v3#12

This month I got the chance to teach a field course in Belize. The topic was sustainable community development (unit II). The students were university students from all over the US that spend a semester in Belize. Every week a different instructor is brought into the field campus to instruct on a variety of topics and my week came up in the middle of November. I stressed about this for months since this was the first time I had taught a course, and there were a number of things that had to come together in order for it to be successful.

Well, my first time in Belize, and I found it surprising in many ways. Culturally diverse, sparsely populated, and strongly linked to the global economy. Definitely a place to go back to.

The course turned out pretty well by the way. Well, at least I didn't hear the students complaining too much, and as one of the teaching assistants told me, no negative feedback is the student equivalent of positive feedback.

Photo is the main pyramid at the Mayan ruins of Xunatinich visible from the school's campus.

v3#11

The past 3 weeks I have attended three different conferences/meetings in San Diego, Florida, and Niagara Falls respectively. This is somewhat of a departure from my normal routine, and I was even required to wear a jacket and tie on one occasion (undocumented). All were useful, even enjoyable, and included such topics as How to better evaluate the long term impact of Floresta's programs (San Diego), Conservation farming as a viable alternative for drought prone regions of Africa (Florida), and Holistic development ie. how community development is about a change of heart, not just a change of technology or infrastructure (Niagara Falls).

On a different note, I am trying to find out about biofuels, in particular the use of straight vegetable oil (SVO) in diesel engines and cooking stoves. If anyone knows anything about this topic, or knows someone that does, PLEASE, contact me.

Bob

Photo: a simple press which can be used to make briquettes from scrap paper or plant materials to substitute for firewood. The press can also be modified to extract oil from various tree and crop seeds to produce oil for cooking or alternative fuels (from the ECHO conference in Florida)

See a Floresta video

To learn a little more about what Floresta does, see the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9EhdzdAeqU

How to get a passenger-side door unstuck on a 93 Toyota Tercel

If you're like me and you dabble in car repair, and you've discovered that the repair manuals say nothing about how to get your passenger door unstuck, and you've finally resorted to a last-ditch internet search, I hope this helps. I was just about to give up myself, and then stumbled on the fix by accident.

First, the tools you might need:
-a multi-head screwdriver
-a pry-bar or regular screwdriver, or something that will reach the lock mechanism
-somekind of rust-release compound (WD40, Liquid Wrench, etc, there are a dozen of these to choose from in the automotive section at Canadian Tire)
-a light!

Step 1: Tip the seat back to give yourself as much room as possible













Step 2: Remove handle or anything else
that is holding the interior panel



Step 3: Gently pry interior panel away from door


Step 4: Gently separate plastic liner from door frame, lock mechanism should now be visible with a flashlight


Step 5: Spray rust release compound on lock mechanism from every possible angle.
Step 6: Work door lock and handle from both inside and outside


Step 7: If this does not release the lock, (very!) gently pry on mechanism.


Step 8: Open the door! (hopefully)


Step 9: Replace plastic liner, door panel, and handle. Note: Take care when aligning the plastic plugs with liner, and holes in door frame as shown.



The whole process took me about 3 hours, but that was because I spent alot of time trying all kinds of ways to free up the lock that didn't work. If I had to do it now, it would probably take a half an hour at most. Anyhow, it's a pleasant way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon, and when that door actually opens, it's a whole lot more satisfying than any trip to the dealership ever was!

v3#9

A quiet and uneventful month spent mostly in the Toronto area. I did get a chance to go on a canoe trip with friends just as summer was making it's final stand. I feel like I missed summer somehow, going straight from spring to fall.

Photo: A Northern Water Snake sharing the last few rays of summer at our campsite in Frontenac Provincial Park

Rome July 2006

The coliseum


Basilica di San Clemente built in the 12th century on top of a 4th century church, built on top of a Roman house which was had been a place of Mythric worship in the 2nd century.


Billy Joel and Bryan Adams at the Coliseum (can you see them?)


Canadians at the Coliseum to see Bryan Adams


Transportation in Rome

Photos from the Rockies trip

Me in the Vancouver airport. As far as I can recall, my first domestic flight ever. For real.


My dad standing in front of the remains of the pumphouse built by the Japanese Canadians interned on this site (near Lone Butte) during WWII. My dad was 12 at the time.


Mount Robson, highest pt in the Canadian Rockies


Columbia Icefields (I was cold here too)


The three Sisters near Canmore, Alberta.

