Activity Update January 2016: Navegaon-Nagzira

Team:

Mukund Dhurve         - Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam                 - Field assistant

Salimkumar Dhurve    - Field assistant

Highlights

·      Joined Forest Department staff on 4 patrols

·      3 programmes to clean water holes in Compartment no. 109, 110, 111

·      4 community assistance voluntary work projects – programmes to clean areas next to hand pumps at Wadegaon, Berdipar, Bolunda, Boatola          

·      3 anti-plastic programmes at Bagadhband, Asalpani, Sodlagondi

·      Organized 3 education programmes at Mendha (Sukdi), Wadegaon, Koylari on topic – Sarus bird and migratory birds

·      Organized 2-day nature camp at Pongezara in which 33 students and 6 teachers were present

·      Organized 6 medical camps at which 172 patients got free treatment

 Conservation 

Our team organized 4 community assistance programmes on January 15, 16, 21 and 29 to clear the areas around hand pumps at Wadegaon, Berdipar, Bolunda, and Boatola respectively. Unemployed youths from Mangezari participated in all programmes which were led by Mukund and Salimkumar.

Below: Our volunteers cleaning a waterhole in the reserve

Water had spilled over while people drew from the hand pumps and had stagnated, leading to proliferation of mosquitoes and insects. Our teams cleared the area, removing scum and organic growth and dug canals to drain away the water.

Our team joined the Forest Department in day and night patrols on the roads from Mangezari to Kodebarra, Mangezari to Jindatola, Mangezari to Govindtola and Mangezari to Bagadhband, on January 14, 17, 21 and 22 Patrolling was intensified after a leopard were spotted on January 10 as officials wanted to monitor its movement and ensure that it was safe from the poachers. One cattle was killed, reportedly by the leopard, near Junewani. Photos below.

Besides our staff, volunteers from a youth club at Mangezari also joined in the patrols. The youth club was set up with our assistance and is mentored by Mukund Dhurve.

During the month, our team organized 3 anti-plastic programmes to clear polythene/plastic litter from the villages. The programmes were organized on January 13, 27 and 28 at Thadezari, Asalpani and Sodlagondi villages respectively. Mukund, Salimkumar and Jivraj organized the programmes which were attended by villagers and VEDC members. The plastic litter has been kept in our Mangezari office and will be sent to Tiroda for recycling. Photo below.

The Government of Maharashtra has issued the buffer zone notification for the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve. Following this, doubts have sprung up in the minds of villagers as to how they will be affected by the notification. Due to the doubts, some villagers are opposing the notification. To clear these doubts and misgivings, we organized a total of 4 awareness programmes during January in 4 villages – Thadezari, Sodlagondi, Boatola, and Umarzari.

 Education

There were 3 environment education programmes during the month of January.

Education van

There were 2 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation in January during the nature camp at Pongezara.

Photos from the Nature Camp: 

Check dam built during the camp

Learning to identify scat

The participants were students and teachers of six villages

MHU

There were 6 health camps in January at which 172 patients received free treatment.