Environmentalists join hands to save the drying Mara River

http://www.the-star.co.ke/lifestyle/128-lifestyle/90565-environmentalists-join-hands-to-save-the-drying-mara-river-

Siku ya Kuzaliwa

Yesterday was my birthday, or "siku ya kuzaliwa" in Kiswahili. My amazing husband baked me this cake in our Cookswell charcoal jiko. I think it was the first cake he's ever baked, and in a charcoal oven at that! It turned out perfectly, and he frosted it with a delicious icing made from Blue Band (the local butter substitute). The night before my birthday we had a small party with the hyena researchers and went to Serena Lodge for drinks, followed by cake back at the camp. The day of my birthday, Chris and I went for a game drive - just for fun! - and he treated me to a massage at the lodge. It was amazing, and much needed after all the bouncing around on the roads around here. I also got to talk with me family back in the US, and I got lots of great messages from friends and family back home, which was a real highlight of my day. Last night, we went back up to Serena for dinner. They have a salad bar, with actual lettuce!, as well as tons of other delicious food, so we were fasting all day in preparation. We ended up meeting up with some more good friends at the Lodge and sharing drinks and dinner together. It was another perfect birthday in the Mara!

Going solar

Drying macroinvertebrate and hippo poop samples with our solar oven and heating water for a hot shower in our solar shower bag in the new clearing Chris "mowed" today. The last few days have been cloudy and rainy, making it difficult to keep things clean and dry. Thank goodness for a hot, sunny day!

Mowing the lawn

Chris is learning how to use the local version of a lawnmower- a sharp-edged blade that you swing back and forth to cut the grass. With all the rain we've had, the grass and trees around camp have really grown up. Today, he's clearing a place in an opening with lots of sun for us to put out our solar ovens for drying samples.

Bush Bagels

Our newest trick this season is making bagels in our charcoal Cookswell Jiko.

The Migration is Here!

About 3 days ago, the wildebeest migration began crossing the Sand River from Tanzania into Kenya. It's incredible how quickly the landscape is transformed by vast views of thousands of wildebeest spread out across the savanna. The herd is largely congregated near the Mara River, close to the Tanzanian border, suggesting they may start crossing the river soon. With water levels fairly high, especially for this time of year due to the recent, unseasonal rains, it could make for some pretty exciting, and dangerous, crossings.

Not exactly panning for gold

Morning Commute

On our way to work this morning, we passed this line of elephants heading to work as well. On their day's schedule
1) eat Acacia saplings
2) bathe in the river
3) pose for tourists

(Sorry for the blurry picture; roads are a bit bumpy!)

Learning to divine for water

This week I have been attending a really exciting workshop in Tanzania to set the environmental flow recommendations for the lower reaches of the Mara River. Today, we took a break during lunch for Vivienne Abbott, Project Coordinator for the GLOWS iWASH project, to teach us how to divine for water. Here's a photo of Dr. Margaret Abira, Regional Director for Lake Victoria South Catchment Management Authority, finding water in the garden of the hotel.

No wheels

Preventative maintenance day in Narok.