Activity Update July 2018: Pench-Bor wildlife corridor

Highlights:

Students at Nanda Gomukh school watching a film on conservation

Nature game at Telgaon

Conservation rally at Telgaon

Plantation drive at Telgaon

Telgaon - Trainer Abhimanyu Dongarwar teaches villagers
mushroom cultivation

Training programme on mushroom cultivation

Mushroom cultivation training programme

Students at Temburdoh learn about dragonflies

THE FULL REPORT

Mandar Pingle – Conservation Officer
Nilesh Telang – Field Assistant

Highlights:

·      Organised programme to train villagers in cultivation of mushrooms – 21 villagers participated

·      Organised plantation programmes to celebrate Van Mahotsav 2018 in Telgaon, Temburdoh and Bidgaon – 210 saplings planted

·      Organised 5  film shows in schools – 616  students and 18 teachers attended

·      Organised 1 film show during weekly market in Telgaon – watched by 80 people

·      Nature game organised in Narendra High school, Telgaon – 54 students participated

Activities: 

On July 29, Global Tiger Day, we organised a one-day training programme on mushroom cultivation in Telgaon village in Pench-Bor corridor. 13 women and 8 men from Telgaon were trained at the programme as part of livelihood and skill-development initiatives of Satpuda Foundation.

Mr. Abhimanyu Dongarwar of Sky Mushrooms, Nagpur, provided technical guidance to the participants. During the programme, the participants were taught to cultivate oyster mushrooms. Oyster mushroom cultivation requires relatively low investment but has the potential to generate high returns. It requires less space for cultivation as it is done in closed sheds and uses vertical cultivation technique.

The cultivation can be done during the monsoon and winter seasons as it requires a milder temperature. The participants were also taught ways to market the produce, prepare products like dry mushrooms, pickles and mushroom powder that can be preserved for a longer duration and provide added source of income apart from the fresh produce.

In July, Satpuda Foundation celebrated Van Mahotsav 2018 by organising plantation programmes in Telgaon, Bidgaon and Temburdoh villages of Pench-Bor corridor.

On July 1, a plantation drive and rally was organised in Narendra High School and Zilla Parishad Primary school, Telgaon. 130 students and 5 teachers participated in the rally to create awareness amongst the villagers to plant trees. During the rally, the students raised slogans to encourage villagers to participate in plantation drive. Saplings were planted along the road near the school and within the school premises. Saplings of neem, banyan, sisam and tamarind were planted by the students and teachers.

During the programme, Mrs. Chandatai Gaydhane, Sarpanch of Telgaon village, and members and employees of Gram Panchayat, Telgaon, were present. Later, saplings were also planted in the Gram Panchayat premises as well.

A similar programme was organised on July 3 in Zilla Parishad Primary School of Temburdoh. 38 students and 2 teachers took part in the plantation drive. Saplings of neem, behda and banyan were planted in the school premises.

Similarly, on July 04, Nilesh organised a plantation programme in Zilla Parishad Primary School in Bidgaon (Jatamkhora).

A total of 210 saplings were planted during these programmes.

In July, we organised 5 film shows in Telgaon, Umri, Lohgad, Temburdoh and Nanda (Gomukh) villages. During the shows, Mandar Pingle and Nilesh Telang taught students about various issues like electrocution, poaching etc as threats to wildlife including fauna like monitor lizards, pangolins and porcupines. They also taught students how to identify venomous and non-venomous snakes and how to avoid conflict with snakes. A total of 616 students and 18 teachers attended the film shows. (Details in table).

A nature game was organised for students of Narendra High school on July 12. Mandar taught students about various birds through the interactive nature game.

On July 12, Satpuda Foundation organised a film show during the weekly market in Telgaon village. During the film show, a film on snakes was shown which featured ways to avoid conflicts with snakes, first aid and treatment to snake bite victims was showcased. Around 80 villagers watched the film.

Education programmes: