mission: possible (get it?!)

so a little on what ill be doing or more likely what we think ill be doing for the next two years. ill be working in collaboration with the eaux et forets (water and forest dept) on the Biodiversity Conservation Using Transhumance Project. transhumance is basically nomadic peoples that until recently have migrated with the seasons up and down the slopes of the atlas mtns. though many are settled now it is still somewhat practiced in the rural villages like mine. i will be focusing on fuel wood usage, vegetation and grazing surveys, erosion control, flora and fauna photo documentation, native tree propagtion, and environmental education.
the current health volunteer in the area has an approved grant to build 50 latrines in the area and i begin by helping her with that. literally jumping in head first into the mess.
the fuel wood issue is interesting to me as i have heard that the women leave before dawn every morning to look for fuelwood. it seems to me as though an affordable alternative would be welcomed as it would alleviate some of the domestic burdens. but income generating activities are scarce in this subsistence culture. most families are beginning to use inexpensive butane gas for cooking needs, but continue to use wood for heating. unfortunately the long winters(5-6 months) and high elevation mean that heating sources are extremely strained. ive heard that a family burns a metric ton of fuelwood a month!! at this rate the already scarce forests stand little chance without replanting and/or alternative sources. ive researched the use of waste motor oil as an alternative, giving a beneficial outlet for a waste product. if anyone has ideas im open.
i think my biggest challenge will come in getting nomads to sit down to a meeting, literally.

the plan is to finish pst(pre service training) and leave for my site. i will live with the ait lachen family for 2 months before moving into my own house in the community. then after that the only thing left to do is save the world!!! all in a days work as a pc volunteer.

kelaa m'gouna area

here are pictures from my first visit to my site, which i cant name because pc wont let me. but it is a couple hours north of kelaa m'gouna, and east of ouarzazate. i was initially hesitant about being in the arid south and on the back side of the high atlas mtns, but my site is amazing. you must climb in a packed van(transit) for three hours into the dry mountains before emerging unto a wide rolling valley. my site is built into the side of a hill, surrounding a lush green river valley. behind the village(dwwar) is a limestone gorge that provides for amazing scenery and birding, but also is troublesome in that during heavy rains the outflow from the narrow canyon causes havoc on the villagers crops. the village is strictly berber(amazigh) but is on a major trekking route for foreigners(arumi). i have two other pc volunteers in the valley about a hours walk away.

the system of agriculture is ingenious, every possible arable stretch of land is used and irrigated through ages old aqueducts and ditchs. plots are small and make for a patchwork of different family-owned gardens, much different than the monocultured fields im accustomed to in the states. the gardens are separated by berms lined with trees or rose bushes, giving it a storytale feeling as you duck under low branches and jump side to side over creeks.


here is the view of the gorge that crosssects the valley. the walls are 150 ft in sections.


as you emerge on the far side of the gorge you begin to enter the side of the atlas that receives more rain and the vegetation is much more abundant. the area is apparently void of large mammals but is teaming with birdlife. i was amazed to see yellow wagtails, the bird i studied in alaska, and is known to migrate from north america to africa. maybe the individuals i observed so long ago are the same im seeing here, weird huh!!

the art of breaking up a donkey fight

on a recent visit to my site, I was taught an important skill, the delicate art of donkey conflict mediation. my family and i were sitting down to a leisurely meal, when were heard the horrible cry of our family donkey in pain. just as suddenly a neighor kid burst in, yelling that the neighbor's donkey was on the loose and looking for trouble. we ran outside to see our donkey in the fight of his/her life!! now, the uninitiated might ask how does one go about breaking up a donkey fight, well dear reader i shall tell you.

Step 1: run around frantically deciding what to do next

Step 2: select a good sized rock. this takes some skill to pick the right stone; preferably golfball sized and ergonomically comfortable to your given hand

Step 3: form a circle around the battling animals; careful of flailing hooves and snarling teeth

Step 4: pelt the assailtant with your rock; careful not to hit other people pummeling the animals with their rocks

Step 5: grab the tethers of the donkeys and begin to pull the animals apart. this step is reserved for more experienced practicioners ie fathers

Step 6: walk the aggressor home and yell at his/her owner for allowing their donkey to get loose.




as a pcv i understand my role as an agent of change, so ive recognized that these disputes are a possible area where i can administer my skills of mediation/pacificion. if all goes well i could be known far and wide as the "notorious ass whisperer"