North Rupununi students link up with New York schools Stabroek News May 15, 2000 An environmental education programme in US schools resulted in a ground-breaking satellite telephone link between Surama village in the North Rupununi and three secondary schools in the New York Metropolitan area on Wednesday. The students in New York had a unique opportunity to make direct contact with students who reside in a community with the topic of their study - Giant River Otters, a press release from the International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development (Iwokrama) said. The hour-long discussions between the two groups focussed on questions concerning the local ecosystem, the otters and their habitat and the community's interaction and management of them. The students in New York also enquired about the community's concerns regarding the conservation of the species, and the role ecotourism could play. The programme which was spearheaded by the Philadelphia Zoo also includes a software package to facilitate in-class sessions and is aimed at improving environmental education in American schools. There is an ongoing relationship between Guyana and the Philadelphia Zoo which is building on the work of Iwokrama as it works to increase environmental awareness and education both locally and worldwide.