Vidyanagar Nature Club

DIRT the Movie

2011-12-20T02:27:00.000-08:00

"Floods, drought, climate change, even war are all directly related to the way we are treating dirt."
DIRT! The Movie--directed and produced by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow--takes you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility--from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation.

The opening scenes of the film dive into the wonderment of the soil. Made from the same elements as the stars, plants and animals, and us, "dirt is very much alive." Though, in modern industrial pursuits and clamor for both profit and natural resources, our human connection to and respect for soil has been disrupted. "Drought, climate change, even war are all directly related to the way we are treating dirt."

DIRT! the Movie--narrated by Jaime Lee Curtis--brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has. It shares the stories of experts from all over the world who study and are able to harness the beauty and power of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with soil.

DIRT! the Movie is simply a movie about dirt. The real change lies in our notion of what dirt is. The movie teaches us: "When humans arrived 2 million years ago, everything changed for dirt. And from that moment on, the fate of dirt and humans has been intimately linked." But more than the film and the lessons that it teaches, DIRT the Movie is a call to action.

"The only remedy for disconnecting people from the natural world is connecting them to it again."

What we've destroyed, we can heal.

All-about-dirt

Lets make a change, this Diwali

2011-10-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

Lets make a change, this Diwali

View more presentations from Vidyanagar Nature Club

We Feed the WORLD????

2011-10-09T03:06:00.000-07:00

Every day in Vienna the amount of unsold bread sent back to be disposed of is enough to supply Austria's second-largest city, Graz. Around 350,000 hectares of agricultural land, above all in Latin America, are dedicated to the cultivation of soybeans to feed Austria's livestock while one quarter of the local population starves. Every European eats ten kilograms a year of artificially irrigated greenhouse vegetables from southern Spain, with water shortages the result.

In WE FEED THE WORLD, Austrian filmmaker Erwin Wagenhofer traces the origins of the food we eat. His journey takes him to France, Spain, Romania, Switzerland, Brazil and back to Austria.

Leading us through the film is an interview with Jean Ziegler, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.

WE FEED THE WORLD is a film about food and globalisation, fishermen and farmers, long-distance lorry drivers and high-powered corporate executives, the flow of goods and cash flow–a film about scarcity amid plenty. With its unforgettable images, the film provides insight into the production of our food and answers the question what world hunger has to do with us .

Interviewed are not only fishermen, farmers, agronomists, biologists and the UN's Jean Ziegler, but also the director of production at Pioneer, the world's largest seed company, as well as Peter Brabeck, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé International, the largest food company in the world.

"Every five seconds a child under ten dies of starvation. A child that dies of starvation is in effect murdered." Jean Ziegler, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food

A quarter of Vienna’s residual waste consists of unconsumed food, most of which is still perfectly fit to eat. At the same time the number of starving people in the world is increasing steadily: 852 million people suffer from malnutrition, most of them in Africa and Latin America. Even in rich industrialised countries around 10 million people do not get enough to eat. More than five million children die of malnutrition every year according to a current report issued by the FAO, the Rome-based UN organisation for food and agriculture.

Yet this problem could be brought under control: on the one hand according to the calculations of the United Nations Development Programme, in theory enough food is produced worldwide to feed the world’s population; on the other, over the past few years 30 countries have for the present succeeded in reducing malnutrition by at least 25%.

Since 1948 the right to food sufficient to ensure a person’s health and well-being has been recognised as a basic human right, a right that has been confirmed repeatedly by the United Nations. Thus there are sufficient declarations of intent, resources and knowledge to combat hunger. On an international and domestic level the problem lies in the lack of political will. Economic interests are placed before social and ecological necessity, agreements such as those of the World Trade Organisation are put into practice more rapidly than those which support sustainable development.

Yet there is no essential contradiction between the combating of hunger and economic necessity. The current FAO report states that the necessary investment would yield far more than it would cost. This is only logical, given that hunger makes people sick and unproductive, forcing them to consume natural resources in their immediate environment without regard to sustainability.

However, a serious anti-hunger policy would only benefit national economies, and not the globally and nationally influential international corporations.

