Holocene year 1 issue 2

Year – 1/Issue – 2/Oct – Nov’15

World after 5th Extinction Featured Topic : World Animal Day… History, Significance and Implementation…

Editorial : Eco Tourism – Eco or Tourism.

Story Rroom : Call of the wild…

Wild wild west…

Arnab Basu

Animal welfare organisations, community groups, youth and children’s clubs, businesses and individuals across the world are gathering to organise events in celebration of World Animal Day. Involvement is growing at an astonishing rate and it's now widely accepted and celebrated in a variety of different ways in many countries, with no regard to nationality, religion, faith or political ideology.

Theme Poster – White Buffalo calf

regard is always paid to their welfare.

But why do we celebrate World Animal Day? Throughout history, social movements (mass actions) like World Animal Day, have always been a major vehicle for ordinary people’s participation in politics, and key in fighting for social justice and reform. The lives of animals are profoundly affected by the actions of individuals, businesses, and nations.

It’s therefore essential that, as sentient beings, their rightful status as recipients of social justice is established and translated into effective animal protection. Through increased awareness and education, we can help develop a compassionate culture which feeds into legal reform and social progress to make this world a fairer place for all living creatures. A world where animals are recognised as sentient being and full 1 | Page

Coming Next : Polar Biodiversity model preparing.

Workshop on basic Suburban Bird Photography.

The aim of World Animal Day is to celebrate animal life in all its forms as well as humankind's relationship with the animal kingdom. October 4 was chosenbecause it is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi (a saint well known for his love of animals), however the day is not restricted to any particular religion.

The Day was set up in 1931 as a way of highlighting the plight of endangered species. Since then it has grown to encompass all kinds of animal life and is widely celebrated in countries throughout the world.

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Year – 1/Issue – 2/Oct – Nov’15

Implications of World Animal Day.

Wildcraft:

Building the celebration of World Animal Day mobilises people for action now for a better future for animals.

There are other days linked to animals such as: World Day for Laboratory Animals on 24 April and World Wildlife Day on 3 March, and these are important too. However, World Animal Day is the one day of the year that embraces all animals and the unique concerns of each, in every country. It’s a special opportunity to commemorate our love and respect for animals by doing something special to highlight their importance in the world. It unites the animal welfare movement, mobilising it into a global force for change. Participation in celebrating World Animal Day grows each year, with a huge variety of inspiring events being held in an increasing number of countries. In 2003, there were reportedly 44 events being held in 13 countries and this has now grown to an estimated 1000 events in around 100 countries.

Participation in World Animal Day will continue to grow until it reaches and connects animal advocates in all corners of the world. It's something that everyone can join in with, whether they are part of an organisation, group, or an individual.

Increased awareness, combined with better education for both adults and children, is slowly swaying the attitudes of people towards treating animals in a humane and compassionate way.

Tentative start Date : 31st December 2015.

Project Lead : Arnab Basu.

Place : Bengaluru, India.

These projects are interactive and fun to learn about terrestrial biodiversity. Kids may find them interesting and while playing with my models and toy animal replicas they may get lot of information on biodiversity.

At the same time these handmade models may make them interested in crafts and drawings and awake the hidden creativity and innovation within them.

The fun of discovery, learning and creation together can be found in this project.

Editors’ Desk :

Ecotourism Ecotourism – Eco or Tourism Since mid of the last quarter of the last century, a new trend was setting up all around the world. Travellers started preferring destinations which were not very popular before and the concept of tourism started changing widely. The era of “Ecotourism˝ has begun.

Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education. It is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel.

In 1980s, environmentalists started considering Ecotourism as a critical endeavour to spread awareness of nature and conservation among mankind. Like other developments in the modern era, ecotourism also has had economic reasons behind.

Due to the rapidly growing income, freer interregional travel, increased leisure time, dynamic trade and investment, government promotion measures, political stability in many region’s countries there has been growth in visits to many natural areas, particularly in developing countries.

Many economic development professionals also increasingly have viewed naturalarea visitation as a tool for providing employment in regions that have experienced decline, or lack of development, in other industries. Many conservation and resource management professionals increasingly have viewed natural area visitation as an avenue for enhancing natural area finance and providing conservation-related benefits, particularly to residents living near those areas.

There has been increasing attention paid to improving the sustainability of all tourism activities, including those occurring in natural areas.