Random Photos

The country directors for the DR and Haiti signing the agreements which make the FlorestaTrans-border project official


A Dominican farmer experimenting with terraces and green manures for soil improvement


An improved woodstove in Tanzania which uses 50-65% less wood than the traditional stove


Savings books of members of a Tanzanian community bank in the Kilimanjaro region

See Photos of the Tanzania Trip

Check out this link to see photos of the Tanzania trip
http://picasaweb.google.com/robertmorikawa/Tanzania2006

v3#8

Answering the question ´where?´ since the last update is a bit more convoluted than usual: Tanzania for work, top of Kilimanjaro (one of the most difficult things I´ve ever done), wildlife safari in Ngorongoro crater, 3 days in Rome (where I accidentally saw Billy Joel and Bryan Adams play in front of the Coliseum), Vancouver, B.C. for the first ever Morikawa family reunion, driving through the Rockies with my folks, the Dominican Republic to finalize plans for our new cross-border project (a joint effort between Floresta-Haiti, Floresta-DR, and Floresta-USA in an environmentally precarious area--you may remember the news from a couple years back).

I could prattle on and bore you with the details, but won´t (maybe on the blog). I do want to provide the answers for last month's plant id contest for those that are interested: A. Prunus (cherry) B. Alnus (alder) C.Quercus (oak) D. Quercus (oak) E. Prunus (peach) F. Pinus (pine) G. Fraxinus (ash).

Photo is me at the peak of Kilimanjaro! (Don´t bother asking if I was either cold or exhausted.)

A whereisbob Contest!

I have a tendency to think that everything south of the Rio Grande is a bizarre and foreign world, completely different from our own. Parts of the state of Oaxaca however, are considered temperate sub-humid climate, and as such I was surprised at the number of plant species that are closely related to those from the eastern US and Canada. In at least one case (Pinus strobus) they are virtually identical.

Here are some photos from Oaxaca of various plants. I will buy a free beverage of your choice to any of you plant nerds out there who can identify these to the genus, or English equivalent common name. Good luck.

A.


B.


C.


D.


E.


F.


G.

More on world's largest tree

I am sorry to report that I cannot bring you the final word on the largest tree. I did go to visit El Arbol del Tule, but it is still unclear to me. First of all, Mexicans themselves seem very uninterested in whether it's the biggest or not. There is a tour, but it's all about unusual looking features that have grown into the stem or branches over the years, such as knots that look like monkey faces, or the the three wisemen (two separate features!). There is a big plaque which states that the trunk is 14.something metres, but no mention of a record. The other thing is that this particular species of Taxodium has a tendency for the trunks to fuse together, forming one bigger, larger trunk. In this particular tree's case, it has had over 2000 years to fuse probably an entire grove of small trees together. Personally, I don't think this should disqualify it, since this is a normal growth habit for the species, but it does mean the trunk is extremely irregular in shape, so measuring an actual diameter is a difficult exercise at best. One thing I can say with certainty is that it is impressive, and one of the biggest living things I'll ever see.

Well, perhaps the Americans or the Mexicans have the world's largest tree, but apparently Canada has the world's largest tree crusher, http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/crusher.htm
Now there's something to be proud of!

The World's Largest Tree

There doesn't seem to be one clear answer here. According to the US National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/seki/shrm_pic.htm the largest tree in the world is the General Sherman Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). This claim appears to be based on volume, the General Sherman having a volume of over 52,000 cubic feet. The Arbol del Tule, ahuehuete (Taxodium mucronatum) makes the claim based on a diameter of over 14m, at least 3 m more than the General Sherman. The Arbol del Tule is also claimed to be largest based on biomass.

As if that wasn't confusing enough, some people make the argument that a poplar clone might be even larger than either of these, since a grove of poplars can all be sprouted from the same root, genetically identical, and therefore all part of one tree, technically. If you subscribe to this assertion, then many poplar clones would excede either of the above.

What's more, the claim of world's largest organism may go to a fungus in Oregon, which covers an area of almost 10 square kilometres and would exceed any sequoia or ahuehuete both in volume, diameter and mass.