સામાન્ય રંગીન લઘુ મુખ ગુહાધારી દેડકું

2011-10-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

Kaloula taprobanica , Painted frog, family: Microhylidae, subfamily: Microhylinae

સામાન્ય રંગીન લઘુ મુખ ગુહાધારી દેડકું

Discovered at Vaso Village near Nadiad, on 3rd October 2011 by Vishal Mistry.

Description
Maximum snouth-vent length: 75 mm, females are slightly larger than males. Colour is dorsally grey to black with an interorbital bar. Dorsolaterally reddish-orange, an orange bar from posterior edge of eye to base of upper arm. Ventral pale yellowish-grey, spotted with brown or black. Males have a dark throat during the mating period.

K. taprobanica is distributed in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka it is fround in the wet and the dry zone up to elevation of 500 m asl.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
K. taprobanica is a fossorial species, but is also a good climber. This species is easier found after heavy rain next to human settlement: in rice fields and in water ponds along roads. Mating begins when the rain starts, and sometimes large aggregation can be found. Males call while swimming in ponds. Eggs float in a single layer on the surface of ponds. The tadpoles are black. This species is nocturnal. K. taprobanica feeds on a large variety of insects. De Silva (1995) reported feeding K. taprobanica with termites in capivity. The author has fed K. taprobanica with greater flies.

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

Local pesticides, fertilizers, and pollutants
Long-distance pesticides, toxins, and pollutants

Training for Snake Rescuers : Day -2

2011-10-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

The second day of the training workshop for snake rescuers began with Soham showing the participants how to handle a venomous snake. Four experienced and regular snake rescuers came forward and took turns to capture and bag a cobra in groups of two. Both the groups managed to handle the snake well as well as bag it.

More groups were formed and in teams of two, they practiced catching and bagging rat snakes. After every session of handling, the team received constructive feedback from the other participants and this helped the group arrive at some rules that should be followed religiously while handling any snake. Most amateur snake handlers found it difficult to manage the snake as well as their enthusiasm but with a little bit of concentration and focus, they were able to perform the task without causing any damage to themselves or the snake.

Some of the other things that came up were the need to decide a course of action for any rescue and stick to it (except in situations where someone’s safety is at stake), taking one’s own time to catch and bag the snake, communicating effectively with the bagger, being aware of the presence of corners, people and other obstacles that may hinder the process.

Newly learnt technique being tried out by participants.

The next thing to be discussed was snake-bite management and this was done by giving six groups a situation wherein one of them had to be the victim of a snake-bite and the rest had to enact ways in which to administer first aid using things from a list that had a bizarre mix of objects. The groups did a great job and had fun with their presentations. Soham went on to tell the group about the most effective ways of carrying out first aid. There were several questions about the relevance of the ways in which snake-bites have been handled in their localities for a long time.

Those who had been rescuing snakes in and around Vidyanagar for a long time had a lot to contribute in the next session which was about the translocation of snakes. They talked about the nearby places where they normally release snakes in bulk and later put their heads together to figure out a way in which to minimize the damage caused through translocation.

The last session of the day was a discussion on the soon-to-be-ready manual for the snake rescuers of Vidyanagar. The participants gave their inputs on preparing a data collection form during any rescue.

The workshop ended with a vote of thanks by Dhaval Patel and the group seemed pleased with the two-day adventure! Thank you http://www.gerrymartin.in

Special thanks were conveyed to Shri Narayancharandas Swami of Vrajbhoomi Foundation for generous hospitality and providing infrastructural support.

Training for Snake Rescuers : Day -1.

2011-10-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

Soham and Rowland demonstrating the use of scale counts for the identification of snakes.

The first day of the workshop for snake rescuers organized by The Gerry Martin Project in association with Vidyanagar Nature Club buzzed with enthusiasm and curiosity as 28 participants set out on a journey to understand the nuances of scientific and responsible snake rescue and handling. The first session of the day was a basic presentation by Soham Mukherjee on the biology, behaviour and physiology of snakes as well as their role in the ecosystem. The participants were also introduced to the factors that help in the identification of snakes and the differences between the deceivingly similar species. Soham went on to demonstrate how to handle a Rat Snake, a Red Sand Boa, a Common Wolf Snake, a Russell's Viper, a Spectacled Cobra and a Common Krait. The idea was to learn how to make each snake comfortable for the handler's safety as well as the snake's. Soham and his colleague Rowland Griffin demonstrated how to count scales in a Common Krait and later how to bag venomous and non-venomous snakes.

