Although today was just another day in the office, we were planning for our trip this week, so it was something special. We are going to the Big Thicket this week, and camping out for 3 days while helping them with their conservation efforts. The Big Thicket is a national preserve that has a copious amount of different ecosystems that are all over Texas and a bunch of intelligent researchers and ecologists that work to keep the Big Thicket what it is.
We're going there, of course, to learn, but our other goal is to help them attack invasive species and repair some of their bridges. It should be fun, and it's camping, so it'll be even more exciting. Technically it's fairly nice camping, we're staying inside and there are plenty of comforts for us to experience, but either way, we're in the middle of no-where. Either way, I'll know more tomorrow, but we talked about what we needed to bring and what we were to expect. Plus we're doing our first projects tomorrow, so we have to prepare for that.
Speaking of preparing for that. My partner and I were almost unprepared today, but it worked out to our advantage, I think ours is the most unique project of the five. We ended up making a poster board for the Okapi and I'm trusting him to have his end of the project done because I have a three page outline on my half. Overachiever much? But anyway, most of my day was filled with trying to get this project done, which took longer than expected. Especially since none of the printers wanted to work with us. It turned out that I had to finish part of it at home because my computer wasn't compatible with his software, so it all worked out, but it was an ordeal. Plus I got to know him better, and learned again, not to judge a book by it's cover. I respect him more now than I did before, and I think that helps our group function better, so maybe being paired with him was a good thing.
Let's talk some more about the Okapi before I forget. The conservation project that is ongoing for them is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is in a region called the Ituri forest that is known to be one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. The Okapi is the flagship species of the country and is even the national symbol, but until John Lukas founded the Okapi Conservation Project on the Refuge, there was no sanctuary for them. Basically, the Project works to keep Okapi's safe from bushmeat trade and loss of habitat. Some of the techniques farmers use, such as slash and burn farming, is bad for the forest, and the Project offers other opportunities like agro-farming, which basically puts legumes, or a type of fungi in the forest after burning it to help it grow back faster than average. And somehow, that seems to work. Their alternative to bushmeat is to grow(/domesticate?) a type of rat that can be used as protein for the native families in the region. And besides all of the alternatives that the Project offers, they try to educate the public about conservation and work with tribes to develop healthier ways to live. They also serve them by offering them a hospital to come to when they are sick, and the hospital has actually been very successful in the past year. And besides all they do to help the community change, they have guards out who will enforce their rules, and arrest people who are illegally mining, lumbering, killing endangered animals, etc. And they are very successful as well. All in all, the Okapi Conservation Project basically does everything they can to help the community while promoting conservation of endangered species in the region. And nevertheless, the Okapi are only "near threatened" and not endangered yet.
One of the other cool things about the Okapi Project is that they have "Okapi Ambassadors," Okapi's who were bred in captivity, and used to being handled and seen by humans, who are in zoos all across the country who help promote conservation and education about the animal. There are three at the Houston Zoo and they receive the best care that they can. They even have enrichment, which makes them reach for their food with their impressively long tongues, just so it feels more like they are trying to get their food instead of everything being handed to them. These Okapi's usually come from White Oak Conservation Center in Florida, which works to captive breed several endangered species and is the most successful at the Okapi. They also conduct research on the captive Okapi and learn more about their behaviors and body adaptations.
Speaking of research, in the DRC, they are trying to research the Okapi in the wild by tracking some of their scat, but they have only just started research on it, and hope that it will be successful. But previously, they had a male who was in captivity for most of his life, was bred until he was basically retired and then released back into the wild. He was tracked for a while, and seemed to find home near a river somewhere, when they either lost his signal or took it off of him. Either way, research was discontinued on him because it was fairly boring, and produced little information. While the Okapi is a very unique creature, it's like any other hoofstock, it basically eats and breeds, like a lot of animals.
But anyway, getting away from my Okapi rant, our day also consisted of talking about our larger project, which has been more hashed out recently. I told you that we decided we were going to do something at Hermann Park, but we haven't completely decided all that we want to do yet. Well today we worked on our problem tree, which helped us see what's necessary in the park and why, and we also looked at our strengths and weakness and how we can utilize and overcome them. It was a good group work exercise, but sometimes, as usual, people tended to be a little up tight. But either way, this internship is learning to work with people, and I think all of us are mature enough not to take anything to heart too much.
I think our ideas about the park are still fairly general, but we want to do signs in the park to help educate the public about the park's history, invasive species, animal treatment, and the prairie. I think that this project is actually very necessary for Hermann Park's guests because they need to know how much work it takes to make the park look beautiful for them everyday, and learn to appreciate it. I think it's very important for people to be thankful for what they've been provided, especially when it's a non-profit organization. This project should not only help general knowledge, but it should help further the park's efforts to create a friendly and safe family environment in the park. Overall, I'm excited about the outcome of this project and sincerely hope our steps to get it implemented go smoothly.
And though sometimes I complain, I really do love this internship. It's taught me some invaluable things and has really shaped a path for me in my life. I'm incredibly grateful that I was given this opportunity, and if I ever seem ungrateful it's because I'm not perfect.
Anyway, I probably won't post all week because I'll be in the Big Thicket. Pray for me, and I'll pray for you!
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