This past weekend Lizzie, Ilja (Lizzie's MSc student), Ashani, Kumara, Tharanga, and I piled into a van and headed off to Sinharaja, World Heritage Site, to explore the rainforest! Ashoka had warned us that 'rainforest' in Sri Lanka is synonymous with 'leeches' and I must admit that my initial enthusiasm for the trip was a bit dampened when I heard this. However, I wasn't about to let some blood-sucking parasites deter me from an adventure, so off we went! We had planned to leave at 8:30 AM on Saturday, but the van, and Kumara and Tharanaga (affectionately referred to as "the boys") were over an hour late. We also had to return to Tharanga's house to grab an appropriate pair of shoes - the brand new, flashy red sneakers Tharanga had brought didn't seem like the best option for the muddy trails we knew we would encounter. We finally left around 10 AM.
The 3 hour journey saw us through bustling towns, steep mountain roads, tea plantations, and crisp cloud forest. Before we reached the park entrance, we stopped in a small town for essential supplies: umbrellas, biscuits, and leech socks...yes, leech socks. Leech socks are made from a thick, cotton weave and are put on over your normal socks and pants - sorry, I should say 'trousers' for the U.K. audience (in the U.K. 'pants' means underwear). Anyway, these fancy shmancy socks reach to just below the knee where they are secured with a drawstring. The idea is that the leeches can't bite through the socks, but that means you have to constantly check for leeches crawling up your legs; if they can't suck on your ankles they will continue upwards until they find a more vulnerable location (e.g. stomach, armpit, neck, dare I say...crotch!). I found a few in some interesting locations, but I will get to that later.
The van was able to take us as far as the park entrance where we then hired a jeep to complete the final half hour of the journey. By the time we had purchased tickets, hired a guide, arrived at the guesthouse, and eaten lunch it was a little after 3pm. Visitors are required to return to the guesthouse by 5:30 PM, but the guide said we would have time for a hike, if we went quickly...famous last words. Sporting leech socks, bandanas, and long sleeved shirts we set off into the forest.
As I later learned, there are a number of trails that are relatively flat and make for wonderful strolls through the rainforest. You would think our guide would have chosen one of these routes since we were short on time, but no. Instead, he led us on a ridiculous mountain trek that normally takes 4 hours to complete, we had 2. I quickly became acquainted with leeches and was constantly flicking them off of my shoes and pants (agh, trousers!). The trail itself was rigorous - it was great training for the Tough Mudder race, which I am still determined to enter someday. We spent about 2 hours scrambling up the side of the cliff, but the view at the end was absolutely worth the hard work. We spent a half hour fannying around (as Lizzie would say) on the mountain top taking silly pictures and enjoying the view, only to realize too late that a huge rainstorm was on its way and we only had 15 minutes to descend the mountain. Ok, it really wasn't a mountain, more a very, very tall hill, but it definitely felt like a mountain! By the time we had gathered our packs and taken one last swig of water, we found ourselves caught in a downpour. We raced, and I literally mean raced, down the side of the mountain. Swinging from trees and jumping from ledge to ledge, we looked like a troop of monkeys taking the forest by storm. It was exhilarating! We made it back to the guesthouse by 6:15 PM soaked, but amazingly, all in one piece. We spent a few minutes peeling leeches off of ourselves, had tea, showered off, and enjoyed a fantastic curry dinner. Ashani fed 2 leeches that evening, the rest of us managed to avoid them.
Fortunately, I had brought a mosquito tent with me (thank you again, Liz!) because the mosquito nets in the guesthouse were all tattered and torn. The mosquitoes were really not a problem, but as I lay in my tent I kept thinking about creepy, crawly leeches inching all over my body. To be fair, they don't carry diseases and are commonly used in traditional medicine. I would rather have a leech on me than a tick that is likely carrying Lyme, but in the end I just prefer to avoid bodily invasions by insects. As you may expect given my wild imagination, I didn't get much sleep that night.
A guide was supposed to meet us at the guesthouse at 7:30 the following morning, but by 8:30 he still hadn't shown; the park entrance was a 30min jeep ride away and the morning was quickly slipping away. We didn't want to pay for another jeep (about $10 - yes, we're cheap) so we asked one of the park rangers for an alternative. He directed us to a trail that was supposedly a shortcut. Actually, it didn't prove too bad. It took us a little over an hour to hike to the entrance, find a guide, and return to the trail head. The hike itself was less grueling than the one we took the previous day, but it was not a good day for me as far as the leeches were concerned. At one point I discovered a leech on my neck; fortunately, Kumara was able to pull it off before it began feeding. Later, I felt a tickling sensation in my armpit; to my horror there was indeed a large leech there. Ashani impressively dealt with the situation while Ilja and Lizzie distracted me.
