New LVBC Research Fund for the Mara River Basin

Announced on 21 July, the LVBC has signed MOUs with three universities to facilitate applied research in the Basin. The selected universities are Ardhi University (Tanzania), Egerton University (Kenya) and Maseno University (Kenya). The purpose of the MOUs is to facilitate improved management of water resources within the basin by building on the previous work of the EFA and BSAP. Initial funding of $60,000 USD will be divided equally among the universities to facilitate the applied research of "wildlife and habitat conservation; conservation enterprise; and, capacity building and leadership".

This collaboration between LVBC and these universities is exciting news for those interested in further enhancing our capacity to effectively manage the Mara River Basin. In addition to LVBC's work, another collaborative effort exists between UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education and four parter universities: University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Egerton University (Kenya), Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania), and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Kenya). UNESCO-IHE is currently funding the research of 4 PhD students (3 at UNESCO-IHE, 1 at UDSM) with the objective of developing a better understanding of the relationships between flow regime, water quality, and aquatic ecosystems. GLOWS will be providing funding to facilitate further research by 8 additional MSc students selected from the partner institutions. GLOWS will be facilitating this work over the coming months.

You can find out more about the LVBC initiative on their website, and about the MaraFlows program at the UNESCO-IHE website. Congratulations to LVBC staff and supporters on this exciting and important work.



Do Lions Drink From The Mara River?

These lions were drinking from a small puddle of water left behind in a safari van's wake.

Finally...we found one.

That's right, we found our first live muscle in the Mara River this last week. Martin, our guard for the day, actually located it.

We were on the banks of the Mara River doing our intensive macroinvertebrate sampling while Martin was watching for crocodiles and hippos. During the three hours we were there, the water dropped almost 20 centimeters. Martin caught a glimpse of the exposed muscle trying to work his way back down into the water since the quick drop in flow had left him high and dry.

Long-crested Eagle

Von der Decken's Hornbill

Baby Giraffe

White-browed Coucal...with a catch.

More Frogs

We were driving out of a small riparian forest near the confluence of the Mara and Talek rivers when we hit a big mud patch. Amanda exited the vehicle to scout out the path ahead to see if we could make it through the mud when these two guys surprised her. Look closely at the big guy...right on his back...the milky secretions of toxins designed to thwart the attempts of herpers from picking him up. Of course, this did not deter Amanda...only made it more fun.

Sucker

Simullidae...this sucker, literally, usually doesn't need the best water quality conditions. We find him at some of our sites as the quality deteriorates over time.

Brewing Storm

Thanks...Mara Conservancy Will

We ran into Mara Conservancy Will at the New Mara Bridge during our last sampling effort.  It was just about 3pm and we were running a bit late.  We were trying to make it to the Conservancy camp site near Mara Serena but Will encouraged us to push a bit further and camp at one of the camp sites next to the Mara...well...we are sure glad we listened to him.  Here is a picture from the campsite with the sun rising the next morning.

A Land Rover is not a Land Rover Unless it has Good Tires

A hard learned lesson for us.  

We spent about 12 hours over two days getting unstuck four times in the Masai Mara.  Two of the times we were able to get out ourselves.  The other two times we relied on good samaritans; Moses and Soloman.  One of the times we had gotten stuck in the middle of a Buffalo herd.  

Our retired tires...

Our new tires...Goodyear G90s.

Now maybe we can repay a favor and help pull somebody out next time.

Mosquito Larvae

We actually don't find many, if any of these guys. I spotted this one in a small, stagnant pool situated on a rock face in the flood zone of the Mara river. The Mara probably rose a few feet and deposited some water in this small rock crevice providing this guy with just the right conditions.

Coleoptera Larvae

Another important resident of the Mara...

Chemical Spill Into the Mara River

We've been following this through email correspondances since it happened. Allegedly there was a chemical waste spill into the Tigithe River in Tanzania a week or two ago. The Tigithe River flows into the Mara River.

Amanda just happens to be in Tanzania right now. She is meeting with governmental officials concerning the Mara River Environmental Flows Assessment. Although it is not the focus of her trip...I'm sure this situation will probably come up in conversation.

Read about the ongoing situation here:

Tanzania: Government probes North Mara Gold Mine over river pollution

ENVIRONMENT-TANZANIA: Villagers Fearful After Mine Water Discharged Into River

The Beast of the Mara

These guys have a vicious sting if you try and hold them for too long.  

Frog Diversity

Check these two guys out.  They were both found at practically the same spot on the bank of the Mara near the New Mara Bridge.  We were just getting ready to sample in some emergent vegetation on the river bank for macroinvertebrates and the big one caught our eye first.  The little puddle frog came out of hiding shortly thereafter.  

Three Cheetah

Fork-tailed Drongo

Giraffe Boxing