A Mighty Kinabatangan Flood

Volunteers

Deborah Lemish, Australia
Ben Wasserberg, UK
Verity Stephens, UK
Karen Hammond, UK
Alison Hunniset, UK
Sally Wigzell, UK






















"OK Volunteers! We are just about to arrive at the jetty. It is a simple wooden jetty which has a plank leading up to our boat. Please note the floating log at the end of the plank - step carefully to get into the boat." I was all enthusiastic as we turned into the lane towards the jetty and started off on our H&S briefing. We got out of the van, took our bags and headed towards the ... jetty? "umm... change of plans guys, the jetty is ... uh... not there..." After three days of torrential rain, the rivers of Kinabatangan rose a few meters and totally flooded its banks. This is one of the bigger floods we have seen since 5 years ago. Our volunteers were lucky to see this interesting natural phenomenon.





























Habitat Restoration

The flood meant no actual tree planting this month. At the worst point of the flooding, our tree planting site was chest deep in water :) and it didnt subside for about 20 days. However, we made good starting off a nursery by collecting seedlings of fast growing, fruiting, floodplain trees. 75 seedlings were collected over 2 days and put into black poly bags before being placed at the proposed nursery site at the lodge. This nursery would supplement the income of the local staff as they plan to sell them to guests at the lodge who would like to plant a tree at the lodge's tree planting site.

























Education Programme

This month we explored the life forms in the river and what made the children happy because of the river. Children came up with a variety of activities, sights and wildlife that they enjoy and love by the river. Then we talked about what happens when the health of the river deteriorates. The children were asked to enact several scenarios and talk about the consequences.
































Community Project

Having finished work on the mural with the past 2 groups, we began work on the school garden this month. We were shown how to use a parang to sharpen the edges of planks and then spike them next to each other as a temporary fence. While it looked easy with the demonstration by Martin who took only 5 slashes to make the sharp edges, the volunteers took much longer and had a good work out by the end of the day.



























Wildlife Population Density Data Collection

Population Density checks continued and this group saw pygmy elephants 5 times!! Other wildlife on the list: Orang-utans, including a mating couple and a very angry male, proboscis monkeys, pig-tailed and long-tailed macaques, wild boars, leaf-nosed pit viper, Waggler’s pit viper, mangrove cat snake, copperhead racer, water monitor lizards.

Birds: oriental pied hornbill, wrinkled hornbill, rhinoceros hornbill, black hornbill, white crowned hornbill, stork-billed kingfisher, blue-eared kingfisher, oriental darter, storm’s stork, white-chested prinia (night), large heron, heron (night), red & black broadbill, paradise flycatcher, white bellied eagle, imperial pigeon, Indian cuckoo.

Night life: Baby crocodiles, cricket frog, green tree iguana, flying lemur, fruit bats, water monitor lizards, mangrove cat snake.

Labels: community development, conservation, Habitat Restoration, Kinabatangan, Orang-utan, pygmy elephant, Sukau