Despite the leeches, it was a nice hike. However, I was really depressed to find the rainforest "empty." My first experience with a rainforest was in Ecuador in Yasuni National Park during my study abroad trip at BU. My professor had described Yasuni as the most bio-diverse place in the WORLD - what does that even mean? I didn't truly understand until I went on this trip to Sinharaja. In Yasuni, there are literally animals and insect and plants everywhere. You could spend an entire day in a meter-squared plot and not become bored because there are so many things to see. The forest is a cacophony of birds, monkeys, and insects - there rarely is a quiet moment. Sinharaja, on the other hand, was disturbingly silent. A single bird call would occasionally break the monotonous drumming of rain and I saw only a handful of insects. We did see some flocks of endemic birds and 2 snakes, but that was about it. It hasn't always been like this, there used to be unimaginable numbers of species here, but thanks to human activities most of it is gone.
Environmental activists are always spreading the messages to think "green," to modify our behaviors so that we can save the whales, save the elephants, save the tigers, etc. But what they are really saying is, we need to make changes so we can save our species, Homo sapiens. As we lose biodiversity, humans become vulnerable: think climate change, think food and water shortages, think disease outbreaks, think over-population, think habitat loss for HUMANS. There have been mass extinctions throughout the history of the earth - the world keeps turning and life continues to exist, new species replace the ones that have been lost. Do we want to be one of the species that is replaced?
I don't mean to cast a dark cloud on humanity or to give the impression that it is too late to salvage what's left. Rather, I hope to move people into action! We humans are undoubtedly very intelligent beings and despite some character flaws, I believe many of us harbor truly incredible traits: compassion, justice, and respect, to name just a few. If we, as a species, can make the decision to moderate our actions with these characteristics, there is little we cannot achieve. There is still time to turn things around, IF we act quickly and decisively. We can't continue to hide our heads in the sand and ignore the challenges facing humanity- it's time to put on our game faces and stand up to reality. And now I'll leave you to think about all of that!
Elephant Crossing
This is a male elephant crossing the road in UdaWalawe National Park.
A baby elephant nursing!
This was a very playful individual who came within inches of our vehicle and displayed its flexible trunk. Notice the collar around its neck, which reveals it was rehabilitated and re-released into the wild. Although such playful behavior can be amusing, it is not healthy for the elephants to interact with humans in this manner.
A gorgeous leopard snoozing in the crook of a tree. Yala National Park
Crocodile and water buffalo enjoying a watering hole at Yala National Park
How I Avoid the Leeches
How I Avoid the Leeches: From left: Kumara, the guide, Tharanga, Lizzie, Ashani, Ilja
Monday, June 25, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Adventures and Misadventures: Installment 1
I just got back from a long, hot day in the field and I am beat, but it's been a while since my last entry and I feel I have a lot to share. Where to start is my only question. I guess I can begin with some stories about my project.
This year I am working with Sameera, you probably remember him from last year, Kumara, a new addition to the team, and Ashani, who is a new Master's student from England. For the past 2 weeks, we have been visiting farms in 2 regions: the Galpa area and the Dahaiyagala area. These are locations where I hope to set up my study sites. We have been chatting with farmers to gather preliminary data on the crops they grow, the frequency of human-elephant conflict (from here on out I will denote it HEC), and their willingness to participate in my study. So far, we have visited about 25 farms and everyone is on board! Many of the households are places we visited last year when I made a more detailed property survey so we are mostly just saying hello again and renewing friendships.
Like last year, the families are eager to feed us. In one day I had 3 coconuts, a papaya, tamarind, peanuts, and was given a handful of beautiful peacock feathers. Also like last year, Sameera is my translator. Although his English is pretty good, he has the habit of picking out only the key words I say and creating his own meaning. Obviously, you can see how this may be an issue. What follows is an example of the kind of miscommunication that can arise...
Sameera, Ashani, Kumara, and I returned to a household that we had surveyed the day before because I decided I wanted to measure the distance from the electric fence that borders the park to the property line. As we walked through the property, Ashani spotted a pile of dead manioc stalks that would be perfect for the mud house she is planning on building (more on that later). Before I go on, let me describe manioc. It's a tall thin, stalk, about 10 feet in height and is harvested for it's roots, which look like the mandrakes from the Harry Potter films. For those of you who aren't familiar with mandrakes, imagine elongated potatoes. Ok, back to the story. Ashani saw the dead stalks and asked Sameera if the farmers would mind if she took some. I could tell that Sameera had misunderstood the question, but before I could say anything he ran off to ask for the farmer's permission. Ashani and I are still not quite sure what Sameera thought she had asked. At any rate, Sameera's discussion with the farmer resulted in the farmer running into the manioc field, in the opposite direction of the dead sticks, machete in hand and a confused Ashani trailing uncertainly behind. It quickly became apparent that the farmer intended to chop down a live manioc plant, so Ashani began yelling for Sameera in the hopes that she could clarify what it was she wanted and spare the plant. Unfortunately, I had been occupying all of Sameera's attention trying to explain that we say "time is flying by," not "time is a wind." By the time Sameera reached Ashani and the farmer it was too late. Glowing with the excitement of offering a wonderful gift, the farmer tore the entire plant from the ground. In the end, we left with 4 kilos of manioc and a stout walking stick. Despite numerous attempts at clarifying, Sameera is still baffled by Ashani's original question.
