February 2013 // eLeaf Newsletter 
Mali Elephant Project
Surviving the War

The main wave of the warfare in Mali has washed over the Gourma Region and the elephant range, and its immediate threat is diminished thanks to intervention from the French.  However, mop-up work is still occurring in the Gourma as some of the jihadis and rebels are in hiding in the area, trying to flee.  The next main phase of counter-insurgency will now begin, which is less certain and far more challenging, but mostly centered in the North...we hope. 

 

 

In the last year there were the first few incidents of poaching, totaling just 6. Thus far, the communities have managed to stem the tide, and we are now poised to deploy the specially-trained, anti-poaching team, that we've initiated in partnership with the Mali government and supported by numerous sponsors.

 

In addition to the threat of poaching, the fighting may also be affecting the elephants in other ways. All elephants have a very acute sense of sound and smell including an exceptional ability to detect vibrations and pick up smells over long distances. This not only allows them to communicate, and sniff out water or food but also gives them a useful early warning of approaching danger.

 

Unlike elephants in other parts of Africa or India, the Gourma elephants are extremely shy of human contact, and easily stressed by such things as the sound or smell of a vehicle. They spend much of their time in thicket-forests where they find food, water, shelter from the sun and refuge from human activity.  

 

> Continue reading the latest update by Dr. Susan Canney
 

I-70 Wild Byway

Introducing the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Bridge Company!

There is a growing movement across the globe to reconnect wild lands like Colorado's mountains, both to protect our wildlife and to decrease "AVCs".  Wildlife crossings built over or under the highway are a highly successful solution to this ongoing, daily tragedy that decimates wildlife and kills and maims humans...and, it's an $8 billion dollar a year tab. The good news is that this idea is barely beginning to make an impact...and now we need to "drive" this forward so that these structures are  considered normal, and central to any road building project or repair.

 

The Rocky Mountain Wildlife Bridge Company is working full speed ahead on building the most prominent wildlife bridge across an interstate highway in the US.  This wildlife bridge, to be built at East Vail Pass over I-70, will be the model for future Interstate projects and beyond.  The " I-70 Wild Byway", as it has been christened, is a game-changer in highway design and conservation connectivity.  The I-70 Wild Byway will change the course of conservation in Colorado...and ultimately in the U.S.

 

ARC overpass  

The Rocky Mountain Wildlife Bridge Company is a team of people from various backgrounds who have committed thousands of hours to get the Wild Byway built. The Team:

  • Rocky Mountain Wild - based in Denver, RMW protects the biological diversity of the Rocky Mountain west by monitoring threatened species, researching and mapping lands, and campaigning to preserve these threatened areas. 
  • Environmental Communications Associates - For over 20 years, Environmental Communications Associates has been a pioneer in strategic planning and communications on environmental and sensitive issues. 
  • The WILD Foundation - As the heart of the global wilderness movement, WILD protects wild lands, wildlife, and people through policy, research, the arts, and outreach.  
  • Bethany Gravell of Colorado Conservation Trust is managing the fundraising campaign for the I-70 Wild Byway and as former Executive Director of RMW has been networking with stakeholders and partners for several years on this project.
  • Rick Wells of REGen, LLC is the Project Manager for the I-70 Wild Byway project and is a licensed engineer by experience with project management, financial consulting, and infrastructure construction. 
  • The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been an active participant in studying the problems of vehicle/animal collisions. 

This first bridge will be built using a combination of public and private funding and we have several committed partners. We need your support to reach our goal and build this bridge!  If you are passionate and committed to building the first wildlife bridge over I-70 in Colorado, donate now and share this newsletter with others.

 

> Learn more about the I-70 Wild Byway project and team  

 

  

WILD10 Pre-Registration Details

We expect to launch the on-line registration process in early March 2013, fully seven months before WILD10 convenes in Salamanca.   Our intention is to keep costs as low as possible. Please note that very few scholarships are available.  For your convenience in pre-planning and budgeting, we want to summarize the main elements.

 

WILD10 is seven days total, divided into two aspects with a field excursion ("Wild Day" in between).

 

Please see the basic pricing structure here.

 

Full registration for all 7 days is € 390:-, or € 200:- each if a delegate attends only "The Global Gathering" or only "The Global Forum".  For registered students (with ID), youth under 18 years, and delegates from developing countries, the cost is € 300:- for the 7 days.  An early registration cost of € 340:- will also be available for a limited time, starting early March when registration goes live on-line.

 

> Read more

Featured News


Tracks of Giants GeoStory 

Our Tracks of Giants expedition has just been made into a National Geographic GeoStory! GeoStories is a new publishing platform for organizations and journalists to embed place-based multimedia stories in their websites and apps.

The format combines maps, multimedia, and narrative to take viewers on tours of places and topics. 

 

> View the GeoStory


Did you renew your IJW subscription? 

 

The first issue of the 2013 International Journal of Wilderness will be released in April. Don't forget to subscribe for Volume 19! 

 

> Subscribe online

 

 


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