Just Some of the Field Activities
Game
Drives:
Rough roads take new meaning as our impressive driver guides introduce
us to the complex landscape of the Masai Mara. Just on our two-week tour
across the savanna of Masai Mara and the bushland near Tsavo, we have
a good chance of seeing the big four (lion, cheetah, elephant, and buffalo)
and in 2000 and 2004 we even saw the big five (rhino). In the open grasslands
the impala, gazelle, eland, hartebeest, dik dik, and other antelope are
common-a large number of species from wart hog-to-zebra grazing together.
The vehicles provide the opportunity to feel the savanna wind, to SPOT
new finds, and to watch the lives of these incredible animals. From the
drives we will probably record >50 mammal species, >100 birds, and some
incredible sunrises and sunsets.
Bushwalking:
No doubt,
a plains full of lion, buffalo, and other wild animals changes where you
can go and how to travel. At Rockside, we are provided opportunities to
conduct hands-on ecological studies and get, in the words of the camp
director-- "bushwised." Special highlights are the climbs up from the
plains onto ridge overlooks or a small granite hill, or up the steep but
impressive Mt. Kasigau.
Conservation
Research: The trip is short but also very intense, providing an opportunity
to explore a range of questions: how are elephants changing the vegetation
near water holes in the bushland, how do animal densities differ inside
and outside protected lands, how does vegetation composition and structure
vary with changes in soils or along an altitudinal gradient, how do local
people view the natural resources of their home land? We focus on the
creativity of our questions, the depth of our inquiry, and the sources
of new learning in a new environment.
Service
Learning: 
These
activities provide an opportunity to contribute in positive ways to human
livelihoods in this region. At Mt. Kasigau, we have worked with the women's
group in Makwasinyi on a small duka, worked on the reconstruction of a
primary 
school
classroom at Bungule, restored classrooms at Kiteghe, and planted trees
on school grounds at Mt. Kasigau and with members of the Green Belt Movement,
and with the Maasai at a forest restoration site managed by Base Camp.
Plan on working hard, getting very hot and dirty, and sharing your lives
with the lives of Kenyans.
program
is a scheduled 
three-day
visit with members of the Green Belt Movement, one of the largest civic
organizations in the world focused on livelihood security and community
empowerment. We will stay for two nights in village homes where we will
help with the daily chores, gain local friendships, and better understand
the challenges and opportunities for sustainable rural livelihoods. 
Environmental
Utilization: Conservation initiatives are now identifying sustainable
sources of income for people that promote the effective management of
their natural resources. At Kasigau, around Mt. Kenya with the Green Belt
movement, and with the Maasai at Base Camp, we will see different examples
of income generating initiatives that are important for rural livelihoods.
Crafts
and Cuisine: The trip provides many opportunities to see the local
people make and sell a variety of creative crafts- an important source
of local income from tourism and a must for souvenirs that capture some
of the art of Kenya. Of special interest are the environmental efforts
of non-profit groups to work with the local people to manage for a sustainable
source of wood for their carvings, thereby ensuring the long-term viability
of their employment. We will also have opportunities to share in a traditional
Kenyan meals.