As communication is not our team's strong point, Ashani and I often have to figure things out for ourselves and assess certain situations independently - for instance is it safe to climb the treehouse in the farmer's backyard? From my experience the answer is often no, but there are some things people just have to learn for themselves. During one of our trips to the Dahaiyagala area, Ashani spied a particularly tempting treehouse that she was dying to climb. She reached the top with no issue, but as she was heading back down she put her weight on a weak rung that the farmer had failed to warn her about. Her foot crashed through the rotten stick, nearly causing her to plummet 20 feet to the ground. Fortunately, she caught herself with her hands and made it down without further incident. I have learned there are some temptations in Sri Lanka that you just avoid; no matter how attractive the treehouse, sometimes it is best just to say no.
This year I am working with Sameera, you probably remember him from last year, Kumara, a new addition to the team, and Ashani, who is a new Master's student from England. For the past 2 weeks, we have been visiting farms in 2 regions: the Galpa area and the Dahaiyagala area. These are locations where I hope to set up my study sites. We have been chatting with farmers to gather preliminary data on the crops they grow, the frequency of human-elephant conflict (from here on out I will denote it HEC), and their willingness to participate in my study. So far, we have visited about 25 farms and everyone is on board! Many of the households are places we visited last year when I made a more detailed property survey so we are mostly just saying hello again and renewing friendships.
Like last year, the families are eager to feed us. In one day I had 3 coconuts, a papaya, tamarind, peanuts, and was given a handful of beautiful peacock feathers. Also like last year, Sameera is my translator. Although his English is pretty good, he has the habit of picking out only the key words I say and creating his own meaning. Obviously, you can see how this may be an issue. What follows is an example of the kind of miscommunication that can arise...
Sameera, Ashani, Kumara, and I returned to a household that we had surveyed the day before because I decided I wanted to measure the distance from the electric fence that borders the park to the property line. As we walked through the property, Ashani spotted a pile of dead manioc stalks that would be perfect for the mud house she is planning on building (more on that later). Before I go on, let me describe manioc. It's a tall thin, stalk, about 10 feet in height and is harvested for it's roots, which look like the mandrakes from the Harry Potter films. For those of you who aren't familiar with mandrakes, imagine elongated potatoes. Ok, back to the story. Ashani saw the dead stalks and asked Sameera if the farmers would mind if she took some. I could tell that Sameera had misunderstood the question, but before I could say anything he ran off to ask for the farmer's permission. Ashani and I are still not quite sure what Sameera thought she had asked. At any rate, Sameera's discussion with the farmer resulted in the farmer running into the manioc field, in the opposite direction of the dead sticks, machete in hand and a confused Ashani trailing uncertainly behind. It quickly became apparent that the farmer intended to chop down a live manioc plant, so Ashani began yelling for Sameera in the hopes that she could clarify what it was she wanted and spare the plant. Unfortunately, I had been occupying all of Sameera's attention trying to explain that we say "time is flying by," not "time is a wind." By the time Sameera reached Ashani and the farmer it was too late. Glowing with the excitement of offering a wonderful gift, the farmer tore the entire plant from the ground. In the end, we left with 4 kilos of manioc and a stout walking stick. Despite numerous attempts at clarifying, Sameera is still baffled by Ashani's original question.
As communication is not our team's strong point, Ashani and I often have to figure things out for ourselves and assess certain situations independently - for instance is it safe to climb the treehouse in the farmer's backyard? From my experience the answer is often no, but there are some things people just have to learn for themselves. During one of our trips to the Dahaiyagala area, Ashani spied a particularly tempting treehouse that she was dying to climb. She reached the top with no issue, but as she was heading back down she put her weight on a weak rung that the farmer had failed to warn her about. Her foot crashed through the rotten stick, nearly causing her to plummet 20 feet to the ground. Fortunately, she caught herself with her hands and made it down without further incident. I have learned there are some temptations in Sri Lanka that you just avoid; no matter how attractive the treehouse, sometimes it is best just to say no.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Perfect Setting
It's 6:30 in the evening, the sun is setting, and a cool breeze is rustling through the leaves. Finally I can breathe a sigh of relief - the worst of the afternoon heat has been swept away. I am sitting on our porch and in the distance I can see mountains rising up from the green plains. In less than a month most of the greenery will have taken on a brownish tinge as the country enters into the height of the dry season. Thick, cotton ball clouds hang over the mountains, but they will dissipate before they reach us; a shower is a rare event between the months of May and August. Most farmers planted their dry season crops in March/April so already rice paddies are filling in and sugar cane is shooting way up.
