The Volunteers:

- Sue Benton - A dental Nurse in the UK.
- Jacky Robertson – A support worker for alcohol and drug abuser in the UK.
- Monica Filkova - working for a finance institution in the UK.
- Lauren LeClair – Former manager at an ice rink now taking a break from work
- Cyinthia Margeson – A now retired primary school teacher currently residing in Malaysia

This months activities:

Following the same programme ideas from the previous group this months programmes were carried out in several sessions with each of it complementing and inter related with each other.




Volunteers in action

Population Density Data Collection:

This month’s data collection continued to show good sightings of wildlife along the river. The observation of wildlife on the boat on specific period of times showed a wide variety of species occurring along the Kinabatangan river and its tributaries. Altogether 59 species of wildlife was recorded during the data collecting with a breakdown of 44 sp of birds, 12 sp of mammals and 3 sp of reptiles of which does not include species seen along the lodge area and the insect life.
The mammal’s species seen this month includes the elusive Borneo Pygmy Elephants that was sighted on one occasion downstream, a small group of about 6 individuals! This smaller group comes from a larger herd estimated to number about 30 of them. No other sightings of elephants recorded after this as the elephants have continued their migration further downstream towards the village of Abai. 6 primates’ species was also observed this month with 7 wild Orang Utans sighted along the river. The highlight will have to be the sighting of a fully-grown male orang utan with a huge cheek pad that was observed building and sleeping in a nest. Most records of orang utans was sighted downriver as a lot of trees in particular figs are starting to fruit. A single Borneo Gibbon was also sighted in one morning along the Sungai Menanggol. The loud boisterous call of this gibbon calling for its mate and marking its territory will always be remembered by the volunteers as one of the most enchanting call in the rainforest.
Other primates seen include Proboscis Monkeys, Long tail Macaque, Pig-tail macaque, and Silver leaf Langur. During the night cruise, a Leopard Cat was also spotted and observed but it did not stay too long to be observed carefully and to be photographed. The bird life observed was also good with sightings of several species of bird of preys like the Crested Goshawk, Crested Serpent Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Lesser Fish Eagle and White bellied Fish eagle. 6 hornbill species, Rhinoceros, Helmeted, Wrinkled, Pied, Black and Bushy Crested was also observed with the sighting of both the Rhinoceros and the rare Helmeted hornbill the highlight. We were lucky to be able to observed and record the call of the helmeted hornbill with its amazing cackle laughter in the end. The 4 sumandaks even learned the call of this hornbill and are now very good imitators of this bird. Reptile’s sightings were also good with high frequency of sightings of water monitor lizards, mangrove snakes and estuarine crocodile including a 4-metre long black colour croc on the last day!


Tree Planting:



The tree planting session this month concentrated on three sites (including a new site further upstream) that has been work upon by previous volunteer groups. Among the sessions done were the collection of leaf litter and water hyacinth for mulch and fertiliser, site maintenance and weeding and the planting of seedlings. The volunteers were very hardworking and did their best in completing the task required under the hot and high humidity of the rainforest. Most of the goals required for the tree planting were achieved thanks to the effort taken by the Sumandaks. The two previous sites of tree planting showed good progress in tree growth as upon site inspection discovered only 5 mortality of saplings. This 5 was then replaced with new saplings and the volunteers also planted another 7 more saplings as well. The leaf litters were placed around the previous sapling growth and weeding was done to remove of unnecessary climbing and creeping weeds. More weeding had to be done on the new site as quite a lot of wild grasses and weeds had started to take over some of the young natural growth sapling in the area. More than 30 saplings were being freed from their misery and water hyacinth and leaf litters are spread around the base of the trees to suppress weed growth around the sapling site. A new planting plot was then being prepared and the Sumandaks planted 30 saplings in the new site marking the start of a new corridor for the wildlife.

Rumble in the Jungle

It was a muddy’ and leechy’ experience for the volunteers during the trek in the rainforest. A heavy downpour the night before made the trail condition boggy and wet. But overall the early morning walk just as the sun is rising makes the forest look alive with the beautiful sunrays shining in through the dense canopy. A well-camouflaged bornean leaf nosed lizard (ornate shrub lizard) was sighted during the walk not mentioning the well-spotted leeches as well. Cyinthia became the only leech casualty as a leech managed to penetrate her defense.

Jungle Cooking



The bamboo style jungle cooking went well with the contributions of our 5 sumandaks! The session started with the volunteers being brought into the forest to collect a few vegetables and herbs for the cooking and this include wild pandan leaves (use for fragrance), daun lirik (use as bamboo covering), buah limposu (baccaurea sp) use as a local vegetable and for its sweet and sour flavour, shavings of garlic tree for local spice and wild jungle ferns. The sumandaks were also shown the right way to collect the wild ferns and after that they then started the preparation for cooking ie marinating the chicken with ginger, garlic, lemon grass and salt, cutting of wild vegetables and bamboo and they prepared the cooking site. The outcome after an hour of cooking: Sweet Potato and buah limposu Chicken with wild fern topping with very delicious gravy!

Education Programme



Continuing from where the last education module stopped, the 5th module this month went into the details of the concept of recycling. And the learning objective of this module is to not only create awareness and educate the children on recycling but to make recycling a habit among the younger generation. This module also aims to help the children understand the importance of recycling in keeping their river, environment and earth healthy. The volunteers did a good job on presenting out the topics to the children and made the children think and speak up on recycling issues around their village. The cycle of recycling was also introduce and the children learned on how paper, glasses and cans are normally produced and how they can save the environment and amount of pollution and destruction by doing their bit that is to recycle. The children also learnt about earth’s natural cycle such as the cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide between humans and trees and the cycle of leaves dying and turning into compost that fertilizes the soil. The concept of making paper through re used natural items like water hyacinth and elephant dung was also introduced to the children. The children also learned a new tune that is.. If you want a Happy River.. :P



School Project



The site of project has already been filled up with a mixture of sand and soil and the area has already been level down. The volunteers continued where we last stop by designing and erecting a trellis just behind the schools toilet. The objectives were to allow creepers and climbing plants like pumpkin to start growing and provide beautiful outlook on the garden. The concrete generator house and slab is painted white to prepare it for the drawing of a mural. Seedlings of chillies, long beans and pumpkins and banana saplings were also planted on the site as well.

Labels: gibbon, hornbill, Orang-utan, orangutan, proboscis monkey, pygmy elephant, Sabah, sliver leaf langur, Sukau

British Babes in Borneo

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

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

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

Volunteers
Kate Peden, 38, Education Consultant, UK
Tony Hepworth, 67, City Councillor & Educator, Australia
Josie, Artist, France
Ludovic Gomez, 30, Staff at Old Folks Home, France
Sangita Talati, 34, Holland
Sunil Talati, 41, IT Consultant, Holland
Doug Kington, 28, UK
Jackie McGeough, 39, Ireland
Carol Bryson, 57, Retired Teacher, UK
Mike Carrol, 57, Retired Aviation Engineer, UK
Louise Sullivan, 36, UK
Zoltan Nemes-Nagy, 40, Official Photographer, Hungary

This being a very international group didn’t put any challenge on group dynamics. In fact, they got along fabulously. All duties were shared and distributed equally. Nobody took time off as long as there was work to be done and in fact, they would chase us for more work! Each evening, some would sit around our “WOX table” and play games with rounds of drinks (the girls were hooked on gin & tonic). Others would quietly spend time reading and writing.

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