Agumbe in the heart of the monsoons! 03 - 05 June 2011

Experience the life giving rains

The beginning of June is a very interesting time in the Western Ghats. Everything is prepared for and waiting for the rains to come. The few early showers have already caused an explosion of life and amphibians and insects abound. Snakes, lizards and other small predators come out in great numbers to feast on this abundance and many species will have timed the arrival of their progeny with this season.

Gerry Martin will be heading up to the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station to experience this transition. We will be staying at the research station, in tents and explore the surrounding streams and forests to understand how various animals adapt to this wet clime.  By July, the rains in Agumbe are punishingly heavy and most life seems to simply hunker down and wait out the next two months and potentially six meters of rain!

This is the perfect time to experience the smaller wildlife and see various interactions and adaptations.

We will also learn about taxonomy of reptiles, ecological research methods, outdoor skills and guidelines for safe functioning in the wilderness.

The workshop will be a combination of activities and presentations.

Some of the aspects we will address are:

 

• ·         Rainforest ecology
• ·         Canopy Access
• ·         Stream Ecology
• ·         Snake Taxonomy
• ·         Snakebite treatment and first aid
• ·         Night survey techniques

We will stay in tents set on concrete platforms with a tarpaulin shelter over them. The bathrooms are permanent structures with hot and cold running water. 

Program Dates: 3^rd to 5^th June, 2011. (The group leaves Bangalore by overnight bus to Agumbe on the 2^nd night and returns early in the morning on the 6^th.)

If you are interested in joining or need more details, please get in touch with Gerry on gerry@gerrymartin.in. 

Summer Large Game Experience

13/15 May 2011

Jungle Retreat, Masinagudi

The month of May is the harshest time of the year in much of South India. Temperatures soar, there is no rain, dust is blinding at times and water is a scarcity. The silver lining to this is the opportunity for any wildlife buff to get to experience wildlife.

A Bengal Tiger

Animals will start gravitating towards the last remaining water bodies and sources of food. Visibility is best at this time as well because the undergrowth is sparse and dry. The Gerry Martin Project is running a Large Game Experience at this time to offer people the best chance to see and photograph a lot of these animals. We will head to Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and stay at Jungle Retreat, a resort that is nestled on the fringes of the forest. 

A Spotted Deer Stag

In addition to exploring the 35 acres belonging to Jungle Retreat, we will also get a chance to camp out at their campsite high up in the hills. On a previous program, a Tiger had made its kill of a Gaur around eighty meters from our tents! 

We will also learn about camera trapping, identifying scats and pugmarks, some of the issues in the Nilgiris and more.

We stay one night in the dormitory and one night out in tents at the campsite up on the mountain. 

There are options for those who want separate rooms.

  

'Scoping' for Game

Chestnut-tailed Starling

Jungle Retreat also has numerous fruiting trees on its campus and should any be in fruit, we will have the chance to sit by and photograph or observe very rich bird life. We also share the campus with spotted deer, wild boar, civet cats, mongooses, wild dogs, leopards and more. The chances of seeing wildlife during this season are very high and this is an experience not to be missed by the Nature buff. 

For details or to register, get in touch with Conan on 9972068300 or conan@gerrymartin.in.

Western Ghats Herpetological Experience : June 12 - 22, 2011

Western Ghats Herpetological Experience - June 12 - 22, 2011

Large Game Workshop - 18 to 20 March 2011

The Lower Nilgiris

Since the latter part of the 18^th century the Nilgiris have been described in colonial journals and accounts as a place teeming with game and wildfowl. Endowed with altitudes touching 2600mts  ASL and healthy rainfall, the Nilgiris is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.

Unfortunately, like most of our wild lands, these ranges are also facing tremendous pressures from human development and exploitation. There have been massive declines in faunal populations over the last century and the total forested area has also dropped significantly.

 

However, about two decades ago, a few individuals and families started homestays and small resorts in the area. This wildlife tourism slowly began to boom and today there are numerous such places around the region. In the last decade or so, it does seem like some species are making a comeback here. Large cats, for example, are being spotted a lot more frequently and since the conversion from agriculture to tourism has been quite expansive, there seems to be a decline in conflict.

Jungle Retreat, a family run resort on the periphery of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve has been doing its bit for conservation work in the lower Nilgiris for more than a decade. The land was initially barren and stark and was used in agriculture- primarily rice, finger millet and potatoes. Farmers used to poison wild animals that strayed into the property and use electric fences tapped directly into the main grid, killing animals regualrly. Today, Jungle Retreat covers over thirty five acres of land that has been returned to the forest. Animals and birds are welcomed and watched and everything that you find in the forest can be found on the property. This is truly an example of a simbiotic improvement.

This March the Gerry Martin Project is running a large game workshop in this jungle paradise with the objective of inculcating field skills in tracking and spotting, understanding the behaviour of these animals, and looking at the relationship between man and animal in this fragile eco-system.

Activities

·         Hikes into the forest

·         Interpreting Tracks and signs

·         Birdwatching

·         Camping out for a night

·         A Game drive

·         Setting up camera-traps and hides

·         Night Surveys

Workshop Dates:

The workshop will start at 11 am on Friday, the 18^th of March and end around 1:30 pm on Sunday the 20^th of March, 2011.

