Information for Volunteers

Home , Agumbe, Kundadri, Romulus Whitaker, Shimoga

INFORMATION FOR VOLUNTEERS

Introduction: Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) is a permanent field station of the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, located on a 4.5 acre site, in the middle of Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary and Agumbe Reserve Forest; approximately 1.5 km from Agumbe village, in Shimoga District of Karnataka. ARRS was founded by renowned Herpetologist Romulus Whitaker in 2005, with the financial support of the late Doris Norden Chattopadhyaya and the Whitley Fund for Nature with the long term mission to study and conserve rainforests through applied ecological research, outreach programs and partnerships. ARRS employs a staff of 10. The administration and research team comprises of 4 people, while there are 6 employees from the local community. In the past years ARRS has initiated and hosted studies on a wide variety of wildlife and ecology-related subjects, notably the groundbreaking King Cobra Telemetry Project, which is the first of its kind in India. ARRS also has affiliations with a number of scientists and conservationists from organizations worldwide, as the organization always aims to further the cause of research and conservation through its unique field station. Situated at an elevation of 650 meters within Central Western Ghats, Agumbe has a distinctive tract of tropical moist evergreen forest contiguous with Kudremukh National Park. After nearly a century of selective logging, the forests around Agumbe, drenched by an average of 7,500 mm of rain each monsoon, have regenerated over the past 35 years and are now teeming with life. At ARRS we have to date recorded 32 mammals, 45 reptiles, 31 amphibians, 202 birds, 120 butterflies and numerous plant species. ARRS is an ideal location for a wide variety of research, ranging from rainforest ecology, behavioral and population ecology, hydrology, phenology, canopy studies, geo-informatics and socio economics. The local community at Agumbe relies largely on the forest for livelihoods, and the villagers are repositories of traditional ecological knowledge. This provides for a wide-range of social science research, and it also cements the local communities’ important involvement in field

research at ARRS. At ARRS we believe that efforts towards conservation and sustainability can be furthered successfully through education, where science can be taught through creativity and imagination. With this in mind ARRS strives to be a research base that works closely with scientists, students and the local community towards effective research and conservation of the rainforest.

Sightseeing around Agumbe: Kundadri View Point: Located 17 kms away from Agumbe, the 780 m high peak renders a beautiful panoramic view of a mosaic of forest and plantations which are home to several King Cobras and other wildlife. Atop Kundadri is an ancient temple behind which stand the majestic Sahayadris. Jogi Gundi: Located 3.5 kilometers from Agumbe towards Malandur village and a 10 minute walk into the forest ends with the Jogi Gundi waterfall. The moss and fern covered rock face with water elegantly cascading from the top makes it a wonderful place to spend an evening and probably take a swim in the pool. Barkana view point: Eight kilometers from Agumbe, this scenic view point is located on the edge of a cliff along a U-shaped valley with a view of Barkana waterfall (one of the highest waterfalls in India). Sunset Point: Two kilometers from Agumbe, on Udupi road; high above a hair pin bend is the sunset point that people cannot resist stopping at. If you want to know what a soaring eagle’s view of the Someshwara wildlife sanctuary looks like, this is the place to go. But don’t forget to search the canopy for the elusive Lion-tailed Macaque that has been spotted here many a time. Onake abbe Waterfall: Cutting across a meadow and hiking over different gradients for four kilometers through a forest path, one reaches the perching site over the Onake abbe waterfalls, a thundering torrent in the monsoons and an ice-cold ripple in the winters. This is the falls where M2, a previously tracked King Cobra amiably disappeared down the slopes in search of a mate during the breeding season a couple of years ago, throwing our researchers off track. Frog enthusiasts can also look out for the Torrent frog which exhibits the fascinating foot-flagging behavior. Nishani gudda: A four km hike through dense forest takes you atop this beautiful hill which gives the scenic view of Shola forests of Kudremukh National Park and lowland rainforest of Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary. Doddamane: A traditional house that was used as a set for many scenes from Shankar Nag’s well known series ‘Malgudi Days’. Today it is a quaint destination that offers comfortable accommodation provided by one of Agumbe’s heritage families.

