Schedule of the MHU, April - July 2012

Note: NCSA has extended MHU services to Nagzira-Nawegaon proposed Tiger Reserve. The health camps will be run by Satpuda Foundation and camp expenses are funded by Wildlife Conservation Trust Mumbai.

Schedule of Mobile Health Unit, February-April 2012

Please contact us on satpuda@gmail.com or rajashree.khalap@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer.

Hands-on volunteer work to learn nature conservation

Satpuda Foundation and NCSA have always encouraged volunteer participation in our different projects. The objective is not really to seek extra help for ourselves, but to provide nature lovers with an introduction to the tiger habitat we work in, the problems on the ground and the real conditions in which our wildlife has to survive today.

For instance, by living and working with our Mobile Health Unit for three days you would get an 'inside view' of the human societies that share space with wildlife, and of how wildlife and humans impact each other. In some cases this introduction has led individual volunteers to evolve their own projects for conservation, using their own unique skills.

Here are three of our projects volunteers can choose from as a first step to a deeper involvement with conservation. We recommend that volunteers combine this activity with the orientation course from 7-11 March, 2012.

Volunteers would have to spend three days (not including the orientation course). They would have to bear their own travel expenses from their own city to the site of the project.

A. Help at the Muthawa Community Resource Centre (Melghat Tiger Reserve).

Activity list:

1. Construction of a small water body at Muthawa
2. Soil conservation work
3. Creation of compost pit
4. Re-arrangement of plantation nursery
5. Putting up display boards
6. Volunteering at the medicinal plant garden
7. Oil expelling at our mahua biodiesel plant
6. Cleaning of waterholes in Melghat Tiger reserve
7. Village need-assessment survey for Melghat
8. Visit and feedback of village electrification site using solar energy






B. Mobile Health Unit

The unit conducts three-day free medical camps for villagers in Pench, Tadoba and Melghat Tiger Reserves. Volunteers travel with the ambulance and help with paperwork and dispensing medicines. Direct interaction with these villagers (almost all tribals), opportunities to visit the forest and see how it is impacted by humans, will we hope lead you to think of new ways in which you can help in conservation of the area.




C. IT education programme

This programme is an extension of our employment cell. It aims at training young people of forest-dwelling communities in IT skills, to empower them to get good jobs and reduce their dependence on forests. The programme has been introduced in some villages in the Pench TR buffer zone. Volunteers are needed to visit once a month, check the systems and monitor progress.



If you would like to volunteer in any of these projects, please email us on satpuda@gmail.com or rajashree.khalap@gmail.com

Volunteer Orientation Programme, 7-11 March 2012

Nature Conservation Society, Amravati is conducting a programme to train new volunteers and nature lovers in environmental conservation. The course is an introduction for those wanting to work in this field.

Duration: 5 days, from 7 to 11 March
Venue: NCSA's Community Resource Centre at Muthawa, on the border of Melghat Tiger Reserve
Schedule: Still to be finalized, but this is a tentative programme -
Morning - nature walk, bird watching
Voluntary work at the Muthawa centre
Afternoon - two lectures
Evening - wildlife observation and studies at trails and waterholes, followed by a film show

Satpuda Foundation founder and President Kishor Rithe will be conducting the programme, along with other experts and conservationists.

Approximate fee: Rs 3500 per participant

More details about this course will be posted shortly.

We suggest that participants follow this up a few days hands-on volunteer work at one of our projects (see the next post in this blog).

Read about our earlier courses and programmes here.

State forms squad to protect its tigers

Mumbai Mirror

January 8, 2012

Yogesh Naik

Forest Dept says that the Centre has agreed to fund the force for the first five years

A special force to protect the tiger is on the anvil for Maharashtra. For starters, the state forest department will post trained personnel at two tiger reserves - at national parks in Vidarbha's Pench and Tadoba.

The last tiger census has pegged the state's tiger population to 140. Presently, the state has a one-man anti-poaching cell in Nagpur.

Wildlife activists have expressed concern over India's dwindling tiger population. In 2011, 61 tiger deaths were reported across India, including poaching deaths, according to the Wildlife Protection Society of India. A year earlier, the number stood at 58.

In 1972, the Government of India enacted the Wildlife (Protection) Act to control poaching and illegal trade in wildlife. The act was amended in 2003, making punishment and penalty for offences more stringent.

Principal Secretary of the state forest department Praveen Pardeshi said that the tiger protection force will be fashioned along the lines of police crack teams. "The personnel will be trained by commando forces. They will be taught to detect poaching crimes," said Pardeshi.

Forest Department officials said that the Centre had agreed to fund the force for the first five years. This triggered apprehension in the state finance department as to the source of future funding.

Pardeshi, who got the proposal approved by state chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad, said that the state has decided to maintain the force after the first five years.

