ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Since we saw her play three years ago, many of you have asked me for an update on the incredible story of Dasha Bukhartseva. Dasha (then 12 and 13 years old) played piano solos at concerts in Odessa, Ukraine, given during Zegrahm’s stop there on its Circumnavigation of the Black Sea. In 2006, at one of those concerts, passengers Dan and Lynne Levinson were so taken with Dasha that they arranged for her to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School during the summers of 2007 and 2008. Likewise, Mieke and Hendrick Smit, who were passengers on a different departure of that trip, were so impressed with Dasha that they helped to arrange for Anne Schein (a highly regarded pianist) to be her teacher in Aspen. Dasha, accompanied by her mom, lived with the Levinsons in Aspen for both summers. Read more

On November 24, 2009, the Clipper Odyssey anchored off the coast of Niuatoputapu, a remote island in the Kingdom of Tonga. Back in late-September of this year, this regular stop on our Hidden Gems of the South Pacific itinerary was rocked by an 8.3 magnitude earthquake that shook the ocean floor between the island archipelagos of Samoa and Tonga, causing a large tsunami. No one on Tonga had experienced a tsunami before, despite frequently occurring earthquakes. The wall of water not only devastated many of the coastal villages, but also resulted in nine deaths.

Upon hearing the news that the tsunami hit the little-known island of Niuatoputapu, the Zegrahm office immediately started questioning whether to go someplace else, or continue on with this port call as planned. Not only did Zegrahm decide to visit the island, but also provide the villagers who were trying to rebuild their lives with much needed essentials. Read more

At Zegrahm we believe that through travel comes awareness, and that awareness is what ultimately leads to viable solutions, which is why we are thrilled to partner with Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on our upcoming Rain Forests & Reefs expedition. Both organizations are recognized for their work in preserving and conserving natural resources and cultural heritage for future generations to enjoy. Read more

Within the Burma portion of our recent Eco-Expedition to Burma and Laos, our expedition leader Gary Wintz organized a surprise visit to the Myittawardi Parahita Monastery and Orphanage, arguably one of the most famous Buddhist monasteries and orphanages in Burma. The visit and food donations were arranged in advance by Gary but were a pleasant and unexpected surprise to our travelers. The picture shows the abbot, along with our group standing behind the mound of donated food supplies. After the presentation, everyone who wished to participate distributed fruit and crackers to the 300 orphans adding a very moving and unexpected memory to the expedition.

Mongolian wild horses—or Przewalski horses—came dangerously close to extinction due to hunting and competition with domestic stock. Had it not been for a number of individuals that were taken to zoos in various parts of the world, they would have been lost forever. Thanks to the dedicated conservation efforts of the Hustai National Park Trust, Przewalski horses were reintroduced to the park in 1992 and recent figures put the population at nearly 200 horses.

Together with Mark Brazil (an expedition leader on past Mongolia trips), Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions is proud to have played a role in the conservation efforts by sponsoring a Przewalski foal for the last few years. In 2006 we adopted Zegrahm; Eco-1 followed in 2007, and Eco-2 in 2008. We recently received this information and photo from a wildlife biologist working in Hustai National Park.

“Female foal ECO-2 was born on the 23rd of May, 2008. Her father’s name is Bernard and he is one of the strongest stallions in Hustai. The mother’s name is Anu, named after the legendary western Mongolian Queen of the 16th century.”

When the Przewalski population reaches beyond 500 horses, conservationists will have deemed the reintroduction a success. Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions plans to continue supporting the efforts of the Hustai National Park Trust, share information about their work, and encourage travelers to go and see for themselves these magnificent creatures roaming free and wild in Mongolia.

For more information on Hustai National Park, visit: http://www.hustai.mn/
For information on Zegrahm & Eco’s upcoming Mongolia expedition, visit: http://www.zeco.com/destinations/mongolia_d.asp?dateid=530
For more information on Mark Brazil visit:
http://www.zeco.com/about/guides_a.asp#2

Among the many passions of Jack Grove—marine biologist, naturalist, author, photographer, Zegrahm cofounder, and expedition-leader-at-large—conservation and sustainability top the list. With seven continents and nearly every sea on the map checked off, Jack has had many opportunities to witness nature at its most prolific, and at its most endangered.