Accommodation and Logistics:

We will be staying in gender specific dormitories at Jungle Retreat which is in Bokkapuram near Masinagudi, on the Mysore-Ooty road. There is a common dining area and there are attached bathrooms and toilets which are permanent structures and are fully functional.

The drive to Jungle retreat is about 5 1/2 hrs from Bangalore. Make sure you are there early so as not to miss out on any activity.

For further details or to register, please get in touch with Conan Dumenil. +91-9972068300/ conan@gerrymartin.in.


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Young Naturalist Workshops

Summer, 2011

Young Naturalists’ Workshops

What’s this all about?

With an exponential rise in the number of children inclined towards Nature, it is only logical that there exist more avenues for Children to learn about, interact with and experience the Natural World. Unfortunately, this isn’t true for most city dwelling children. Children seem to possess more information today than ever before but are unable to test their knowledge or hypotheses through experience. Consequently, they don’t actually learn much.

If experience and life are our best teachers, then it is only fair that we offer children the chance to learn about what they are passionate about through experiences that we bring to them.

This summer, The Gerry Martin Project (TGMP) will be running six ‘Young Naturalists’ Workshops’ at different locations, focusing on separate learning objectives from Rainforest Ecology to Large Game tracking.

1. Reptile Biology at The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT)

We will be working on reptile biology here, focusing on management of reptiles in captive conditions. There is also a very interesting field component to this program. We will be camping out at Romulus Whitaker’s farm and learning field techniques in reptile biology and we will also be heading out one morning with the legendary Irula Snake Catchers.

Children will get hands on experience by working with the staff and specialists at the Croc Bank as well as shadowing the Irulas during their snake hunt. Some of the topics addressed are Reptile Captive Management, Safety Protocols, Small Wildlife Tracking, Reptile Veterinary Care, Survey Techniques, Field Techniques in Crocodile Research, Snakebite First Aid Protocol, etc.

Dates- 18^th to 22^nd April 2011. Age bracket: 12 to 19 yrs.  

2. Rainforest Exploration at the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station

Known primarily for its heavy Monsoon, Agumbe is a unique example of lowland rainforest. ARRS was set up in 2005 by Romulus Whitaker to study and conserve king cobras in the region. Today, it has evolved into a full-fledged research station, focusing on multiple aspects of research, conservation and education.

On this workshop, children will gain field skills as young naturalists and experience the reality of research and conservation. 

They will develop skills in Canopy Access, Radio Telemetry, Game Tracking, Outdoor Survival, Camera Trapping, Survey Techniques Stream exploration and a lot more.

Dates- 11^th to 15^th April 2011. Age bracket: 10 to 16 yrs.

3. Nature Skills at Hunsur

In a world where children rarely get a chance to interact with the Natural World, it is no surprise that they find it hard to develop their Nature skills. This workshop will address this lack of exposure and give children a structured learning experience that will allow them to build their own context and skills. It will run at Ossie Martin’s farm on the banks of the Devikere lake in Rathnapuri village about ten kilometers from Hunsur.

Here, we will learn how to build hides, machaans, approach animals with stealth and efficiency, observe aquatic life, some basics in Nature photography, outdoor survival, tree climbing and a lot more. Kids will also learn basics in wilderness first aid including snakebite protocol, small game tracking and a lot more. This will be an intensive young Naturalists’ workshop that will be a perfect stepping stone for aspiring naturalists, biologists and conservationists. Gerry Martin and Conan Dumenil will run this workshop along with at least two support faculty members.

Dates- 4th to 8th April. Age Bracket- 9- 16 yrs.

 

4. Naturalist Skills at Romulus Whitaker’s

Rom Whitaker is a pioneer in reptile conservation and has been at the forefront of the field for around four decades. He founded the first snake park in India, the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team, Irula Snake Catchers’ Co-operative Society among many other achievements and endeavours.

Rom now lives on the edge of a reserve forest about an hour away from Chennai. He has set up a small campsite to allow enthusiasts to experience Nature and also build skills in field biology.

Gerry Martin will be taking a group of 18 kids over to Rom’s campsite to run them through the basics in field biology. They will learn outdoor skills, camera trapping, bio-statistics, reptile biology, bird watching and a lot more.

Dates- 11^th to 15^th April. Age bracket: 10 to 16 yrs.

5. Large Game and Bird Ecology at Jungle Retreat

Jungle Retreat is a resort, located on over thirty-five acres of reforested farmland adjoining the Mudumalai National Park. It is the perfect setting to help children learn the basics in wildlife tracking, birdwatching, outdoor survival and the like. There will also be activities like camera trapping, pug mark identification, wildlife safari, visit to the elephant camp, etc. It is a perfect workshop for children who are interested in nature and would like to experience real wilderness and wildlife of all kinds.

The program will be led by Conan Dumenil, who has had over three years of experience working as a naturalist in Corbett National Park.

Dates- 11^th to 15^th April. Age bracket: 10 to 16 yrs. 

