<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style=""><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">For Immediate Release</div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>The Jeannette Rankin Peace Center is sponsoring a special tour of South Vietnam with trip leaders Marilyn Marler and Carla Abrams <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">Feb 22 to March 9, 2018</span></span>.</b></div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Contact: Betsy Mulligan Dague, <a href="mailto:peace@jrpc.org" target="_blank">peace@jrpc.org</a>, 543-3955</div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">or Marilyn Marler, <a href="mailto:marilyn.marler@mso.umt.edu" target="_blank">marilyn.marler@umontana.edu</a></div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)">The Jeanette Rankin peace center is excited to be sponsoring a tour that explores conservation and building relationships in South Vietnam. Part of our mission as an organization has been to educate the community about issues around the world. This trip is a great way to do just that and we are excited to be able to help make it possible.</div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23201" style="">Join the JRPC on a 13-day hiking and biking adventure in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve in southern Vietnam, <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0" style=""><span class="gmail-aQJ">February 22 to March 9, 2018</span></span>, led by Carla Abrams and Marilyn Marler of Missoula.</span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23202" style=""><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23203" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23204" style="">The Vietnam-American war was 40 years ago. How did the war and its aftermath affect forests and wildlife? What is life like for modern day Vietnamese people? While Vietnam has a booming economy and incredible nature, they are confronted with a conservation crisis due to the illegal wildlife trade and incredible pressure on land to meet housing and agricultural needs.</span></font></div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"> </font></div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Carla Abrams, co leader of the Vietnam trip has been to Vietnam 3 times over the past few years, and worked as a tourism and conservation consultant in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. "Vietnam is a beautiful country. The latest Biosphere reserve was created to bring livelihood to the local communities and enhance the conservation of the environment and wildlife. Our goal was to design tourism that shared nature, adventure, culture, and highlighted the wonderful hospitality of the Vietnamese people. I am really looking forward to sharing this experience with our tour group."</font></div><div id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_9760" dir="ltr" style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23209" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23210" style="">This is not a typical tourist trip. We will be with our Vietnamese hosts every day, learning from their extensive knowledge and sharing their hospitality. Accommodations are often rustic, and the food is authentic.</span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23211" style=""><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23212" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23213" style="">A taste of our adventure:</span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23214" style=""><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23215" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23216" style="">• Sharing wonderful local food, drink and culture with our hosts</span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23218" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23219" style="">• Biking and hiking through forests, villages and wetlands with local guides</span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23221" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23222" style="">• Exploring beautiful Con Dao Island, formerly a prison and now a seldom- visited national park</span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23224" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23225" style="">• </span> Helping to prepare meals at a homestay with silk worm farmers<br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23227" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23228" style="">• Looking for rare primates and more in Cat Tien National Park</span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23230" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23231" style="">• Learn about the life and career of Vietnamese game wa</span>rdens<br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23233" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23234" style="">• Sleep in a hammock and wake up to the sound of gibbons singing</span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23235" style=""><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23236" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23237" style="">For more information on this trip (including pricing), go to <a href="http://www.jrpc.org/vietnam2018" target="_blank">www.jrpc.org/vietnam2018</a></span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23238" style=""><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23239" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23240" style=""><b>Space is extremely limited, and the deadline to register is <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">December 15</span></span></b>.</span><br clear="none" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23241" style=""><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23242" style="">Marilyn Marler </span><a shape="rect" href="mailto:Marilyn.marler@umontana.edu" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23243" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(25,106,212)">Marilyn.marler@<wbr>umontana.edu</a><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23244" style=""><mailto:</span><a shape="rect" href="mailto:Marilyn.marler@umontana.edu" id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23245" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(25,106,212)">Marilyn.<wbr>marler@umontana.edu</a><span id="gmail-m_-5382956021915416029yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1508786735218_23246" style="">></span></font></div></div><div><div class="gmail_signature"><font style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif" size="4"><b style="color:rgb(0,102,0)"><font size="2"><br></font></b></font><div style="text-align:center"><br><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Betsy Mulligan-Dague, Executive Director</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Jeannette Rankin Peace Center</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">...working to build a world that is nonviolent, socially just and environmentally sustainable...</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"></div><div style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">519 S. Higgins</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Missoula, MT 59801</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Phone: 406-543-3955</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Fax: 406-541-3997</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><a href="mailto:peace@jrpc.org" target="_blank">peace@jrpc.org</a></span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><a href="http://www.jrpc.org" target="_blank">www.jrpc.org</a></span></div></div></div>
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