Friday, January 28, 2011

Dream of Africa and go!

Kenyan conservationist to give presentation in Ketchum


By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

An elephant corridor has been established between the main Nanyuki-Meru Road (A2) adjoining the Ngare Ndare Forest/Lewa with the Mount Kenya Forest. The corridor re-establishes the only connection between Kenya’s second largest elephant population of 7,500 animals in Samburu with the estimated 2,000 in Mount Kenya. Photo by

Call it ecotourism, a vacation or wanderlust, traveling to remote regions of the globe can bring change and vitality to foreign lands. One area of interest to travelers and explorers is East Africa, especially Kenya. Today, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. at Zenergy Health Club and Spa in Ketchum, Michael Dyer, founder of Kenya's Borana Lodge, will give a free presentation on the conservation efforts and the vital role tourism plays in the future of Kenya.

Dyer will discuss and give a presentation on the environment, wildlife populations and local communities in Kenya. Dyer is a third-generation Kenyan and a founding member of the Laikipia Wildlife Forum, a conservation group focused on the Laikipia--Ewaso ecosystem. Dyer developed and operates several safari properties, including the Borana Lodge and Laragai House.

In the 1980s, Borana Ranch was primarily a ranch used for livestock and intensively farmed with cattle and sheep. Today, Borana is a crucial part of the Laikipia ecosystem, and has become a safe haven for wildlife. The ranch borders the Lewa Conservancy. In addition, the ranch works hard to create a safe environment for wildlife such as the rhinoceros, which requires substantial financial input given that keeping a rhinoceros safe form poachers costs some $25,000 per year.

  The Laikipia Wildlife Forum, which started in 1996, was set up to conserve wildlife and its habitat outside of national parks through education and the use of resources, promotion of eco-tourism, control of human/animal conflict and prevention of further degradation to the rangeland of Laikipia.

The Laikipia Wildlife Forum has been successful in joining together all the peoples of Laikipia, including the cattle ranchers and the small-scale farmers and herders, as a single body to confront economic and social issues in the area, as well as to promote conservation.

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On Borana Ranch, a project called Hide & Sheepskin was founded in 1966 by Will Powys, Dyer's grandfather. The project was created to employ the local disabled people in the area. From humble beginnings in a small wooden, thatched building, Hide & Sheepskin today employs a talented group of blind and physically disabled people. They produce an impressive variety of top-quality sheepskin and calfskin products. In an area where polio and other debilitating diseases are common, this project gives those affected a means to express their creativity and independence while maintaining a sustainable livelihood.

"Michael is a leading conservationist in the region," said Julie Agg-Manning, marketing head for the Safari & Conservation Co. "He's been involved in new ideas and concepts, such as establishing an elephant corridor."

Agg-Manning said the challenges of cattle ranching in the area have brought new insight into wildlife management.

"The challenges are to manage cattle so they are not eaten by lions and to make sure the lions have food to eat," she said. "People who come to visit want to see the conservation side as well as come on vacation."

At the Borana Lodge and Laragai House, a variety of travel options are available, including days of horseback riding through the region to one- or two-night visits.

"Visiting the area is tailor-made to what people want to do," Agg-Manning said. "Chopper expeditions are available to southern Ethiopia and [so is a] safari on the coast. Horseback is a great way to see the countryside."

Agg-Manning said Dyer will talk about the bigger picture of East Africa and conservation efforts there.

Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com




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