An interesting discussion on the various steps of snake rescue saw great inputs from the participants. The instructions that could be given to a caller on receiving a call were also discussed and standardized with reference to Vidyanagar and some surrounding villages. Emphasis was laid on the importance of keeping an eye on the snake and not disturbing it until the the rescuer arrives. Next in line was the necessity of having a rescue kit and all that could possibly go into it. There were several experienced participants who shared some experiences that helped throw more light on the importance of having intact bags, boxes, hooks and a reliable assistant during the rescue!

Transportation of the snake was discussed later, keeping in mind the season as well as the mode of transport. Soham demonstrated probing techniques in a rat snake and no wonder, the huge specimen was a guy! This was followed by each participant receiving a copy of Romulus Whitaker and Ashok Captain's 'Snakes of India', translated in Hindi, hopefully a good enough motivation for the participants to come back tomorrow, with more questions and energy!

Snake Education Program on 27th Sept. 2011

2011-09-30T00:44:00.001-07:00

Snake Education program was conducted for students of Government Primary school at Purshottam nagar near Bakrol village. This program was accomplished by VNC in coordination with C C Patel Community Science Center, Sardar Patel University.

Mehul Patel provided all information in Gujarati language, around 300 students of nearby area got knowledge form him, he also answered queries of interested students.

VNC's Environmental Calendar

2011-09-26T05:29:00.000-07:00

Save Trees Save Life

2011-09-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

Raid on Poacher

2011-09-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

7 Rose Ringed Parakeet in

16th September 2011, Saturday.

Evening around 19:00.

Upon getting information from a reliable source about a poaching activity in local area, VNC's Managing Trustee Dhaval Patel, who is also Honorary Wildlife Warden of the Anand District swung in to action. after informing local forest department.

On Reaching site along with active volunteer Mehul Patel they found there were seven rose ringed parakeets packed in small cage, in quarters provided to employees of Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar.

Cage was taken in custody in presence of Forest Department officer, and case was registered against the person.

Parakeets were released on 18th sept. monday afternoon after confirmation with DCF Anand.

Education Sessions on 22nd Sept. 2011

2011-09-23T04:09:00.000-07:00

VNC carried out an Education program for Officers from states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Mharashtra, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Union territory of Dradra nagar Haveli, Diu and Daman. Subject was "Snakes in Agricultural Landscape", These program was organised by Extension Education Department of Anand Agriculture University.
Snake Education and awareness program was conducted at Waghashi High School for 120 Boys and 76 Girls of standard 8th to 10th, in afternoon session.
Rescue of Snakes

ચિલોતરો ચાલીસ વર્ષ બાદ આણંદનો મહેમાન બન્યો!

2011-09-21T02:56:00.000-07:00

Grey Hornbill in Anand

જંગલમાં જોવા મળતું રાખોડી પક્ષી ગ્રે હોર્નબિલ આણંદમાં ચાર દાયકા પછી અમૂલ ડેરી રોડ પર દેખાયું

આણંદમાં અમૂલ ડેરી રોડ પર આવેલા એક મકાનના એન્ટેના પર વહેલી સવારે છ વાગ્યે ભાગ્યે જ જોવા મળતું એક પક્ષી દેખાતાં લોકોમાં કુતૂહલ સર્જાયું હતું. આ પક્ષી ગ્રે હોર્નબિલ એટલે રાખોડી ચિલોતરો હોવાનું વિદ્યાનગર નેચર ક્લબના ધવલભાઈ પટેલે જણાવ્યું હતું.

