are of different ages, including some adults. The school is starting something like a "little red school house" for the whole community. (photo Carl Ross)
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March 2011- Oil facility in the middle of Yasuni Amazon forest, near the Shiripuno River where Moi and other Huaorani communities live. Oil wells, pipelines and facilities like this cover much of the territory, causing ongoing pollution and other environmental and social problems for the Huaorani. Save America's Forests has worked with the Hauorani for six years to stop new oil projects on their lands. (photo Copyright Svae Ameica's Forests)
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March 2011- Our visit to Moi and Yasuni coincided with a perodic torrential rain causing the Shiripuno River to overflow. Here the Shiripuno River has risen to the level of the Shiripuno Bridge, causing a logjam until the river subsides again. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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March 2011- The road on the southern side of the Shiripuno bridge is underwater, and so are the many oil pipelines. Frequent oil spills and constant oil leaks are poisoning the once pristine environment of Yasuni, threatening not only the biodiversity but the health of the Huaorani and other indigneous peoples who live there. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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June 2011- Famous Huaorani Leader Moi Enomenga visits the U.S. Congress in Washington D.C., along with Carl Ross, director of Save America's Forests, who arranged this visit with congressional leader and champion of indigenous people Representative Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa in his Congressional office on Capitol Hill. Also in photo is Faleomavaega's hardworking aide Lisa. Moi flew to the U.S. this summer because the National Geographic Society awarded Moi the "National Geographic Leadership in Conservation" Award for 2011 and had a big award ceremony for him. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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October 2011- Carl arranged a meeting between West Papua New Guinea leader Jerry Imbiri and Representative Eni Faleomavaega and his aide Lisa to discuss the problems in West Papua. West Papuas forests are being illegally clearcut and shipped around the world by China through countries such as Thailand to mask that West Papua is the country of origin. (photo Carl Ross)
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October 2011- Save America's Forests director Carl Ross arranged a meeting between indigenous leaders from around the world and Representative Raul Grijalva, center rear with beard. Indigenous leaders in this photo are from South America's Andes and Amazon, Central America in Panama, North America in Alaska's Arctic Circle, Gamo Highlands in Ethiopia, Africa, Siberia, Russia, Manipur India, and Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, in Asia, West Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean. Representative Grijalva pledged to work hard in Congress on behalf of their issues. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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October 2011- Yoab Syatfle, representative of the indigenous people of West Papua, in meeting with U.S. Representative Eni Faleomavaega, along with Carl Ross, to discuss the latest events regarding West Papua and the United States. (photo Carl Ross copyright Save America's Forests)
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October 2011- Foreign affairs assistant to U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva meets with West Papua indigenous representative Yoab Syatfle and Carl Ross to discuss West Papua issues. . (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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October 2011- Yoab Syatfle working in Save America's Forests D.C. office on Capitol Hill. Yoab stayed as Save America's Forests guest for three weeks in the Fall of 2011 discussing with Director Carl Ross how best to protect West Papua's forests and indigenous people before he returned to West Papua. (photo Carl Ross copyright Save America's Forests)
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September 2010- Leaders from West Papua New Guinea in first U.S. Congress hearing in history held on West Papua in September 2010. The hearing was held in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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September 2010- U.S. Representative Eni Faleomavaega, center, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, convened the first Congressional hearing on West Papua in history. He is flanked by Forkorus Yoisembut on the left and Edison Waromi on the right. Forkorus was elected leader by a gathering of West Papuans in October 2011. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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September 2010- Carl Ross, director of Save America's Forests, invited Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee to attend the hearing on West Papua, which she did, seen here at the hearing. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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September 2010- Carl Ross, director of Save America's Forests, at left, arranged for a meeting with Representative Jackson Lee with the leaders from West Papua in her office, shortly after the congressional West Papua hearing. At this meeting, she was introduced to each of the leaders and got a more in depth briefing on the West Papua issue. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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September 2010- Leaders from West Papua New Guinea in posing for picture in congressional hallway right outside first U.S. Congress hearing in history held on West Papua, Carl Ross center, Brian Keane, Director of Land Is Life on left. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2010- Carl Ross, director of Save America's Forests, posing in New York City near United Nations with three indigenous leaders, Moi Enomenga, Huaorani from Ecuador, Ceasar Montez, Navajo from Arizona, and Yoab Syatfle, from West Papua New Guinea. All were attending the annual meeting for indigenous leaders, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous held in New York City at the United Nations. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2010- Following the United Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held in New York City every year, many indigenous leaders visit Save America's Forests office in Washington, D.C. and then have meetings in the U.S. Congress. Here are two famous Huaorani leaders from Ecuador's Yasuni Amazon Rainforest in Save America's Forests office in April, 2010 - Manuela Ima, President of the Huaoran Women's Association (AMWAE) and Moi Enomenga, President of the Huaorani Five Communities Association of Queri'ono. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2009- Following the United Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held in New York City in 2009, Save America's Forests arranged a meeting of the staff of the House Foreign Relations Committee with a group of visiting Indigenous leaders. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2009- Save America's Forests arranged a meeting for indigenous leaders with the aide to Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) who had long befriended Indigenous people (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2009- Save America's Forests arranged a meeting with the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's environmental aide, seen here next to Moi Enomenga and who is wearing a Huaorani crown. The aide was very moved by the stories told by these indigenous leaders and promised to support their issues. The includes Indigenous leaders from Panama, Bolivia, Kenya, Ecuador, the Mohawk Nation in New York State, the Apache nation, Brazil, West Papua New Guinea, and Manipur. After the meeting, the aide led the group to a special place not available to the public, the famous "Speakers Balcony", where this photo was taken, and which is on the west side of the U.S. Capitol and overlooks the National Mall, the Smithsonian Museums, and the Washington Monument. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2009- Indigenous Issues having a strategic meeting in Save America's Forests Washington, D.C. office, which is conveniently only 2 blocks from the United States Congress. . (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2009- indigenous leader Moi Enomenga the Huaorani in Ecuador's Amazon with his wife and baby in Save America's Forests' Capitol Hill office. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2009- Moi Enomenga's wife Tamaya with daughter Nenya Daniella in Save America's Forests D.C. office (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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2008
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May 2008 - Save America's Froests has arranged for numerous Indigenous leaders to receive free emergency medical care when they were in the United States. Here is a photo of two Indigenous leaders, Enqueri, Huaorani President with his son, and Chrisitana Louwa, El Molo from Kenya, both of whom received free dental care in New York City while they were attending the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigneous Issues for their painful cavities. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2008 - Indigenous leaders pose in front of the United Nations during the annual United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, with Save America's Forests staff scientist Matt Finer and Jose Proano from Ecuador. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2008 - Save America's Forests Director Carl Ross attending the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues plenary session. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2008 - Enqueri, President of the Huaorani of from Ecuador's Amazon attending the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2008 - Manuela Ima, President of the Huaoran Women's Association (AMWAE), in hotel near the United nations. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2008 - During a break in the two week long United Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held in New York City, Director Carl Ross of Save America's Forests showed three Huaorani, Enqueri Jr., Nanto, and Enqueri Senior, the world-famous New York City Library on 42nd Street (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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2008 - West Papuan leader Yoab Syatfle visiting with Representative Eni Faleomavaega along with Carl Ross. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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2008 - West Papuan leader Yoab Syatfle and Carl Ross in an informal meeting with staff of the U.S. Department of State. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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2008- A group of U.S. citizens volunteering to help the cause of West Papua use Save America's Forests office as a convenient work and meeting place. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2008 - Director Carl Ross arranged a meeting for Huaorani President Enqueri with staff of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights to discuss the ongoing legal case about the uncontacted peoples in Yasuni in Ecuador's Amazon at the Organization of American States building located near the White House. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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November 2008 - In front of Save America's Forests D.C. office, Director Carl Ross and two interns (Shira Wrightman, left, and Becca Kranz, center) are with Indigenous leader Saul (second from left) of the Indigenous Peruvian group AIDESEP and the AIDESEP lawyer (second from right). The two Peruvians were in D.C. for the legal proceedings at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of the uncontacted peoples in Peru near the border of Ecuador, who could be severely harmed by oil drilling in the Amazon forest areas where these uncontacted peoples live. Save America's Forests contributed major financial support to AIDESEP for their work to protect the uncontacted peoples, as well as assisted these Peruvians when they were in D.C. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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November 2008- The legal proceedings on the Peruvian uncontacted peoples at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in the OAS building in Washington, DC. At the near side of the table are the plaintiffs, including Indigenous leader Saul and lawyer for the Indigenous Peru group AIDESEP, bringing suit on behalf of the uncontacted peoples of the Napo-Tigre region of Peru against oil drilling supported by the Peru government . On the opposite side of the table, a team of Peruvian government officials and lawyers claming that there are no uncontacted peoples in that area and Peru therefore can dirll for oil. (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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November 2008 - A slide from the PowerPoint presentation by the team on behalf of the uncontacted peoples in the Peruvian Amazon at the Inter-American Comission on Human Rights hearing asking for a protected reserve area for the uncontacted peoples where no oil drilling would be permitted. Lotes 39 y 67 are the two areas (lots or blocks) leased by the Peru government to oil companies to drill for oil. These areas are on the border of Ecuador, and are where uncontacted peoples live. See Save America's Forests websites www.Yasuni.ws and www.WesternAmazon.org for more information (photo Carl Ross, copyright Save America's Forests)
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November 2008- Carl Ross with Save America's Forests interns Shira Wrightman (left) and Becca Kranz. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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May 2008 - The White House is a popular destination with Indigenous leaders who visit Washington, D.C. Here Carl Ross poses with Huaorani President Enqueri. (photo copyright Save America's Forests)
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