Hi again,
Herewith, some snippets from various sources.
I appeal to you to send me items to distribute to our members for the Cleft Stick, the Game Ranger magazine and to be posted on the web site. These are your magazines and website, so ensure it gets the news that you would like to see in it.
Please let me have any changes to your physical address, phone no. or e-mail address to keep the database up to date. Remember this is the address we will send your Game Ranger Magazine to.
Thanks to all of you who have made the effort. Please will any of you who know of members who do not get this “electric” Cleft~Stick, & have access to e-mail, pass their address along to me.
Don Yunnie
7 Chalet Drive, Hilton, 3245, South Africa Local Tel & Fax (033) 343 1534
Int. Tel & Fax (+2733) 343 1534 cell 082 377 7562, E-mail dyunnie@xsinet.co.za
If you do not wish to receive this e-mail newsletter please send a blank e-mail to me at the above address with the word “Unsubscribe” as the message heading.
Please feel free to write to express your views on the content or the subject of any of the articles in this magazine – to the address above.
Readers respond
GRUMETI FUND, Tanzania, P.O. Box 65, Mugumu, Tanzania, 22 January 2009 To The Editor: Cleft Stick
Re: Some corrections to the article entitled “Tanzania to import Black Rhinos from South Africa”, edition: 22 December 2008
Thank you for the issue of cleft stick dated 22 December 2008. We always enjoy receiving this publication. We were very happy to see a news bite about the black rhino repatriation program in Tanzania entitled “Tanzania to import Black Rhinos from South Africa”. Black rhino are a hot topic, close to the hearts of many people. As such we felt it pertinent to make a few corrections and present points of clarity regarding the article:
We hope this serves to enhance the articles’ content and we trust you will include it as an addendum in your next addition. If you require any further information we would be happy to oblige.
Yours sincerely,
Sue van Rensburg
Ecologist, Grumeti Fund
P.O. Box 0
Arusha Tanzania
T: + 255 (0)28 262 2072, C: + 255 (0)783390779, E: suevr@grumetireserves.com
Changing the composition of the oceans
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor, Sunday, 25 January 2009
Scientists are planning this week to start a highly controversial experiment in changing the composition of the oceans, in apparent contravention of international law.
The experiment – to be conducted in the Southern Ocean – aims to create a bloom of plankton so big that it will be visible from outer space. But, at the last minute, the scheme has sailed into an international storm as environmentalists have called for it to be abandoned. The researchers – mainly from Germany and India, but including two Britons – plan to add some 20 tons of iron sulphate to a 186-square-mile patch of ocean about half way between Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, to demonstrate a way both of combating global warming and of saving the whale.
As the waters are short of iron, this is expected to lead to an explosive growth of plankton, which will take up carbon dioxide from the air. The scientists hope that, when the plankton die and their bodies sink deep into the ocean, they will take the carbon with them, keeping it out of the atmosphere for centuries. Applied on a large enough scale, they believe this could help stave off climate change, while increasing food for whales. Commercial firms have already announced plans to make money from such schemes.
But other scientists are deeply concerned that the practice could have devastating unintended effects on the oceans, including killing off large areas of sea, and releasing methane and nitrous oxide, which are even more potent causes of global warming. They also fear that the plankton could absorb sunlight, heating up surface waters and hastening climate change.
Last May the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity banned the practice, allowing exceptions only for "small-scale scientific research studies within coastal waters". Nevertheless, the expedition – jointly organised by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven and the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa, India – set off this month.
Alarmed environmentalists, led by the Canada-based ETC Group, urged Germany's Environment Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, to stop the experiment. The German government suspended it while legal and environmental reviews were carried out, and the scientists expect to hear the result early this week.
Dr Richard Lampitt of the University of Southampton's National Oceanography Centre, which has two scientists on board, says: "We desperately need to make this sort of experiment if we are going to make rational decisions in the future."
The Alfred Wegener Institute accuses objectors of "indulging in disruptive activities merely to draw attention to themselves".
Birds moving north over climate,
10/02/2009 09:00 - (SA)
Washington - As the temperature across the US has gotten warmer, the purple finch has been spending its winters more than 640 kilometers farther north than it used to. And it is not alone.
An Audubon Society study set for release Tuesday found that more than half of 305 birds species in North America, a hodgepodge of species that includes robins, gulls, chickadees and owls, are spending the winter about 56 kilometers farther north than they did 40 years ago.
The purple finch was the biggest northward mover. Its wintering grounds are now more along the latitude the upper Midwest instead of the Midwest.
Bird ranges can expand and shift for many reasons, among them urban sprawl, deforestation and the supplemental diet provided by backyard feeders. But researchers say the only explanation for why so many birds over such a broad area are wintering in more northern locales is global warming.