Since late 20th century, craze of ecotourism is ever-increasing. In a report, UNWTO revealed that in 2007, ecotourism hold 7% share of the global market and still increasing. According to Travel Weekly, it would grow up to 25% of the 2 | Page

Preparation of miniature model of Polar Biodiversity.

world travel market bagging approximately $473 billion a year.

Ecotourism is the fastest growing subsector of tourism with an annual growth rate of 10 to 15% Worldwide.

The major share of this growth are in the developing countries compared to developed countries. This growth is mainly due to increasing environmental awareness and interest, including the desire to be perceived by others as environmentally sensitive, increased media exposure to natural areas around the world, a desire to see natural areas before they disappear, increasing dissatisfaction with traditional tourism destinations and products and a desire for more educative and challenging vacations, desire to go to novel destinations, sometimes as a way to "outdo" others and easier access to remote ecotourism destinations through development of air routes, roads, and other infrastructure.

With the increasing popularity of Ecotourism, its definition has been challenged sometimes. Without proper training and consciousness, sometimes tourists as well as promoters of

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Year – 1/Issue – 2/Oct – Nov’15

ecotourism start violating primary laws of nature and disturbing the nature, its habitats and ecosystem. Some environmentalists started recognising the word “Ecotourism˝ or “Sustainable Tourism˝ as an oxymoron. Their arguments were well placed and in some cases, found to be the fact. The strong smell of money leads to many illegal and unsustainable constructional developments even within natural areas disordering the habitat balance and ecosystem of the area.

Unmanaged pressure of tourists starts polluting the natural area by all means.

Now a days it is quite common to see used polythene bags, paper cups and other foreign bodies scattered here and there in natural areas. We find nonbiodegradable items floating in Sundarban deltas. We listen people shouting while on a safari gypsy in a National Park. Wildlife photography has become a heroic did these days and we often forget that the wellbeing of the photographed subject is much more important than the photograph of it. This is whatever may be, but surely not responsible tourism. While we are in the lap of Mother Nature, we need to act responsibly. We have every right of recreation but not at the cost of others living in this planet.

Exploring Nature will always be active in participating in eco-tourism and biodiversity exploration as well as wild life photography in order to promote “right˝ eco-tourism culture and biodiversity awareness among people.

Shoot only Photographs and Leave only Footprints: Workshop on the basics of Suburban Bird Photography.

Place : Kolkata Suburbs Tentative date : 6th & 7th February 2016.

Project Lead : Dwaipayan Ghosh Exposure Composition Lighting Situation Preparing for the field Composition Understanding Natural History Understanding Animal Behaviour Bird watching and photography in natural habitat

Story Room :

the south and Montana to the west. The capital city is Bismarck and the largest city is Fargo. North Dakota is the 19th most extensive, but the 4th least populous and the 4th least densely populated state among the 50 states of the USA.

Anwesha Ghatak

"The Call of The Far", as translated by our favourite bard Rabindranath Tagore.

"Ever I am restless, I am athirst for the far......O you far, O you boundless far........So irresistible is the call of your flute...... "It's "The Call of The Wild", the "Wanderlust" that beckons human souls to travel, explore the unknown. As we're all nature's children, it's our primal instinct to long for the nearness of Mother Nature, rediscover ourselves in her wilderness. "To one who has been long in city pent", rustic North Dakota Badlands are the perfect getaway. The 39th state North Dakota is situated in the Upper Midwestern region of the USA, bordering the Canadian Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north, the state of Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to 3 | Page

Our journey began at dusk on 4th September, Friday from Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a long weekend holiday that observed "Labour Day" on 7th September, Monday. During our 4 hours long drive to Fargo, the welcoming town of North Dakota, the setting sun was playing a constant game of hide-n-seek with greyish clouds. It was a smooth journey through the Interstate-94 with little help from the wipers of the car on occasional shower. Road trip in USA is quite comfortable with frequent rest areas located at travellers' conveniences, where you might want to stretch your legs and refuel. It was at one of those rest areas, we bid adieu to the fading sun. Soon we were witnesses to the grandeur of twilight sky. The colossal sky seems to be enormous out in the open. Like we own the sky as a whole, view from our urban windows is so inadequate!! By the nightfall we crossed the last town of Minnesota, Moorhead adjacent to Fargo. Night stay

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Year – 1/Issue – 2/Oct – Nov’15

at "Rodeway Inn", a small but cozy Bed & Breakfast in Fargo. Let the sun rise next day with all its glory and we would set our journey to the beautiful and historic town of Medora.

September 5th, Tuesday was bright with sun shining at 80F. Driving through the meadows of North Dakota is pleasant and opportunities are aplenty to capture grazing of ranch animals. Half past noon we took the "Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway" near a picturesque tiny town, Valley City. Lush green meadows at the lap of mountain valleys were absolute visual treats. North Dakota ranks first in the nation in the production of many crops. Driving by those western barns and ranches was rewarding in itself for a city-bred like me!! Next and very significant sojourn was at Jamestown, The buffalo city. It hosts a national buffalo museum with significant displays of "taxidermy". It also preserves the art and culture of the "Native American Indian tribes" who once inhabited the region. There are still a handful of "Indian" villages in and around North Dakota. The name "Dakota" is derived from the name of an Indigenous Native American tribe. The name is translated to mean "friend", "friendly" or "allies" in the Yankton-Yanktonai and Santee dialects of the Lakota Sioux language.

Jamestown is the home for White Buffalos, held sacred by the American Indian tradition. The buffalo herd owned by the National Buffalo Museum holds two of these rare creatures, including "White Cloud", the only certified true Albino Bison in the world!!

"White Cloud" has given birth to 11 claves as of spring 2014. One of those was "Dakota Miracle", a white buffalo. The buffalo cub was roaming somewhere in the vast grasslands. But, alas, we ran out of our luck to catch a glimpse of that coveted cub!! We would keep our fingers crossed on our way back!! Jamestown also attracts tourists for "Frontier Village", a re-created prairie town of 24 buildings.

There stands tall the "Dakota Thunder", world's biggest buffalo statue. Plenty of photo opportunities in this replica western village, where time stood still. We couldn't resist a ride in an old-fashioned "horse-carriage". The ride was bumpy with two beautiful horses carrying us through the replica town. Then there was a wedding in the village. A young and beautiful bride in white gown along with her bridesmaids, a dashing groom, and his best men, all dressed in traditional western cow-boy attires, kept giggling and chatting with each other. The bride and groom were happy to pose for my camera as I wish them all the very best for embarking a new journey.

A simple celebration of loyalty and commitment with the decor of wild flowers.

As they walk down the aisle, let the fragrance of those flowers enchant their hearts. "East is east and west is west", but "Love" is all we need to survive in this world!!

We were "on the clock" as we had to reach Medora by 5.30 PM, a hot steak buffet awaited us there!! Leaving behind Jamestown, we entered 4 | Page

"Mountain Time Zone" and gained one extra hour. Finally when we reached Medora it was 4 PM and the sky was clear blue. The town Medora unveiled in front of us like an alluring bride.

Medora is a prominent gateway to the "South Unit" of North Dakota badlands, also with noteworthy historical pertinence. The name "Medora" takes after the beautiful and talented wife of French nobleman Marquis De Mores, the founder of the town. Monsieur De Mores resigned from French Cavalry and moved to the North Dakota badlands to begin ranching.

Medora was founded in 1883 along the transcontinental rail line of the Northern Pacific Railway. Marquis De Mores wanted to ship refrigerated meat to Chicago via the railroad. He built a meat packing plant for this purpose and a house named "Chateau De Mores", which is now responsibly preserved as a museum. The wooden mansion is a lone establishment standing on a hilltop overlooking the Badlands. The lady of the house, Madame Medora was a socialite hosting lavish dinner parties attended by Russian Princes!! The dining table with original china bone crockery are conserved bereft of the livings!! Madame De Mores was an adept water colour artist, a classical pianist, avid equestrian (horse-back rider) and a passionate hunter!! Her vintage piano, saddle, brushes apprise story of a woman with manifold skills!! Those were the times with finite amenities. Simple but tidy bedrooms for guests depicted De Mores' to be generous hosts who frequently entertained aspiring ranchmen and hunters. Our brief visit to the "Chateau De Mores" was succinct with elements of revisiting history.

We hurried to the nationally acclaimed Medora "Pitchfork Steak Fondue", followed by "Medora Musical". Starting from June till September, every evening specialised chefs load steaks onto pitchfork and fondue them western style. We savoured our supper from atop a bluff at the Tjaden Terrace overlooking quaint badlands. Plus, we were serenaded with western melodies performed live by the members of "The Coal Diggers". Then we were escorted in a "mountain elevator" which would

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Year – 1/Issue – 2/Oct – Nov’15

take us down to the open air 2,852 seats Burning Hills Amphitheatre. Medora Musical, which boasts 50 splendid years of professionally produced, high energy, western style musical, is a complete family entertainer. Hosted by "Wild West Prestidigitator" Bill Sorensen and the evergreen "Queen of West" Emily Walter, audiences are treated to an exciting array of songs, comedy acts, live horses on stage and more.

After enjoying the show thoroughly, it was time to call it a night. Tomorrow September 6th, Sunday we would have a long exploration into the wide terrain of badlands.

Our stay in Belfield, "Trappers Inn", 20 miles from Medora was itself a place of interest. A glimpse into the fur trade and hunting legacy lives on at the restaurant "Trappers Kettle". The cedar-lined walls and petrified wood reflect the owner's love of the scenic North Dakota Badlands. Rustic artefacts of the "trapping era" and opulent taxidermy trophy animals would take visitors back to a time when the frontier was young and wild. The smoking hot buffet breakfast served there is epic with bacons, sausages, eggs, potatoes, breads, buns, apple pies and rich coffee. We're fuelled amply to wander off in the Badlands landscape. The tourist information office in the south unit is situated near the cabin of Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the USA. In 1901, Mr. Roosevelt became president of the nation and ultimately one of its best conservationists. He later said, "I would not have been president, had it not been for my experience in North Dakota"!! That expedition began in 1883 when Mr. Roosevelt arrived in the North Dakota Badlands to hunt bison. He purchased the Chimney Butte Ranch (known locally as the Maltese Cross Ranch). Roosevelt thrived on the vigorous outdoor lifestyle, actively participating in the life of a working cowboy. From there we started off in the scenic loop of Badlands. Badlands are a type of dry and barren terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clayrich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. The views of painted canyons took our breath away. Sky was transparently indigo allowing sun to shine at its brightest. At first we were greeted by a distant coyote, one of the carnivores in the Badlands. Its howl was a proclamation to watch out, now that we're in nature's abundance!! We discerned the legion of prairie dogs, type of mountain weasel, in meditation!! Suddenly we came across a solitary American Bison (Bison bison), also commonly known as American Buffalo taking rest and ignoring our ebullient photoshoots!! It took us a while to spot the entire gang of almost 50 buffalos grazing and calling out to each other. We observed the gang leader relentlessly guarding cubs. Those rugged buffalos appeared perfectly in sync with the topography. We 5 | Page

were nearing the end of the loop, when we spotted feral horses galloping regally. The scenery, horses were a spectacle which we'll cherish for long.

The light and shadow of sun playing with rocky, jagged ground of Badlands create an uncanny serenity. "Adios" Badlands, you'll linger in my memories.

We skipped lunch and munched on yummy home-made ice-creams in a local dairy. Our plan to have a pastoral dinner at a nearby ranch, "Buffalo Gap Guest Lunch", transpired to be exhilarating. As there was an unexpected event of "Calf Roping Championship", all the horses of the zone were convened along with their keepers. Calf roping, also known as tiedown roping is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. It was a show of sheer excellence by the cowboys and cowgirls to showcase their dexterity. To gain insight into the ranches, I chatted with a ranchman and his lovely kids. They really adored their horses like proud possessions. When I patted a magnificent brown mare, I sensed an equal adulation, beast to man and man to beast. That's the key to our survival, mutual admiration!! We savoured our "last supper" in the "wild wild west" with medium Rib-eye steak. We needed a good night sleep, as the journey back to Minneapolis would be 9 long hours.

We commenced our journey on "Labour Day", September 7th, Monday after an early breakfast. The memories we created during our eventful stay in North Dakota, were enough to keep us awake in the tedious return trip. And then, when we reached Jamestown, our wish came true. While driving down the road, we caught a glimpse of "Dakota Miracle", the milky white albino buffalo cub. After all, if there's a will, there's a way out!!

For team Exploring Nature Logo Credit : Arijit Das Majumder Title Design : Arijit Das Majumder Saikat Chakraborty Editors Desk : Dwaipayan Ghosh Arnab Basu

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Year – 1/Issue – 2/Oct – Nov’15

Theme Poster :

:: White Buffalo calf – Photography Anwesha Ghatak ::

6 | Page

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