Ceiba’s primary conservation programs are centered in and around the Lalo Loor Dry Forest reserve, on the coast of Ecuador, where the TCS program just spent an enjoyable, educational, and hard-working week. Students learned about what distinguishes a dry tropical forest from the more familiar rainforest, practiced vegetation sampling techniques (while occasionally sliding down steep hills!) , and helped the reserve’s Science Coordinator, Luis Fernandez, by planting trees in the reserve’s new agro-forestry demonstration plot. All the while we were accompanied by the ever-present Mantled Howler Monkeys that wandered frequently through camp (perhaps they wanted to attend lecture?). Wildlife sightings also included a few nocturnal snakes, some lovely tarantulas, a tayra (large, semi-arboreal predator on birds and lizards), and even a rare speckled caecilian (legless and largely subterranean amphibian). The visit wrapped up with a visit to a nearby finca, a farm planted with a diverse mix of food plants: plantains, bananas, mangoes, avocados, chocolate, coffee, yuca, and more. We survived a downpour, the crossing of a fast-swelling river, and even helped rescue a mired pickup truck by pushing it up a muddy hill. All in a days work, and learning, for a Ceiba field course!