Over the 40 years covered by the study, the average January temperature in the United States climbed by nearly 3°C.
That warming was most pronounced in northern states, which have already recorded an influx of more southern species and could see some northern species retreat into Canada as ranges shift.
Compelling evidence
"This is as close as science at this scale gets to proof," said Greg Butcher, the lead scientist on the study and the director of bird conservation at the Audubon Society.
"It is not what each of these individual birds did. It is the wide diversity of birds that suggests it has something to do with temperature, rather than ecology."
The study provides compelling evidence for what many birders across the country have long recognized - that many birds are responding to climate change by shifting farther north.
Previous studies of breeding birds in Britain and the eastern US have detected similar trends. But the Audubon study covers a broader area and includes many more species.
The study of migration habits from 1966 through 2005 found about one-fourth of the species have moved farther south. But the number moving northward - 177 species - is twice that.
Large fraction of wintering birds
The study "shows a very, very large fraction of the wintering birds are shifting" northward, said Terry Root, a biologist at Stanford University.
"We don't know for a fact that it is warming. But when one keeps finding the same thing over and over ... we know it is not just a figment of our imagination."
The research is based on data collected during the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count in early winter. At that time of year, temperature is the primary driver for where birds go and whether they live or die.
To survive the cold, birds need to eat enough during the day to have the energy needed to shiver throughout the night.
Milder winters mean the birds don't need to expend as much energy shivering, and can get by eating less food in the day.
General biology aside, the research can't explain why particular species are moving. That is because changes in temperature affect different birds in different ways.
Other factors
Other species, such as the purple finch and boreal chickadee, spend their summers in the forests of Canada and fly south into the US for the winter.
Climate change could be playing a role in why they are not flying as far south as they used to, and are no longer as common as they were in northern states like Maine, Vermont and Wisconsin.
For other species, global warming may not be a major factor in the movements measured by Audubon at all. The wild turkey was second only to the purple finch in kilometers moved north - about 640. But it is likely due to efforts by hunters and state wildlife managers to boost its population.
In other cases, the range shifts are prompting calls to cull some bird populations.
The sandhill crane, a large gray bird that migrates to the southern US for the winter, has a range that expanded about 40 miles north in the last 40 years.
This small movement has likely contributed to the bird's population explosion in the southern state of Tennessee. The sandhill population has grown to a point that state wildlife officials are considering allowing the bird to be hunted.
"You are seeing it all across the state," said Richard Connors, president of the Tennessee Ornithological Society.
"As it increases, there is going to be pressure to hunt it. The bird watchers of Tennessee don't want that."
- AP
POSITION(s) AVAILABLE
Game Reserve manager in Mocambique
Hi Don
An old Junior School acquaintance of mine owns a Game Reserve in Mocambique and is looking for someone to run the establishment on a permanent basis.
He’s looking for an experienced man with no young encumbrances who has the following attributes;-
Obviously someone who knows the veld and the denizens thereof and is prepared to live in a fairly remote area.
Is capable of speaking the local language ie Shangaan or at a minimum, Fanagalo. Portuguese would also be an advantage.
It is essential that the applicant would be capable of getting along well, with the local populace and Government Officials.
He should be experienced in problem animal control and also the management of any Professional Hunting Operations which may take place on the property.
Is competent in the maintenance of machinery and equipment and has experience in the pioneering of and repair of road systems and fire breaks.
I suggest that anyone who is interested should contact me and I will then in turn pass them on to the property owner.
This is a really nice property and would be an ideal post for the right person.
Regards
John Watson
--- POSITION: ASSISTANT GAME RANCH MANAGER Applications are invited for the position of Assistant Game Ranch Manager on the 33 000 hectare Laohu Valley Reserve situated in the southern Freestate and Northern Cape.
REQUIREMENTS: Applicants should have some formal conservation qualification (BSc , Diploma in Nature Conservation or Game ranching etc.) and at least 5 years of appropriate experience.
DUTIES: All aspects of game ranch management: Habitat and animal management, personnel management, infrastructure maintenance and management, financial and staff management. The work also includes a tiger breeding program with the rare South China tiger. The applicant must also be prepared to undertake periodic visits to China to assist in the setting up of reserves in preparation for receiving tigers bred and rewilded in South Africa. A skipper’s license would be an additional recommendation but is not considered critical for the position.
PACKAGE: R8 000 - R12 000 per month commensurate with experience. Free housing including lights and water. Relocation costs. Medical aid.
Send applications with CV to: laohuvalleyreserve@mweb.co.za and cc to li@savechinastigers.org
--- Field guide with a FGASA Level 1
CRESTHILL CONSULTANTS
Good morning, Wayne,
This is Sharon de Beer from Cresthill Consultants. I am looking for a field guide with a FGASA Level 1 and a PDP for a position in the KNP. Please, if you know of anyone who is looking for employment, could you send them onto me at debeerberg@hostit.co.za or 036 4681515. I would really appreciate any help that I can get.