A group of babblers, very noisy birds, are hopping around in the driveway fighting over a scrap of food. Early in the day, Lizzie and I spotted an Indian Roller perched on a stump in the yard. They are very colorful birds - this one had a bright blue body and orange patches on its faces. We also saw a monitor lizard on during our afternoon walk. The cat I mentioned in the previous blog is still hanging around. Lizzie and I constructed a barricade out of masking tape for the window gratings in our room last night in an attempt to keep the cat out. So far it is working!
Time to take a quick shower after an afternoon of running and yoga (which attracted a lot of unwanted attention). Smells like Uncle is making roti and pol sambol for dinner - don't want to miss that!
A group of babblers, very noisy birds, are hopping around in the driveway fighting over a scrap of food. Early in the day, Lizzie and I spotted an Indian Roller perched on a stump in the yard. They are very colorful birds - this one had a bright blue body and orange patches on its faces. We also saw a monitor lizard on during our afternoon walk. The cat I mentioned in the previous blog is still hanging around. Lizzie and I constructed a barricade out of masking tape for the window gratings in our room last night in an attempt to keep the cat out. So far it is working!
Time to take a quick shower after an afternoon of running and yoga (which attracted a lot of unwanted attention). Smells like Uncle is making roti and pol sambol for dinner - don't want to miss that!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Adventures en Route
I arrived at the field station two days ago. In total, I spent roughly 20 hours in the air so I am really happy to move around freely now! I traveled on my own until I reached the Dubai airport where I met up with Lizzie, a researcher who flew out from London to continue her PhD research in Uda Walawe. Lizzie was at the field station last summer, so you may remember her from some of my previous posts. Once we reached Colombo, we shared a car down to the field station.
While traveling solo, I made a couple of friends in the JFK airport: Miel and Ali. Both live in Dubai and were happy to pass the time before our 13 hour flight chatting and wandering around the tiny terminal to stretch our legs. We exchanged contact information, so if I ever have the opportunity to spend some time in Dubai, I now have two wonderful people to show me the sights! One of the great things about traveling is meeting people from all over the world. It still amazes me how naturally two strangers can strike up a conversation in an airport. It must have something to do with the shared experience of being far from home and the familiar. In any case, I was very happy to have company to distract me from the stress of flying!
Once I reached Dubai, I had 7 hours to kill before my next flight. I decided to walk around the enormous terminal and find a snack. I had just sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee and a croissant, thinking how well my travels had been going, when I noticed a gaping hole in each foot of my hiking boots. You have got to be kidding me. How had I not noticed this before I left? I would really like these shoes to see me through the summer, so I set off in search of duck tape. I asked a couple of vendors if they sold any, but to no avail. I finally found a store owner who let me snag some Sellotape she happened to have stuffed away in a drawer. Now quite as good as duct tape, but it will do for the moment. Actually, the addition of the tape enhanced the rest of my trip because I really looked the part of the seasoned backpacker - emerging from the depths of the wilderness in weathered field clothing, off to who knows where next! 30 hours into my trip I am sure I had also cultivated an aroma that added even more to my nomadic appearance.
I won't go into detail describing my 13 hour flight from NYC to Dubai - it was utterly boring. I couldn't sleep, which was a bummer. Instead, I found myself shifting my position every 15 minutes in an attempt to escape the cramped conditions. On the bright side, I was able to spend a lot of the time thinking about my PhD. project. I am beginning to realize that I have taken on quite a load and now spend the majority of my time trying to figure out how I am going to manage it. There are SO many details that have to be accounted for: funding, my schedule, finding farmers willing to participate in the study, the farmers' schedules, hiring a field assistant (who hopefully speaks English), training the field assistant, learning Sinhala, etc etc. This summer will really help me to hammer out the details and determine what is feasible. I also look forward to sitting down with my advisor(s) in the fall to sketch out a timeline for my research. My time this summer will be devoted less to data collection and more to site selection and setting up my experimental design. Even though I have not yet been out in the field visiting farms, just being in Sri Lanka has helped my creative thinking - I can feel the wheels turning, which is an excellent sign!
While I have been writing this entry, I have been interrupted several times - we have a bit of drama going on at the field station that involved a feral cat Ashoka has taken in. This tiny feline, who we are calling Amber at the moment, had a litter of kittens. My breakfast with Lizzie this morning was interrupted by high pitched yowling and hissing coming from the roof. We ran up to the roof to see what all the commotion was and discovered that Amber had been keeping her kittens in a nest of leaves under an eave, which had been discovered by a male cat - who was obviously not the father of these kittens. By the time we reached the roof, the male cat was slinking off, but we couldn't see Amber or her kittens. About half an hour later we heard another scuffle and shortly thereafter Amber brought a dead kitten to Ashoka's doorstep. It wasn't long until a second dead kitten was found. We buried the babies cooked an egg for Amber. I think this was probably Amber's first time as a mother, so hopefully next time she can find a better place to hide her litter.
