NPR just reported this sad news about elephant poaching in Botswana. I just returned from a week participating in a game count in Namibia, just over the river border from where this tragedy occurred. I will post more about my experience shortly, but want to share this information while it’s fresh.
Category: Nature and Wildlife
Pertaining to non-human activities.
Namibia’s wildlife conservation
I am excited to soon participate in a game count sponsored by IRDNC (Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation) in the Zambezi Region of Northeast Namibia. We’ll be conducting an annual wildlife census in the bush and it will give me a chance to see another part of this beautiful country. The links below describe important aspects of Namibia’s leading role in wildlife conservation, including one of its heroes, IRDNC co-founder Garth Owen-Smith. Continue reading “Namibia’s wildlife conservation”
Backpacking the Naukluft 8-Day Trail
I was treated to a very special visit by my son, Tyler, who spent several weeks in Namibia during March and April. A highlight of his visit was backpacking together along the remote, 125km-long Naukluft 8-Day Trail with 9 other American volunteers (from Peace Corps and World Teach). As always in wide open expanses of land, the photos never do justice, but I hope just the same that you enjoy the photos taken by Tyler, PCV Sheridan and me.
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Sharing this beautiful land…
My love made it to southern Africa over the holiday break in December, when I was able to show her why I love it here in Namibia. We started with a few days in South Africa, then flew to Namibia where we saw many of the iconic cultural and natural aspects that one should see on a first visit: wild animals (large and small), the dunes and the sea.
I hope you enjoy some of the photos we collectively took.
Off the grid in Namibia’s wild, wild West
Longtime best friend David recently visited Namibia, so we hired a 4×4 with a roof-mounted tent to explore a corner of the country that has attracted me since my arrival: Damaraland and Kaokoland. Lying mostly in Kunene Region, it is considered one of the most remote places on Earth and besides its fascinating scenery, flora and free-ranging wildlife, it is the traditional homeland of the Damara and Himba tribes.
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Tov Tsumeb Orphanage visits Etosha National Park
I’ve been fortunate to work with fellow PCV Angel in supporting the Tov Orphanage in the town of Tsumeb, coaching the management team and board of directors in effective governance and operations. Our inspiration is the children – all affected in some way or another by HIV/AIDS – who organized a whole weekend’s visit to Etosha National Park, complete with a fun environmental educational program and a wonderful game drive. I hope you can feel the energy and joy that these kids exhibit!
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10th Annual Crayfish Festival in Lüderitz
I recently visited the remote Southern town of Lüderitz for its 10th Annual Crayfish Festival. Located on the Atlantic Coast, this quaint German town comes alive once a year to celebrate its seafood industry. Crayfish (aka “lobster”) are a major export from Namibia (particularly to Asia), but they kept more than enough for the locals and the tourists to enjoy at Festival time. Enjoy the photos!
Continue reading “10th Annual Crayfish Festival in Lüderitz”
A project completed (and I have the blisters to prove it!)
When I first visited Goanikontes-Oasis back in October, I started to think about a return trip to that relaxing retreat by hiking from Arandis across the desert and down a number of dry river canyons. While I had painful memories of the reconnaissance mission to remind me of the challenges, it was still a project I looked forward to accomplishing once summer was over and the temperatures were more tolerable.
Continue reading “A project completed (and I have the blisters to prove it!)”
365 Days in…
Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of my arrival in Namibia with my fellow PCVs from Group 43. I will mark the occasion by completing the “project” I conceived back in October: to backpack from home over the desert and down the Khan and Swakop River canyons to Goanikontes-Oasis Rest Camp.
Back on the trail: Rössing Mountain
It’s been awhile, but I finally got out in the desert again recently, climbing the peaks of Rössingberge, 20km from Arandis. It’s the tallest range in the area, viewable from my front porch, and has been a target of mine since I arrived last June. Fellow PCV Eric visited from nearby Karibib and we hitchhiked to the access road off the main B2 Highway. There were trails to two of the peaks but we found ourselves scrambling up scree slopes and along ridges of loose rocks to the others.