Academic Update

1.The impact of human activities on the range status of elephant habitats in the Amboseli ecosystem. This project falls under the Wildlife Ecology course and will be coordinated by Dr. John Kiringe and John Kioko. It is the last component of elephant research undertaken by the SFS Center for Wildlife Management Studies and is funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

2. Contraction of wildlife dispersal space by human activities and structures in Olgulului/Ololorashi group ranch near Amboseli, Kenya: A landscape level analysis. This project falls under the Wildlife Management course and will be coordinated by Dr. Moses Okello. It is part of on-going research work to examine the contraction and loss of wildlife dispersal areas in the Maasai group ranches of the Amboseli ecosystem.

3. Insights into community perceptions and expectations of national parks and community wildlife sanctuaries. This research project is part of the Environmental Policy and Socio-Economic Values course, and will be overseen by Salaton Tome. Its main focus is to examine local community perceptions and expectations from wildlife conservation activities within the Amboseli region, which is one of the remaining huge tracts of land in Kenya endowed with an abundance of wildlife. While the entire process of the DR project is challenging for both the students and faculty, it is always a memorable experience. After the field work, students will undertake intensive data analyses with the guidance of faculty, and then embark on a rigorous process of writing-up their individual Directed Research papers, to be examined and graded by their respective faculty. On December 7, 2008, students will present their research findings to local community members and other stakeholders that directly or indirectly deal with environmental and wildlife conservation issues in the Amboseli region.
- John Kiringe, Lecturer in Wildlife Ecology

Student Reflections
We are well into our DR projects, but ended our regular semester on a wonderful note.  Of course, there was the Obama victory that was, understatedly, well received.  Unfortunately, our end-of-semester assignments and exam stunted our celebrations.  Before we left the SFS National Park Site (NPS) three days ago, we had another day of community service. Simon, one of the askaris(guards) at NPS, who is very involved in community matters, organized a trip for us to help plant potatoes and orange trees on a shamba near camp. We walked from our camp to Simon's home, where in true Kenyan hospitality, we had chai and fresh goat meat, which was “within-hours-of-living” fresh and the best kind. We sat, ate, talked, and then, when the topic of planting came up, we were off to the fields with full stomachs. With hoes, manure, and little potatoes, we set about digging and planting. Many hands made light work and I would not have wanted to plant the whole crop alone. By the time we had everything in the ground, the sun was out in full-force and we were regretting our midmorning meal. We planted our trees and acknowledged the symbolism of Americans and Kenyans planting crops for sustenance on November 5, Obama's day of victory. Though we were all a little anxious about the day’s looming work, we had a wonderful time. Simon’s appreciation of our work made me feel as though the eruption of blisters on my hands was not in vain.
- Ben Copp, Colorado College

It had not really rained since April at the Kilimanjaro Bush Camp (KBC). We had heard tales of the amazing transformation from brown and dusty to green and muddy that comes with the short rains. There was a good chance it was going to happen while we were at our National Park Site, and it might have made a more dramatic impression if we had arrived back at KBC to a carpet of grass. I secretly wanted to see the transformation for myself. I wanted to watch the grass grow, so to speak. The staff gave us daily updates on the weather at KBC while we were away and this year luck was on my side. Rain hit KBC two days before we packed all of our clothes, books, and souvenirs into the caravan of vehicles and headed back “home.” There have been steady showers, deluges, drizzles, and everything in between since. We’ve been enjoying the wet, along with the rest of the African wildlife, from the more extreme (mud fights, for example) to the more discrete (such as falling asleep to the sound of rain on our banda roofs).
- Mary Penticoff, Barnard College