While traveling solo, I made a couple of friends in the JFK airport: Miel and Ali. Both live in Dubai and were happy to pass the time before our 13 hour flight chatting and wandering around the tiny terminal to stretch our legs. We exchanged contact information, so if I ever have the opportunity to spend some time in Dubai, I now have two wonderful people to show me the sights! One of the great things about traveling is meeting people from all over the world. It still amazes me how naturally two strangers can strike up a conversation in an airport. It must have something to do with the shared experience of being far from home and the familiar. In any case, I was very happy to have company to distract me from the stress of flying!
Once I reached Dubai, I had 7 hours to kill before my next flight. I decided to walk around the enormous terminal and find a snack. I had just sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee and a croissant, thinking how well my travels had been going, when I noticed a gaping hole in each foot of my hiking boots. You have got to be kidding me. How had I not noticed this before I left? I would really like these shoes to see me through the summer, so I set off in search of duck tape. I asked a couple of vendors if they sold any, but to no avail. I finally found a store owner who let me snag some Sellotape she happened to have stuffed away in a drawer. Now quite as good as duct tape, but it will do for the moment. Actually, the addition of the tape enhanced the rest of my trip because I really looked the part of the seasoned backpacker - emerging from the depths of the wilderness in weathered field clothing, off to who knows where next! 30 hours into my trip I am sure I had also cultivated an aroma that added even more to my nomadic appearance.
I won't go into detail describing my 13 hour flight from NYC to Dubai - it was utterly boring. I couldn't sleep, which was a bummer. Instead, I found myself shifting my position every 15 minutes in an attempt to escape the cramped conditions. On the bright side, I was able to spend a lot of the time thinking about my PhD. project. I am beginning to realize that I have taken on quite a load and now spend the majority of my time trying to figure out how I am going to manage it. There are SO many details that have to be accounted for: funding, my schedule, finding farmers willing to participate in the study, the farmers' schedules, hiring a field assistant (who hopefully speaks English), training the field assistant, learning Sinhala, etc etc. This summer will really help me to hammer out the details and determine what is feasible. I also look forward to sitting down with my advisor(s) in the fall to sketch out a timeline for my research. My time this summer will be devoted less to data collection and more to site selection and setting up my experimental design. Even though I have not yet been out in the field visiting farms, just being in Sri Lanka has helped my creative thinking - I can feel the wheels turning, which is an excellent sign!
While I have been writing this entry, I have been interrupted several times - we have a bit of drama going on at the field station that involved a feral cat Ashoka has taken in. This tiny feline, who we are calling Amber at the moment, had a litter of kittens. My breakfast with Lizzie this morning was interrupted by high pitched yowling and hissing coming from the roof. We ran up to the roof to see what all the commotion was and discovered that Amber had been keeping her kittens in a nest of leaves under an eave, which had been discovered by a male cat - who was obviously not the father of these kittens. By the time we reached the roof, the male cat was slinking off, but we couldn't see Amber or her kittens. About half an hour later we heard another scuffle and shortly thereafter Amber brought a dead kitten to Ashoka's doorstep. It wasn't long until a second dead kitten was found. We buried the babies cooked an egg for Amber. I think this was probably Amber's first time as a mother, so hopefully next time she can find a better place to hide her litter.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Season Two: Return to the Pearl of the Indian Ocean
It's that time again! I'm preparing for my field season in Sri Lanka where I will continue the human-elephant conflict project I started last year. But before I dive into describing my summer plans, I should make sure everyone is up to speed. I have spent the past 8 months at home in Avon Lake, OH working a part-time job at a local restaurant, Grilled - owned and operated by Jon Maly. Working in the restaurant industry gave me a new perspective on the U.S. food system. Prior to this position, I had focused my attention on food production, but working as a server gave me insight into the factors that influence how a small restaurant owner selects ingredients; for example, buying organic, local, seasonal produce versus less expensive, lower quality produce that may have traveled half way across the continent or even the globe. Such decisions are rarely founded solely on an owner's personal food beliefs, but instead they are heavily influenced by cost and consumer demand. Due to industrial scale production and government subsidies, mass-produced, processed foods are more affordable than local, organic, or whole foods. If we want restaurants to support local farmers who make an effort to incorporate sustainability into their farming practices, then we need to be willing to pay a little more for higher quality food. Keep in mind, you are what you eat!