On May 5, 2009, Jack will address the National Association of Environmental Professionals as one of four keynote speakers. The theme of the conference is: Making Sustainability Happen: Goals, Practices, and Challenges. The topic of Jack’s speech will be Biodiversity In The Sea And Why It Matters.

In its mission statement NAEP’s purpose is to maintain “a multidisciplinary, professional association dedicated to the promotion of ethical practices, technical competency, and professional standards in the environmental fields.” http://www.naep.org

The NAEP Conference will be held May 2 – 6, at the Radisson Ft. McDowell, Scottsdale, Arizona.

In an effort to promote the understanding and preservation of the unique cultural heritage and fragile environments of the remote islands of the Pacific Ocean, Zegrahm lecturer and Explorers Club member Edmundo Edwards of Easter Island, along with Lynn Danaher of Friday Harbor, Washington, have created the Pacific Islands Research Institute (PIRI), a 501c3 non-profit. Joined by Dr. Nancy Sullivan, also an Explorers Club member of Madang, Papua New Guinea, Edmundo established camps and contacts with the local people of the Upper Karawari region of Papua New Guinea—the tribe whose lifestyle and culture they plan to further study. They also completed a study of the remarkable cave paintings in the area. In 2009 they will return to a more remote valley to study and make “first contact” with the Meakambut tribe of hunter-gathers to record and film their rituals, cave paintings, and the everyday life of this pristine culture.

The long-term plan for PIRI is to impart knowledge of the special environments, history, and varied cultures of the Pacific islands through a series of educational programs— including slideshow lectures, documentary films, and photography exhibits. Current efforts are focused on the some of the most remote islands of the Pacific: Raivavae, in the Austral Group, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and Papua New Guinea. To date, a documentary film about Raivavae and Papua New Guinea is in post-production and they are compiling a collection of more than 8,000 photographs into an ethnographic record of Raivavae and the cave paintings of Papua New Guinea. Edmundo’s 35 years of research on Rapa-Nui will be translated from Spanish, his native tongue, into English. Future plans include offering lecture presentations and film documentation to the general public and school groups with the committed belief that education is the only means toward understanding the importance of preservation and continued research in these remote isolated environments. The PIRI web page is currently under construction but the address will be www.pacificislandsresearchinstitute.org.

For questions, more information or to make a contribution, please call or email Lynn Danaher, President, PIRI @ tel: 360-378-6692 or e-mail: islandlynx@aol.com

Many said it was the best ever of the New York State Ornithological Association’s sixty annual meetings and one of the highlights was the inspirational talk delivered by Peter Harrison. His presentation “Seven Years and Seven Continents”—the incredible story of how he gathered data and made preliminary sketches of hundreds of sea birds for his identification bible of the past twenty-five years, Seabirds: An Identification Guide, touched many hearts in many ways. However, it was his message to the members of the newly fledged Young Birder’s Club that reached to the core of everyone there and was perhaps the most significant event of the weekend.

When Peter arrived in Rochester from Seattle, with only one morning to go birding, his greatest avian interest was in seeing some of our confusing fall Eastern wood warblers. Soon he would be in his own garden at Land’s End in England hoping to see at least one vagrant from the colonies. His brief birding time along Lake Ontario would be a great warm up for the impending migration in Europe.

Upon entering the “Owl Woods” in search of warblers, little did we know that a chance encounter was about to occur with the nucleus of a new young birder’s club from around the state. When introduced to the teenagers and their leader it was pointed out that Peter had indeed himself been a member of his own country’s youth birding association which had great impact upon his life. Peter quickly picked up on that and was soon communicating to the student pioneers what an important step forward they had made in charting the direction of their lives. Hope, a brilliant sixteen year old with identification skills to be much envied, and who had asked help from NYSOA in forming a state young birders club, was enthralled with the opportunity to talk with one of the world’s most renowned birders and it was clearly a moment to remember in her young life.

That evening when Peter delivered his presentation to an audience of nearly two hundred he took special care to single out Hope and her young companions. While he spoke to them directly at times everyone there understood and identified with his message. It was a memorable experience.

Following his talk the kids made a bee line for him from their table at the back of the room and each had their opportunity to personally thank and interact with him. It was very rewarding for us all to see the respect and warmth between them and will surely encourage the organization to work diligently to assure that this very special youth movement is nurtured and grows.