Sanctuary | Report More at www.sanctuarynaturefoundation.org | Report The Mud on Boots

Project shiv kumar/lahaul forest department By Cara Tejpal

Sanctuary Nature Foundation’s Mud on Boots Project was formally established in January 2017 as a natural extension of our effort to support grassroots level wildlife conservationists in . The Project is effectively a booster programme that empowers conservationists who go unrecognised because of a lack of affiliations, educational qualifications, mainstream opportunities and language Kids and students and teachers from three Crime Patrol, barriers. Those selected, known as Project Leaders, receive a monetary grant and customised schools. He uses these events to Camera Traps introduce children to the biodiversity Movie Night and support from Sanctuary over a period of two years. Thus far, 23 inspiring conservationists, of the region, and to discuss relevant Brown bears and snow leopards have conservation issues, such as the Morning Walks working in diverse regions of the country, have benefitted from the programme and broadened been on our mind, with Project Leader poaching of male Himalayan Monals for The vigilance of Project Leader Ashwin Shiv Kumar’s camera traps revealing the impact of their work. their beautiful crests. Gurusrikar’s volunteers and informants glorious snow-dusted footage of these revealed the electrocution of a tusker charismatic animals. Shiv has been Shiv always has a camera in hand, We at the Sanctuary Nature Foundation have huge respect for those whose boots are muddy near the Halaguru range of the Cauvery documenting the biodiversity around and has created an amateur Wildlife Sanctuary. Upon visiting the from the hardwork and toil that wildlife conservation in the field demands. The Mud on Boots the village of Udaipur in Lahaul district, documentary on the wildlife of spot and confirming the tip-off, the while he goes about his work as a forest Lahaul from the footage he has Project is our ongoing salute to such men and women. Here are a few updates, as shared by our team informed the Karnataka Forest guard. Interestingly, Shiv’s cameras gathered over the years. This documentary was screened at all three Department of the death. The volunteers current Project Leaders. captured a rare leopard cat last month. schools, where posters produced by and the forest staff discerned that Over the last two months, Shiv has also the Sanctuary Nature Foundation and the elephant came in contact with an been extending his community outreach books shared by SECURE Himalaya electrified fence that was erected for work by conducting workshops for were also distributed. killing wild animals and not just protecting A shwin Gurusrikar gaurav shirodkar gaurav

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crops, as the fields in the area were As the Mud on Boots Project enters its fallow. An FIR was filed against the fourth year, we whisper a word of land owner and they have been booked thanks to the late Tina Abraham, a S unil H arsana

