"PARISARA SRI" Annual Award for Year 2009-10

As part of our organization "The Sharavathi Nature conservation Trust (R)" initiative to take up various nature conservation, we have setup an annual award called "PARISARA SRI". We are going to present this award every year to the genuine people who are working for nature conservation and people who are saving prestine forest. The aim this award is to encourage and motivate the people to take up the consevration with more vigour.

This year we selected Sagar Range Forest Officer (RFO) Mr. Vijaya Kumar for the 2009-10 "PARISARA SRI" award. This officer is very experienced officer and a wild life enthusiast himself. This officer is very honest and very hard working officer. Mr. Vijayakumar went after smugglers, people who used to occupy forest land and curtailed the deforestation process. Within couple of months after he took over as RFO, we could notice the difference in forest administration. Also this RFO is very creative and brought various measures to save wild life and forest. So this time we were very happy to recognize such a great personality. The award carried a momento/citation and we gifted utilites like head torch/ solar rechargable lantern etc.,

We organized the first such award ceremony in GUBBAGODU village in sagar taluk where we are conducting our nature camp activities on April 11th 2009. The function was attended by RFO Mr. Vijayakumar, our trust president Mr. Subbarao and secretory Sampath Kumar . There was huge gathering as there was a village festival too on that day. All dignitories took the opertunity to sensitize the villagers on the ecological issues and importance of saving forest. Speaking on the occation RFO lauded our organizations nature conservation initiatives. Perticularly he was happy for our effort to create rural employment as unemployment is fueling various types smuggling in this forest region.
It was a memorable, colorfull and meaningfull event. We have decide to present this award every year to the distinguished people who are working on conservation issues.

Human Chain @Lalbagh on Apr 15, 6pm opposing Illegal Metro Construction in Lalbagh

Dear All,

Earlier this week(April 13 and 14), the Bangalore Metro Rail corporation (BMRCL) has demolished over 500 feet of Lalbagh's wall and cut down 5 eucalyptus trees inside Lalbagh. BMRCL proposes to have a Metro station inside Lalbagh itself - Bangalore's distinctive botanical garden!

Lalbagh is protected by a separate, stringent law. In a highly undemocratic move, the Karnataka Government changed the law by moving an ordinance to acquire Lalbagh land for the Metro, rather than prefer a debate over the changed law, in the Assembly. The opposition has also failed to protest this undemocratic move.

Lalbagh and Lakshman Rao Park on R.V.Road, (also called the AC Road, Nanda Road ), both major landmarks and heritage of Bangalore are being destroyed for the Metro. This when the High Court is hearing PIL over alternatives in Metro alignment.

What seems like a minor portion of Lalbagh gone today will surely lead to greater portion of the park being taken away to create parking zones and malls that the Metro plans at its stations.

When they sought clearance, Metro authorities claimed trees on Nanda Road will be pruned, and not felled. Now they want to cut 323 trees on Nanda Road(R.V.Road) alone.

The BBMP Tree Officer has confirmed that the tree felling in Lalbagh was not cleared by him. This makes felling of Lalbagh's heritage trees, daylight robbery!

Don't be a mute witness to this wanton destruction and illegal desecration of our parks and open spaces.

Come out and protest. Demand from candidates standing in the Parliamentary Election from Bangalore South to make their stand clear on the issue.

Let us stop the illegal construction of Metro in Lalbagh.

Join the Human Chain to be formed at the illegal demolition site(at R.V.Road, near Lalbagh westgate) on Wednesday, April 15, 6.00 pm.

Be there. 6 pm. .......

Hasiru Usiru

For details call: Vinay Sreenivasan: 9880595032 or Raghu: 9880283974

More details about Hasiru Usiru and the Campaign against encroachment of Public Commons and Destrution of Green Spaces, visit www.esgindia.org

2 days trek to belligundi water falls region

2 days trek on 10/11th April to belligundi falls region. In this route there are many beautiful mini water falls.

The Sharavathi Valley:- The Sharavathi river valley nestled in the central Western Ghats, Shimoga district has been an ecological paradise. The Sharavathi River, rising at Ambuthirtha in Thirthahalli taluk flows north-west and drops down in the Ghats at the world famous Jog falls. The sharavathi Valley is home for many water falls and to some of the beautiful streams. The valley is evergreen to semi-evergreen forest along with moist deciduous type of forests dominate the entire basin along with scrub savannah, grasslands, marshy areas and plantation of acacia, cash crops like areca and rubber providing diverse niches for a variety of taxa. Rare evergreen species such as Dipterocarpus, Syzygium, Cinnamon, Diospyros, Aglaia, endemic Palms along with the globally endangered Myrist-icasps makes this an ecologically sensitive region to be conserved and not marketed.


Likey Itinerary ,

Date:- 10-03-2009

• Arrive at Kargal, Freshen up, Have breakfast and leave to Trek starting point by hired jeep
• Start the Trek from Karni along with the Belligundi stream
• Have lunch on the way and continue
• Reach the top of the falls and enjoy the beauti
• Trek to Padubeedu and camp at a tribal house

Date:-11-03-2009

• Wake up very early in the morning, have tea.
  
• Start the trek towards the bottom of the Belligundi falls. (Depends on Trekkers enthu)
• Reach the bottom of the falls and enjoy at the falls
• Trek back to Padubeedu and catch Jeep to Water sports Basecamp
  
• Transfer to an island and camp at that night.
  

The above itinerary is totally tentative. It all depends on how people trek. The trek will be bit hard.

Photos and Blog of the above trek route:
http://gshashidhara.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-valentine-date.html.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jovin.d/BelligundiTrekking?authkey=ZUVGWuFPsrM#

http://picasaweb.google.com/prasanna.sga/BelliGundiFalls?feat=email#

http://picasaweb.google.com/mohanbrbabu/BelliGundiFalls?authkey=ST8GwVcDXZk#

Please me to prapancha@gmail.com to know more info