"Initially, we will have two battalions with 90 men and 20 officers, each headed by an officer," said Pardeshi. "It will target poachers in sensitive areas."

Forest officials said that, for the last few years, gangs of poachers from Bahelia tribal community camp in villages along the eastern border of the state where the tiger reserves are situated.

Wildlife expert Kishor Rithe of the Satpuda Foundation said that they had been seeking secret funds for forest employees to detect poaching rackets like the police have to crack gangs.

"A forest officer has to have means to procure information on poachers," said Rithe, adding that the secret fund has been sanctioned. The special force will file cases in court against poachers. "This is a major milestone achieved," said Rithe.

Link to the article

October and November 2011 Activity Updates: Kanha NP

October

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

Sampatlal Dhurve – Field assistant

Highlights

• Anti-plastic programmes in 3 schools
• Community assistance – cleaning of area next to well at Patpara and clearing of grass and weeds from path in Chapri village
• Community assistance – repair of hand pump at Government Middle School, Patpara
• 11 classroom visits in village schools to deliver lectures on nature and wildlife conservation, attended by 389 students
• 8 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation, attended by 618 people
• 3 unemployed youths assisted in getting jobs locally
• Distributed vegetable seeds to 11 villagers from 7 villages, as part of our livelihood assistance programme

Conservation work:

During the month, our team also organised students of 3 village schools in anti-plastic programmes. Our team first explained the harmful effects of plastic/polythene on the environment and then led the children in programmes through their respective villages. Plastic litter was collected and buried in pits. Details of the villages and dates are given in the table above.

On October 18, Amit Awasthi and Sampathlal Dhurve led a team of 4 village youths and 6 women in a programme to clean an internal road in Chapri. Grass and weeds were removed from the sides of the road. The path had become difficult to use for both vehicles and humans.

On October 21, Amit and Sampathlal led a team of 16 students from GMS, Patpara in a shramdhaan to clean the surroundings next to a well in the village. The area had become infested with weeds and wild growth.

During the shramdhaan at GMS, Patpara, the teacher had told Amit that the hand pump in the school premises was not working properly and asked him to help in getting it repaired. The next day, Amit took the concerned Government mechanic/plumber from Mocha to Patpara and arranged for the repair of the pump.

Education

Our team visited 11 schools to talk to students about wildlife and nature conservation.

Employment Cell

Three youths were placed in local jobs during the month.

In September, our team had organised a number of meetings to explain to villagers how they could undertake vegetable farming on a commercial scale as there was ready demand for fresh vegetables from resorts around Kanha. In October, we followed up on this programme by distributing vegetable seeds to 11 villagers from seven villages as a pilot project. We will monitor the progress of the villagers and assist them as required. The vegetables included chilly, cauliflower, spinach.

Education van programme

There were 8 film shows in October.

November

Highlights:

• Anti-plastic programmes in 2 schools
• Two shramdhaans for water conservation – one water body created and one soak pit dug
• 11 classroom visits in village schools to deliver lectures on nature and wildlife conservation, attended by 386 students
• 8 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation, attended by 598 people
• 3 unemployed youths assisted in getting jobs locally
• Villagers, to whom we had distributed vegetable seeds last month, have started to earn money from sales of vegetables

Conservation work:

During the month, our team organised students of 2 village schools to participate in anti-plastic programmes. Our team first explained the harmful effects of plastic/polythene on the environment and then led the children in programmes through their respective villages. Plastic litter was collected and buried in pits. Details of the villages and dates are given in the table above.

On November 10, Amit Awasthi and Sampathlal Dhurve led a team of 13 villagers in a programme to create a water body at Patpara on the outskirts of the village next to the jungle. The participants worked to erect a mud wall on a slope down which water was flowing to create a lake which will retain the water. The resultant water body will help recharge the water table in the surrounding area and will also provide drinking water to wildlife. Villagers spot tigers intermittently in the area while gaur and spotted deer are seen more regularly.

On November 15, Amit and Sampath led a team of 6 youths from Bhagpur village in a shramdhaan to clean the surroundings next to a well in the village. The area had become infested with weeds and wild growth. The team also dug a soak pit to take the spillover water.

Education

Our team visited 11 schools to talk to students about wildlife and nature conservation.

Employment Cell

Three youths were placed in local jobs during the month.

In September, our team had organised a number of meetings to explain to villagers how they could undertake vegetable farming on a commercial scale as there was ready demand for fresh vegetables from resorts around Kanha.

In October, we followed up on this programme by distributing vegetable seeds to 11 villagers from seven villages as a pilot project. We will monitor the progress of the villagers and assist them as required. The vegetables included chilly, cauliflower, spinach.

Some of the villagers have started earning from this programme. One villager, Jaisingh of Patpara, earned Rs 125 per week through November through vegetable sales. Others are earning smaller amounts.

Education Van programme:

There were 8 film shows in November.