On my last day at the restaurant, Jon introduced me a customer, Jan Van Wagner, who is one of the host's of Avon Lake's local TV show 'Jan and Jean on the Scene.' Jon mentioned my upcoming trip to Sri Lanka, which sparked Jan's interest so she invited me to be a guest on her show. You can catch the interview at the following website: http://avonlake.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=4a8fbc4ce077b4d86aeeeb4a9db07506
During my time at home, I also applied to several graduate programs and was accepted into a PhD program in the field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell, which I begin in August. My advisor is Sunny Power whose research focuses on plant-disease ecology and agroecology. Broadly, my research will focus on the ecological and sociological components of international food systems, and on human-wildlife interactions in agricultural settings. I will be working with a fantastic group of people at Cornell and am eager to begin my graduate career in the fall!
In fact, I am so excited to start the next chapter of my life at Cornell, that I'm visiting the campus right now! I'm spending a week with my friend Colin and exploring the town that will soon be my new home. This trip worked out really well because I was able to meet with Sunny to solidify the field protocol I will follow this summer. Next week I will catch a train to Boston where I will board the first of 3 flights to Sri Lanka. My flight route is slightly different from last year's - this summer I fly from Boston to NYC to Dubai to Colombo. In Colombo I will catch a ride down to Uda Walawe National Park where I will spend 2 months. Last year, Sameera, Tharanga, Kumari and I surveyed over 150 houses bordering the park to collect preliminary data on agricultural practices and to get a sense of the frequency of human-elephant conflict in the region. This summer, my goal is to determine the baseline level of elephant crop damage at farms along the park boundary.
There's a really good chance this summer will be just as exciting and exhilarating as last year, so stay tuned for some epic blog posts! As I was writing this post, I had the idea to end my entries with suggestions for relevant readings or documentaries that you may find interesting.
Today's thought provoking suggestions: The book: "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver
& the youtube video: The Story of Stuff
Enjoy!
On my last day at the restaurant, Jon introduced me a customer, Jan Van Wagner, who is one of the host's of Avon Lake's local TV show 'Jan and Jean on the Scene.' Jon mentioned my upcoming trip to Sri Lanka, which sparked Jan's interest so she invited me to be a guest on her show. You can catch the interview at the following website: http://avonlake.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=4a8fbc4ce077b4d86aeeeb4a9db07506
During my time at home, I also applied to several graduate programs and was accepted into a PhD program in the field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell, which I begin in August. My advisor is Sunny Power whose research focuses on plant-disease ecology and agroecology. Broadly, my research will focus on the ecological and sociological components of international food systems, and on human-wildlife interactions in agricultural settings. I will be working with a fantastic group of people at Cornell and am eager to begin my graduate career in the fall!
In fact, I am so excited to start the next chapter of my life at Cornell, that I'm visiting the campus right now! I'm spending a week with my friend Colin and exploring the town that will soon be my new home. This trip worked out really well because I was able to meet with Sunny to solidify the field protocol I will follow this summer. Next week I will catch a train to Boston where I will board the first of 3 flights to Sri Lanka. My flight route is slightly different from last year's - this summer I fly from Boston to NYC to Dubai to Colombo. In Colombo I will catch a ride down to Uda Walawe National Park where I will spend 2 months. Last year, Sameera, Tharanga, Kumari and I surveyed over 150 houses bordering the park to collect preliminary data on agricultural practices and to get a sense of the frequency of human-elephant conflict in the region. This summer, my goal is to determine the baseline level of elephant crop damage at farms along the park boundary.
There's a really good chance this summer will be just as exciting and exhilarating as last year, so stay tuned for some epic blog posts! As I was writing this post, I had the idea to end my entries with suggestions for relevant readings or documentaries that you may find interesting.
Today's thought provoking suggestions: The book: "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver
& the youtube video: The Story of Stuff
Enjoy!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Dole destroying forest in national park for bananas
A while back I told you about Dole destroying thousands of acres of forest within the Somawathiya National Park and my efforts to draw attention/bring an end to the destruction. With the help of Dr. Kunz and several of his colleagues, I was able to get in touch with Jeremy Hance, a journalist from mongabay.com, which is a popular online environmental journal. I passed along information and photos to Jeremy, and the end product is the following article!
http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0814-hance_srilanka_dole.html
I am still in the process of cultivating a connection with an NGO in the U.S. and am considering getting in touch with representatives in Congress who would have jurisdiction in this area. So, we now have an article to spread awareness, but the battle has just begun!
http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0814-hance_srilanka_dole.html
I am still in the process of cultivating a connection with an NGO in the U.S. and am considering getting in touch with representatives in Congress who would have jurisdiction in this area. So, we now have an article to spread awareness, but the battle has just begun!
Camping Trip # 2
I got back from our latest camping trip last night and what an interesting trip it was! We found a spot north of the park along the elephant corridor where an electric fence is currently being built along the park boundaries. Immediately adjacent to the park is a village largely dedicated to rice cultivation, so the the fence will run through some of the properties - some people are even trying to cultivate crops inside of the park! It's a crazy and complicated situation. We camped out at the "community hall," which, ironically enough, is also were villagers come to collectively mourn the death of those who have been killed by elephants. In fact, we visited the family of a man who was killed by an elephant less than a month ago. The villagers were immediately aware of our presence and during the two nights we stayed at the hall, we had visitors throughout the night.
The first house we happened to visit for the survey was the home of a woman who plays a very prominent role within the community. She is responsible for spearheading the project that brought an extensive irrigation system to this area. Before the land was irrigated, it was all forest and families grew all of their vegetables and fruit. Now the forest has been flooded and mostly converted to paddy fields. Due to the high water table, fruit and vegetables no longer grow here, so families have to buy these items at the market. It seems strange to me, but the villagers are very happy with this situation. Sri Lankans are very dependent on their rice (which most households eat 3 times a day), so I guess the fact that they can grow their own rice, even at the expense of veggies and fruits, gives them a sense of security. Obviously, I think this is a bad situation - we are trying to determine whether farmers are open to switching from rice cultivation to elephant resistant crops, and this town has gone in the opposite direction. But what's life without a challenge?!
On the bright side, this woman was extremely hospitable and welcoming, which put us in good standing with the other villagers. The first day we visited her, she gave us mangos, papayas and tea with fresh cow milk - yum! The next morning she visited our campsite before dawn to tell us not to prepare breakfast because she had already cooked for us. It would have been rude for us to refuse her (plus who says no to a "free" meal), so we arrived at her house to find a heaping pile of delicious black beans mixed with coconut, onion sambol, fresh fruit, and tea. She continued to feed us throughout our stay, showing up at each meal carrying a bowl of curry or rice. I really am overcome by how gracious all of the village people have been. When I visited the houses in this area, I was always invited to spend the night with them instead of having to sleep in a tent (actually, I was sleeping in the jeep, but same idea). It was a rare house that didn't offer us food/ force it down our throats til we were stuffed. Despite the hospitality, I am still skeptical of their true sentiments. Shermin recounted a story of someone from this very village who burned down an the house of an environmentalist. This act was meant to 'encourage' him to leave town. Previously, this man had been warmly accepted by the village, but the villagers are wrapped around the fingers of the politicians and one word from them caused the villagers to turn on this poor fellow. He refused to leave, by the way. This past weekend, a jeep from the Wildlife Department was torched in protest of the elephant census in Uda Walawe Park. So as you can see, tides quickly turn in this country, so I feel it's best to keep myself from being seduced by the initial kindness with which I am greeted.
We also had the opportunity to sit in on a very important town meeting during which the village discussed a proposed golf course project. Construction would involve the destruction of almost 700 acres of mature riparian forest. One consequence of this project would be the loss of water supply to the village, i.e. they would be unable to cultivate paddy and would lose their livelihoods. From our perspective, this project is disastrous because it will destroy old, diverse habitat that is home to rare species that are found few other places in the country. In addition, the forest is extremely important in regulating the water cycle and restoring fresh water to streams, rivers, and underground aquifers. The people behind the project say they will mitigate any damage by replanting double the number of trees they uproot. What an absolutely stupid and absurd proposal! A person is going to cut down ancient trees, destroy critical animal and plant habitat, completely alter the topography, disrupt a vital region of a critical water system that supports by human, wild animal, and plant life, and in return they are going to plant new trees...Let me see if I can come up with a suitable analogy. Ok, your great great great ancestors built, over generations and generations, a beautiful countryside manor in which is housed all of your most treasured family possessions. This home represents your entire family history. You spent your childhood in this beloved home and also raised your own family here. The land around the manor is fertile and gorgeous. It supplied your ancestors with food and timber for thousands of years and it continues to sustain you today. Now, imagine some man comes knocking on your door to tell you he wants to burn down your house and all of its contents, in order to build a golf course. But don't worry, because he will build you not one, but two small, new cottages. I hope you would punch him in the face. Planting new tress is wonderful, don't get me wrong. But, you cannot replace an ecosystem you have destroyed with one that is identical. And new ecosystems are not bad, but all of the plants and animals in this particular location have evolved to live in this specific habitat, which cannot be replicated. See the problem? Fortunately, the villagers are opposed to the project, as are the Wildlife Department and Irrigation Department. Unfortunately, there is a lot of corruption and rule bending. Shermin and Ashoka are fighting the project, and I will do what I can while I am here, but I don't know how things will turn out.
On a happy note, the camping part of the trip it self was very enjoyable. I was able to swim each night in the reservoir! The last night I even enjoyed the company of some bats during my evening bath. They were grabbing a quick waterside meal :) We saw a couple of elephants along the way as well. This coming weekend, I hope to visit Peradeniya University in Kandy, where I have aspirations of completing a Fulbright in the future. The following weekend, will be my last :( Although plans are not set in stone, we are toying with the idea of another camping trip before I leave. I would like to visit some more houses by the West entrance of the park before the field season comes to a close. I cannot believe how time flies!