અમૂલ ડેરી રોડ પર અલગ પ્રકારનું પક્ષી દેખાતાં વિદ્યાનગર નેચર ક્લબના બિમલ પટેલે કેમેરામાં કેદ કરી લીધું હતું. પક્ષી વિશે નેચર ક્લબના ધવલભાઇ પટેલે જણાવ્યું હતું કે ‘રાખોડી ચિલોતરો ગુજરાતમાં ડાંગ અને જંગલ વિસ્તારમાં જોવા મળે છે. જેની વિશેષતા એવી છે કે ઝાડની બખોલમાં તેઓ માળો બાંધે છે.

પછી માદા માળામાં બેસી જાય એટલે નર માટીથી બખોલ પુરી દે છે. માત્ર આહાર આપી શકાય એટલી જગ્યા રાખવામાં આવે છે. માળામાં માદા પક્ષી ઇંડા સેવે ત્યાં સુધી નર પક્ષી તેને આહાર આપ્યા કરે છે. માળામાં બેઠેલી માદા પક્ષી પોતાના બધા પીછા ખેચને બહાર ફેકી દે છે. જેથી અંદર જગ્યા થતાં બચ્ચાનો ગ્રોથ થઈ શકે.’

આણંદમાં આ પક્ષી દેખવા પાછળનું કારણ જણાવતાં ધવલભાઈ પટેલે જણાવ્યું હતું કે ‘આણંદ જિલ્લાના ધર્મજમાં ચરો છે. જ્યાં આ પક્ષીએ માળો બનાવ્યો હોય તેમ લાગી રહ્યું છે. કારણ કે પક્ષી એકાદ વર્ષનું જ છે. આણંદ જિલ્લામાં છેલ્લાં ૪૦ વર્ષમાં આ પક્ષી પ્રથમવાર જોવા મળ્યું છે.’

Source: Bhaskar News, Anand | Last Updated 3:18 AM [IST](20/09/2011)

2011-09-19T21:23:00.001-07:00

On 16th September 2011, World Ozone Day,
VNC's Managing Trustee Dhaval S Patel was invited as Guest of Honour at Inaugural function of 51st year of SPUBS ( Sardar Patel University Biological Society), Hon. former Vice Chancellor of SPU Dr. B G Patel was present as Chief Guest of the function.
an animated documentary film on Ozone "Ozzy Ozone" was screened by VNC's help. http://www.theozonehole.com/ozzyozone.htm

Ozzy Ozone

www.theozonehole.com

Training program, Snake rescue and rehabilitation.

2011-09-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

It is a fact that today many environment lovers has to deal with rescue & rehabilitation of animals. Avoiding conflict between wildlife and human is also major concern, Reptiles are almost found in human habitats of cities and villages alike. There are many enthusiasts who requested us to conduct this type of training program which will not only help them in correctly identifying snakes, but will enhance their skills of snake handling both venomous and non venomous, it will also provide them with much needed information on post rescue management and release of the snakes, so to avoid any mishaps.

VNC is glad to announce Training program, Snake rescue and rehabilitation.

if you are interested in joining this program, send email along with your basic bio data, requesting application to info@vncindia.org with 'Snakes' in subject line.

Venue: farm house / remote area / hall, class rooms in and Anand - Vidyanagar,

Date: Saturday 1st October 2011 & Sunday 2nd October 2011.

Timing: Sharp 09:00 in morning, Report at VNC office V V Nagar. End: around 17:00 or depending upon situation.

Fees: Rs.200/- Payable in cash before 25th Sept., (by Those who gets confirmation of their selection for training via email or SMS) .

Registration: Duly filled Application Form (attached herewith) shall reach us either by e-mail or in printed paper before 15th September.

Those who are not local resident of Anand - Vidyanagar, will have to arrange their own lodging & boarding, and are required to reach VNC office at mentioned timing.
We have strict selection criteria and we will inform only those who are selected before 20th September, we are not bound to provide any explanation for not selecting any person.
fees are to cover expense for reference material, books, reading material, etc.
Maximum 15 trainees would be selected, we will not entertain any last minute entries, or changes.
Working knowledge of Hindi and English language is required.
Training program would be conducted by Soham Mukherjee from The Gerry Martin Project and Rowland Griffin - a herpetologist from England.