30. November 2020

    News of November 2020

    “Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex,

    the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.”

    B. Mollison

    Dear Friends and Family,

     

    November saw us get two lightning strikes. The first was to the east alongside our boundary. Neighbours and DFES collaborated. After investing 9.4 hours in helicopter-time and approximately 37 man-hours, after three days the fire was out. THANK YOU, fellows!!

    Some cloud-cover and a little moisture in the air had allowed us to be effective with mainly blowers and only very little water.

    A week later (and with only 5mm of rain in between), another bolt of lightning hit the ridge, north-east of the camp. Luckily it rained the next day.

     

    After four challenging seasons in a row, and despite a bumpy start during the last few weeks, all around us nature is now waking up from a hot siesta. Ripening mangos attract visitors to the camp: fruit-bats by night and birds during the day. Still, ‘upper level management’ gets its fair share and ‘middle level management’ enjoys what drops on the ground. New growth of ‘lower level management’ is sucking up the sunshine and feeding all the underground workers who have commenced a new season of soil-building.

     

    As we continue with the challenge of inviting others to participate in regenerating neglected landscapes, we thank all our friends and critics for keeping us on our toes.

    A special THANK YOU! also to Simon, Mark, Amy, Mike, Steph and Judy who this year took this message to broader international audiences!

     

    May the season of Advent bring everybody blessings and the joy that comes with the message of Christmas.

     

    Greetings from Kachana 

    Photos of the Month

    • How we instruct our Middle Level Management will determine growth in the new season
    • Inoculating the landscape with new biological activity: Each day another portion of land is dotted with dung and urine
    • As the season turns, trees sprout new foliage…
    • … perennial grasses grow new solar panels…
    • … new managers join the teams that work within our model areas…
    • … our fire-patrol officers too await more work
    • Lightning strike 15th November 2020 – If animals don’t eat it, fire will!
    • Fire fronts are easier to identify at night
    • Extinguishing fire often turns into a night-time job
    • It is also thirsty work
    • At 10:00 pm it was time to get some rest
    • There was plenty of flat ground to lie on and there were enough ants around to keep us looking for a new spot every hour or so
    • 04:30 we were back in the air – there is only so much we can do in a three-hour window before the day gets too hot
    • The chopper allows us to be dropped off where we can be most effective
    • We focus on areas where we can prevent flare-ups later in the day
    • The job is made easier in areas where the wind blows into the area that has already burnt
    • When the job is done, sometimes (seldom often enough) we find spots to cool off for a few minutes
    • Then its time to go home, pray for rain and reflect on what we could do better the next time round

    News & Views

    Inspiring news from the cutting edge of environmental restoration in this new book by Judith D. Schwartz:

    The Reindeer Chronicles And Other Inspiring Stories of Working with Nature to Heal the Earth

     

    Thank you, Judy, for raising awareness of the Kachana donkeys!

     

    This movie is now out! 🐄

    In a new movie, Diana Rodgers makes the nutritional, environmental and ethical case for better meat.

    Find out more here – Sacred Cow

    Link of the Month

    It is in line with Christian traditions to approach Christmas with reflection about the deeper meanings of life.

    Accordingly, we share with you Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermon at the beginning of Advent: Naming What We All Know

    Tags: 2020