under various sections of the Wildlife friend of Sanctuary and a lover of M alhar I ndulkar Protection Act, 1972. Ashwin and his all things wild. Our project evolved team, who together form the Vanodaya from the TINA grant for grassroots Wildlife Trust, have been providing conservationists, an initiative set up by invaluable support to the Cauvery Forest Paul Abraham in memory of his late Department for over a decade. wife, who lived to protect wild nature. November 2019 was also busy with outreach and education activities Holi Trees and conducted in different fringe villages of Elusive Otters the sanctuary. Wildlife filmmaker Shekar Dattatri’s ‘The Truth About Tigers’ was Project Leader Malhar Indulkar’s efforts to protect a rare and enigmatic Myristica screened on two separate occasions – swamp moved up a gear this winter. It once for 125 children from Honiganahalli is tradition for the local community to High School, and a second time for 250 cut an old tree from the swamp on this residents of Doddaelchikere. The movie occasion. Given the ecological value of screenings were followed by interactive this sacred grove, Malhar and another sessions on conservation and the grassroots conservationist, Narayan importance of protecting the Cauvery kaka, are now rallying their community Wildlife Sanctuary. In December 2019, through a concerted pride campaign. To this end, they have approached the local Vanodaya’s volunteers also organised surveys to identify habitats used will be ready to be planted as part of a temple committee to discuss the matter birding trails for 75 students from by lion-tailed macaques and otters. research and habitat restoration initiative in of conservation of the grove, initiated a two schools. The kids were taught Both are threatened, charismatics March 2020. survey to count the trees in the swamp, the basics of bird identification, and were species, and icons for diverse forests engaged with the Forest Department, As with many of our Project Leaders, able to spot over 27 species on their trails. and clean streams respectively. coordinated organic farming workshops Bhuvan lays great emphasis on Bhuvan visited sites in Kaginahare, for farmers who live near the grove, and conservation awareness and education. OUTLOOK RESPONSI B LE TOURISM AWARDS cOURTES Y: Kempuhole, and Bisle on the basis of triggered media coverage on its value. Season Watch He conducts workshops, leads nature Malhar and Narayan kaka have also anecdotal reports of sightings. His In ’s beleaguered Mangar Bani trails, and engages with local communities been nurturing a nursery of 37 Myristica findings will lay the foundation for forest, Project Leader Sunil Harsana’s through the year. Notably, in December, he saplings with the intention to transplant future conservation interventions. Eco Club keeps hope alive. The Eco took up the issue of garbage disposal along these at degraded sites. Club members spent December 2019 Those who regularly read our updates are the trail to Pushpagiri Peak. Subsequently, Malhar’s quest to document and protect observing changes in their environment aware that Bhuvan, in coordination with the Range Forest Officer took the decision the otters of the region is ongoing, and as Mangar took on its winter avatar. Sunil the Forest Department has also been to employ two more people to the Village over the past two months he welcomed From left to right: Indranil Roy, CEO, Outlook Group, Meenakshi organised a field trip to the Sultanpur overseeing the maintenance of native tree Forest Committee to keep the trail clean several volunteers to help him with his Sharma, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and National Park with help from the Laksh seedlings. The saplings are doing well and and enforce a plastic ban. surveys. Point surveys conducted through Foundation and members of the Delhi November and December yielded no direct Jose Dominic, Co-founder & Director, CGH Earth. Birders group, for club members, and sightings but plenty of evidence, including spraint and claw marks, of otter presence. a forest walk to introduce residents On January 17, 2020, Sanctuary Nature Foundation’s Mud on Boots Project won His outreach work also intensified in the Gold Award for Best Wildlife Project at the Outlook Responsible Tourism from and to the December, with workshops conducted for Awards held in New Delhi. biodiversity in their city. Bhuvaneshwar H C Bhuvaneshwar children from two high schools. Amongst The selection was based on a rigorous, two-stage application process, and the Mangar Bani faces grave threat from the nature walks, camera trapping and jury included conservationists Belinda Wright, Prerna Singh Bindra, and Ranjit Lal, plaster casting activities, Malhar also landgrab and encroachments. Sunil amongst several other eminent personalities. Ten wildlife conservation projects encouraged students to write their own Harsana has been working with experts were long-listed for the award, from which three were then short-listed. These fictional works on the otters of the and citizens to confront these. Turn Terekhol river. Twenty such stories were included projects by our friends from The Corbett Foundation, and the Devalsari to page 74 for a detailed report on produced by the young writers. Environment Protection and Technology Development Society (see page 88), the issue. both of which are also doing invaluable work for communities and wildlife. The Mud on Boots Project is kept Cara Tejpal, Director of the Mud on Boots Project, accepted the award on Preliminary Surveys afloat by generous contributions behalf of the Sanctuary Nature Foundation and all the Mud on Boots Project from wildlife enthusiasts in India. Leaders. At Sanctuary Nature Foundation, we recognise that conservation is As Project Leader Bhuvan H.C. slowly To support our work through a driven by communities, and only by recognising and empowering community but surely expands the scope of monetary donation and meet champions can we hope to protect the biodiversity that sustains us all. his work, his need for data has also our Project Leaders, log on to For more details go to www.sanctuarynaturefoundation.org/projects/ increased. Over the past few weeks, mud-on-boots www.sanctuarynaturefoundation.org Bhuvan has conducted preliminary

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