Kind regards,
Sharon
Head of Field Management (Europe) - 6 month appointment
Head of Field Management (Europe) vacancy just been posted on our website.
Please circulate to those who you feel would be interested.
We plan to make a speedy decision.
Thanks
Nigel
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Enviroment
I have 3 pdf files advertising posts in the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Enviroment
Should you be interested
SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER
SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER
PRINCIPAL ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER
SENIOR NATURE CONSERVATION SCIENTIST: ECOLOGICAL SERVICES
PRINCIPAL NATURE CONSERVATION SCIENTIST:
ECOLOGICAL SERVICES
CHIEF NATURE CONSERVATOR: ECOLOGICAL SERVICES
SENIOR NATURE CONSERVATION SCIENTIST
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
CHIEF NATURE CONSERVATOR: TECHNICAL AND LOGISTICS
NATURE CONSERVATOR
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (VARIOUS)
PRINCIPAL ENVIRONMENT OFFICER (REF NO: 70056044)
SENIOR ENVIRONMENT OFFICER (REF NO: 70056045)
ENVIRONMENT OFFICER (REF NO: 70056046)
PRINCIPAL ENVIRONMENT OFFICER (REF NO: 70056047)
SENIOR ENVIRONMENT OFFICER (REF NO: 70056048)
ENVIRONMENT OFFICER (REF NO: 70056049)
PRINCIPAL ENVIRONMENT OFFICER (REF NO: 70056050)
SENIOR ENVIRONMENT OFFICER (REF NO: 70056051)
ENVIRONMENT OFFICER (REF NO: 70056052)
DIRECTORATE: EPIA, Waste Management, Air Quality
DIRECTORATE: Conservation, SUB-DIRECTORATE: Technological Services
Most of these posts require the following : A Masters degree (or equivalent qualification) in environmental management, natural sciences, engineering, landscape architecture or planning. Knowledge of and experience in Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Understanding and application of environmental legislation, policies and procedures such as EIA and SEA.
DUTIES: Management of all aspects of environmental management with respect to land use management.
Management of strategic projects. Stakeholder engagement with both private and public sector. Technical
input, review and evaluation of EIA’s and other environmental reports. Compliance promotion and law
enforcement. Stakeholder engagement.
ENQUIRIES: Mr. L Mkwana. (EPIA) Tel No: (011) 355 1581.
POSITION(s) Wanted
Raptors and an MSc Conservation Biology
Dear André,
Early October 2006 we met at the Uitsig Farm of the Diekmann family in Namibia, when Maria had organised a vulture capture. I was the photographer and at the time working as a volunteer for REST. I contacted you in November 2007 regarding my MSc Conservation Biology project (Manchester Metropolitan University). You were kind enough to offer to accommodate and support a project of my own design. Unfortunately, the cost of obtaining data in South Africa was too high for me and I went to Madeira island instead to collect data on the population status and habitat associations of the Madeira Buzzard (Buteo buteo harterti) in May 2008.
I aim to finish the write-up of my project this May and am looking for work. Does the Endangered Wildlife Trust have any vacancies for someone with an MSc Conservation Biology, and a Diploma in Wildlife Management of the College of African Wildlife Management in Moshi (Tanzania)?
I have attached my resume and some additional information. My project has given me extensive experience with the DISTANCE software. Because the sample size was barely sufficient (39 buzzards) and the topography of Madeira is such that the transects violated almost every assumption of distance sampling, I really had to delve into the statistics to understand the consequences of that and to defend the choices I made to estimate the density. In my past life I was a systems analyst in ICT and I find that data analysis still suits me. I had no trouble completing a Multivariate Statistics module during my MSc course. I am relating all this, because I am aware that South Africa has its own highly trained conservation specialists. You do not need foreigners, but I also know that most people abhor the analysis side of research. I do not. I do, however, abhor not being in Africa.
I hope you do not mind my taking the liberty to write to you for a job in conservation based on a very brief acquaintance. And I sincerely hope that the trust can use me.
Thank you for your time.
Best wishes,
Dorine Jansen.
Tailpiece
She was standing in the kitchen preparing to boil eggs for breakfast, wearing only the 'T' shirt that she normally slept in.
As I walked in almost awake, she turned and said softly, 'You've got to make love to me this very moment.'
My eyes lit up and I thought, 'I am either still dreaming or this is going to be my lucky day.'
Not wanting to lose this Magic moment, I embraced her and then gave it my all; right there on the kitchen table.
Afterwards she said, 'Thanks,' and returned to the stove, her 'T' shirt still around her neck.
A little puzzled, I asked, 'What was that all about?'
She explained, 'The egg timer's broken.'