The first house we happened to visit for the survey was the home of a woman who plays a very prominent role within the community. She is responsible for spearheading the project that brought an extensive irrigation system to this area. Before the land was irrigated, it was all forest and families grew all of their vegetables and fruit. Now the forest has been flooded and mostly converted to paddy fields. Due to the high water table, fruit and vegetables no longer grow here, so families have to buy these items at the market. It seems strange to me, but the villagers are very happy with this situation. Sri Lankans are very dependent on their rice (which most households eat 3 times a day), so I guess the fact that they can grow their own rice, even at the expense of veggies and fruits, gives them a sense of security. Obviously, I think this is a bad situation - we are trying to determine whether farmers are open to switching from rice cultivation to elephant resistant crops, and this town has gone in the opposite direction. But what's life without a challenge?!
On the bright side, this woman was extremely hospitable and welcoming, which put us in good standing with the other villagers. The first day we visited her, she gave us mangos, papayas and tea with fresh cow milk - yum! The next morning she visited our campsite before dawn to tell us not to prepare breakfast because she had already cooked for us. It would have been rude for us to refuse her (plus who says no to a "free" meal), so we arrived at her house to find a heaping pile of delicious black beans mixed with coconut, onion sambol, fresh fruit, and tea. She continued to feed us throughout our stay, showing up at each meal carrying a bowl of curry or rice. I really am overcome by how gracious all of the village people have been. When I visited the houses in this area, I was always invited to spend the night with them instead of having to sleep in a tent (actually, I was sleeping in the jeep, but same idea). It was a rare house that didn't offer us food/ force it down our throats til we were stuffed. Despite the hospitality, I am still skeptical of their true sentiments. Shermin recounted a story of someone from this very village who burned down an the house of an environmentalist. This act was meant to 'encourage' him to leave town. Previously, this man had been warmly accepted by the village, but the villagers are wrapped around the fingers of the politicians and one word from them caused the villagers to turn on this poor fellow. He refused to leave, by the way. This past weekend, a jeep from the Wildlife Department was torched in protest of the elephant census in Uda Walawe Park. So as you can see, tides quickly turn in this country, so I feel it's best to keep myself from being seduced by the initial kindness with which I am greeted.
We also had the opportunity to sit in on a very important town meeting during which the village discussed a proposed golf course project. Construction would involve the destruction of almost 700 acres of mature riparian forest. One consequence of this project would be the loss of water supply to the village, i.e. they would be unable to cultivate paddy and would lose their livelihoods. From our perspective, this project is disastrous because it will destroy old, diverse habitat that is home to rare species that are found few other places in the country. In addition, the forest is extremely important in regulating the water cycle and restoring fresh water to streams, rivers, and underground aquifers. The people behind the project say they will mitigate any damage by replanting double the number of trees they uproot. What an absolutely stupid and absurd proposal! A person is going to cut down ancient trees, destroy critical animal and plant habitat, completely alter the topography, disrupt a vital region of a critical water system that supports by human, wild animal, and plant life, and in return they are going to plant new trees...Let me see if I can come up with a suitable analogy. Ok, your great great great ancestors built, over generations and generations, a beautiful countryside manor in which is housed all of your most treasured family possessions. This home represents your entire family history. You spent your childhood in this beloved home and also raised your own family here. The land around the manor is fertile and gorgeous. It supplied your ancestors with food and timber for thousands of years and it continues to sustain you today. Now, imagine some man comes knocking on your door to tell you he wants to burn down your house and all of its contents, in order to build a golf course. But don't worry, because he will build you not one, but two small, new cottages. I hope you would punch him in the face. Planting new tress is wonderful, don't get me wrong. But, you cannot replace an ecosystem you have destroyed with one that is identical. And new ecosystems are not bad, but all of the plants and animals in this particular location have evolved to live in this specific habitat, which cannot be replicated. See the problem? Fortunately, the villagers are opposed to the project, as are the Wildlife Department and Irrigation Department. Unfortunately, there is a lot of corruption and rule bending. Shermin and Ashoka are fighting the project, and I will do what I can while I am here, but I don't know how things will turn out.
On a happy note, the camping part of the trip it self was very enjoyable. I was able to swim each night in the reservoir! The last night I even enjoyed the company of some bats during my evening bath. They were grabbing a quick waterside meal :) We saw a couple of elephants along the way as well. This coming weekend, I hope to visit Peradeniya University in Kandy, where I have aspirations of completing a Fulbright in the future. The following weekend, will be my last :( Although plans are not set in stone, we are toying with the idea of another camping trip before I leave. I would like to visit some more houses by the West entrance of the park before the field season comes to a close. I cannot believe how time flies!
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