How to travel: Nearest Railway Station: Udupi - 60 km, Shimoga - 92 km, Mangalore - 110 km Nearest Airport: Mangalore - 110 km, Bangalore - 340 km Frequent buses from Udupi, Mangalore and Shimoga, Direct bus to and from Bangalore (KSRTC non-ac sleeper). There are auto-rickshaws available to travel from Agumbe bus stand to the field station.

Accommodation:  Accommodation to the visitors will be provided in a cottage (with attached toilet/bathroom).  Accommodation to the workshop participants will be provided in a cottage (with attached toilet/bathroom) on multiple sharing basis.  Volunteers, interns and researchers will be accommodated in the dormitory. Agumbe Rainforest Research Station Suralihalla, Agumbe | Tirthahalli Taluk | Shimoga District | Karnataka - 577 411 Ph. No. 08181 233186 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.agumberainforest.org

 Please note that we do not provide towel and soap or any room service.

Food: Tea: 08:00 Breakfast: 09:30 Tea: 11:00 Lunch: 13:00 Tea with snacks: 16:00 Dinner: 19:00

Simple South Indian vegetarian food will be served. Chapatis will be served only for dinner. Non-vegetarian food (mainly chicken curry) will be served for one meal on Sunday.

Ought to know:  You are requested to carry necessary medication, and a basic first aid kit for your needs.  ATM is available in the Agumbe village by Syndicate Bank (only from Monday to Saturday between 10:00 to 17:00 hours).  No handling of any wildlife including snakes and frogs is permitted.  Collecting anything from protected area including plant parts is an offence.  Basic essentials such as soap, cold drinks and snacks are available from the village provisions store.  Apart from BSNL, no other mobile service providers operate in this area.  Broadband internet facility is available at the field station in the library.  Everyone at ARRS is expected to wash their own plates and tea-cups.  To help us manage waste we request you to separate organic and inorganic waste and use the respective dustbins.  ARRS runs solely on solar power so you are requested to use electricity carefully. However, there is enough supply available for charging batteries.  Social dynamics in Agumbe village are conservative and complex and ARRS has strived to establish a strong relationship with the local community. It is imperative to our work that this trust between the community and the ARRS staff and visitors is maintained. You are requested to be culturally sensitive particularly in regard to clothing, smoking in public, alcohol purchase and consumption. Alcohol consumption is not allowed at ARRS.  Use dull coloured clothes e.g. dull blue, grey, brown and green. CAMOUFLAGE OR KHAKI CLOTHES ARE NOT ALLOWED.

Things to carry: 1) Torchlight (this is essential) 2) Batteries with a couple extra ones (for your torch and other equipment) 3) Shoes and slippers or flip-flops 4) Umbrellas and rain gear

5) Leech socks can be provided from ARRS 6) Field guides, camera and binoculars will be very useful 7) Water bottle to keep you constantly hydrated 8) A cap or hat (during summer) 9) Volunteers/interns are requested to bring their laptops if they own one (this will be helpful for entering the research data)

Costs (includes all meals and simple accommodation):

Indian volunteer/intern registration fees (non-refundable, to be paid in advance) 1200 INR Indian volunteer/intern cost per day (up to 14 days) 700 INR Indian volunteer/intern cost per day (15 days or more) 400 INR Foreigner volunteer/intern registration fees (non-refundable, to be paid in advance) 2100 INR Foreigner volunteer/intern cost per day (up to 14 days) 1200 INR Foreigner volunteer/intern cost per day (15 days or more) 800 INR

Local students and teams will be considered for a subsidy in the pricing which is solely based on the discretion of the Field Director in consultation with the staff.

For more details contact: Dhiraj Bhaisare (Research Administrator) │ Contact Number: +91 9449 367536 │ Email: [email protected]