So take your pick. Anyone who can shed further light on this is welcome to comment below. I will personally try to bring back pictures of said ahuehuete during my trip.

v3#6

Where am I: Canada
Where am I going next: Oaxaca, Mexico
For how long: 1 week
To do what: Meet with local staff there, learn more about their program, discuss and plan ideas for new innovations and projects.
Safety issues: A massive teachers strike in Oaxaca City has resulted in violence between police and protesters and shut down the city centre. Our project areas are, as usual, outside the city, so this will not be as much of a concern.
Background: Oaxaca is one of the most indigenous areas of Mexico, probably at least partly because of geography. It is a rugged mountainous area, and less accessible which has historically resulted in less outside interaction. There are still large forested areas, although the deforestation rate is rapid. Large portions of the population rely almost exclusively on charcoal making as a livelihood.
The world's largest tree a ahuehuete (a cypress species) is located 10km east of Oaxaca city.

Photo is map showing location of Oaxaca province and our project area.

random shots of Haiti and the DR, Apr-May 06

A farmer in Haiti who is collaborating with Floresta to establish a small gene conservation planting for a valuable but disappearing tree species in the region Cedrela odorata.

Floresta's agronomist in the DR and a Dominican farmer discussing the results of an on-farm experiment to increase tree plantation growth through thinning

Pre-Columbian (Taino) petroglyphs in the DR near the border

A tree energy plantation established by a Haitian farmer. Note that the neighbours on either side of him are still planting annual crops.

The trail that people take in this Haitian border community to fetch water everyday. The spring is at the bottom of the ravine and takes an hour to get to and and hour to return. Most families have to take several trips everyday.

v3#5

I was a bit surprised on my return from the Caribbean after 2.5 months that there is raging debate over immigration. There's definitely some synchronicity there since I spent the past few months working with our Dominican and Haitian staff on establishing a new project in the border zone where migration is a huge issue. Thousands of Haitians make their way illegally to the DR to try and eek out a living while many Dominicans and Haitians both climb on questionable watercraft and put themselves at the mercy of the Caribbean Sea in order to have a chance at making a better life in Canada or the US. I don't really have any great answers as to what the US or Canada should do in terms of immigration policy but I can tell you with certainty that the phenomenon itself is very real. It starts as a trickle in a hundred poor villages, builds in the paths and market towns, and grows to a mighty river at the borders and ports of entry of wealthier nations. Sometimes this river is calm, other times raging, but to me it always seems powerful and in some way, undeniable.

The organization I work for, and others like it, work to create economic alternatives for people. If everything works right, they then have a choice, more choice than just chopping down the last remaining forest, or fleeing their homeland. Granted, some may still choose to leave and try their luck elsewhere, but my personal feeling is that the average person in Haiti or the DR or a dozen other countries, if they knew they could get a steady job, or get a decent education, or run a profitable business, they wouldn't want to leave home.

Speaking of home, it's good to be back. It's nice to be able to take a hot shower instead of using a 5 gallon bucket and a dipper, or be thinking in the back of my mind about kidnappings, that kind of thing. (Although things have calmed down considerably in Haiti since the elections in February, thankfully.)

Bob

Photo is me milling millet for the first and possibly last time. If you did this for a couple weeks straight you'd be ripped, as most Haitian farming families are.

 

v3#4

Sometimes I write this thing as much for my own benefit as anyone else´s. Where exactly am I? Oh yeah, the Dominican Republic. I got here this afternoon on a two prop island hopper from Haiti. My five weeks in Haiti were a bit of everything. The Haitian staff and myself spent several days in the border community of Terre Froide (18.37904N, 71.82652W) conducting what is called a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). A PRA is basically a series of exercises which an organization conducts in order to better understand the community where they intend to work, and more importantly--as the name suggests--to allow the community to participate in the planning process for a new program which might be coming to their area. This particular PRA lasted two days, and resulted in a list of the most significant problems in the community as well as proposed solutions for each problem. All of this work is basically done by the community members, and our job as an organization is basically to listen.

Lots more happened in the past 5 weeks than the PRA, and maybe if I´m feeling energetic at some point I will post some stuff on the blog. Right now I´m pretty much exhausted, and need to get rested up, because we are going to repeat the whole process on the Dominican side of the border starting tomorrow morning!

Photo: a group of farmers representing 3 of the 12 communities attending the PRA, discuss the major problems in their particular areas.

Photos from Haitian/Dominican border

Border town on Haitian side, as viewed from it sister town in the DR




Market day in the same town














Looking up towards the neighbouring national park in the DR, protected but under heavy pressure from the surrounding communities



















Looking back down towards Jimani, the town which was flooded out in 2004. Note the large alluvial fan, caused by the flooding, which starts in communities far upstream
















Down in Jimani, standing on the alluvial fan, looking at the new barrier being build in preparation for the next flooding event.