World Renowned Biologist Donald Perry visits Historic Banning Mills

Google Dr. Donald Perry the evolutionary biologist and you will find more articles that you can possibly read in one sitting.   Dr. Perry has accolades that stretch back decades!  Dr. Perry’s research has centered around examining human evolution from an arboreal perspective.  For more than 3 decades, Dr. Perry has worked to develop new methods for exploring biological communities found in the treetops of tropical trees.  Perry said that while he was taking a tropical biology class at Northridge, he noticed that very little had been written or researched on rainforest canopies. The methods used then for researching rain forest canopies were pretty invasive, using ladders that were made by hammering into trees.


In 1974, Perry developed a revolutionary method for researching forest canopies. Using a combination of a crossbow and zip-line, Perry was able to reach heights that no other researcher had been able to reach.   This witty method gave birth to what is now known as “EcoTram”.   Dr. Perry designed and developed the innovate vehicle that allows for access to the treetops that have been unreachable for years.  Initially, the EcoTram was designed to assist scientist in accessing the forest canopies but now used for tourism to enjoy the rainforest canopy.   Dr. Perry’s number one mission while developing the EcoTram was to bring people to nature with minimal impact on the environment.

In May 2016, Dr. Donald Perry visited Historic Banning Mills and met with Mike & Donna Holder, owners to view our canopy tour development & design at the facility.  Historic Banning Mills wants to take a moment to thank Dr. Perry for taking time to visit our facility, share thoughts and ideas, viewing our grounds and of course, signing Donna’s book!

Check out Historic Banning Mills for yourself!

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