6.The Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team (ANET) field station.

Here, we will be running our Island Ecology Workshop. There will be a lot of exploration,
skill building and courses. Children will learn basics in Canopy Access, Snorkelling, Scuba Diving, Outdoor Survival, Nature Photography, etc. This is also a good time to encounter a lot of reptile species because of the intermittent pre-monsoon showers. Children will get a chance to understand and experience various species of reptiles, birds and small mammals in their habitats. There will also be a significant marine exploration aspect to the workshop where children will learn snorkeling and scuba diving under professional instructors.

Dates- 18th to 23rd April 2011. Age bracket: 12 to 19 yrs.

Faculty:

Each of the workshops will be led by a person with relevant skill and experience. There will be also be support faculty who will help children during the activities and see to their general wellbeing and safety. We will maintain an adult to child ratio of at least 1:5 where we will only count actual faculty on the program and not include other adults who work at the locations. All our faculty will be screened and have prior experience with children. 

 

Safety:

We completely understand your trepidation about sending your children off on experiences like this. When it comes to safety, we keep a constant vigil on children to ensure that they don’t get hurt, physically or emotionally. The ratio of adults to children that we maintain ensures that children are never alone and unwatched. We also keep a keen eye out for interpersonal dynamics and will step in if any children are being bullied or put down.

Our equipment is all tested and cleared. Wherever necessary, we have certified and experienced instructors.

To register or to get more details, please get in touch with Conan on 9972068300 or email at conan@gerrymartin.in.

 

 

Family Nature Camp

With the pace of life, unbearable traffic and simply insufficient avenues to experience Nature, families in our big cities often resort to television, malls and other truly urban forms of recreation. The spin off from these activities is that our children are getting more disconnected from Nature with each passing year. Their immunity drops, minds remain less challenged and there’s enough research to show that even their self-esteem takes a significant knock!

Many parents strive to find avenues by which their children can experience Nature and animals/ wildlife. What The Gerry Martin Project is proposing is for any interested parents to share this experience with their children.

We will leave Bangalore in the morning of the 14^th of January and drive four hours to Hunsur where we will camp at Ossie Martin’s farm. The farm is located on the banks of a lovely lake and is basically a fruit orchard with a little agriculture and some livestock. Here, we will experience Nature through various activities that will be designed for parents to do with their children. There will be a lot of small wildlife that can also be experienced and of course, the lake that can be used to the fullest. We will paddle over in our coracles, swim in the shallows and even fish if we choose.

We’ll also build hides to watch the numerous bird species on and around the lake and get a chance to understand how wildlife and Nature photographers work. Nagarahole National Park is not far and we’ll take a drive through, looking for larger game ranging from Elephant and Gaur (Indian Bison) to deer and mongoose. We’ll also visit Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary and go on a boat ride to look at marsh crocodiles and a host of wading birds that nest on the river.

We’ll be staying in raised coconut shacks or camping tents. The bathrooms are permanent structures with running water.

This camp is an ideal way to get in touch with Nature, capitalize on some quality time with the family and deflate for a while.

For more details or to register, please get in touch with Conan on conan@gerrymartin.in or call Gerry on 9845779666.

Rainforest Ecology Experience - Agumbe 3/5 Dec 2010

 Cobras, Canals and Carabineers

A Rainforest Ecology Experience

Unfairly called the Cherrapunji of the South, Agumbe possesses a lot of its own unique charm and enigmas. Known primarily for the almost unfathomable rain and the clichéd and touristy ‘Sunset Point’, this sleepy town of Malgudi Days fame remains a tiny dot on the highway between Shimoga and Mangalore.

Geographically, the area is a small and low basket in the Western Ghats and consists of very unique flora and fauna. One of the few lowland evergreen forests in the Western Ghats, Agumbe is a naturalist’s dream, offering excitement and discovery at every corner.

This December, Gerry Martin will be taking a group of enthusiasts over to the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station to provide them with a learning experience by getting involved with the various projects that the Research Station is conducting. There will also be skill-building sessions where individuals can learn various techniques in wildlife field biology. 

Activities:

• Stream Exploration
• Radio Tracking
• Canopy Access
• Survey Techniques
• Night Surveys
• Camping Out
• Waterfall Hike
• Plenty of Photo Ops
• Various learning presentations

Topics will include:

Reptile taxonomy, rainforest ecosystems, snakebite first aid, radio telemetry, king cobra breeding biology, etc.

Who can attend this workshop?

Anyone who is 12 years and above and interested in Nature can attend this workshop. It is open to children and adults. The age range on our workshops has been as large as between 12 and 60 years old! All levels of dialogue, interest and skills are addressed and accommodated.

Accommodation and Logistics:

The group will travel via overnight bus to Agumbe on the 2^nd of December. The bus departs from the Majestic Bus Stand in Bangalore at 10 PM. We will be staying in tents at the field station. There is a common dining area and the bathrooms and toilets are permanent structures with hot and cold running water.

We will return early in the morning (usually around 5 AM) on the 6^th of December. 

For further details or to register, please get in touch with Conan Dumenil. 9449010673/ conan@gerrymartin.in.