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Stellenbosch Community Conservation Group End of Year Visit to the Cape Town Bird Ringing Group – December 2006
   Bewonder en Bewaar
 Since April 2003 when Allen and Joyann Goddard met Dalton Gibbs, manager of Rondevlei Nature Reserve, a volunteer community bird ringing training group has met in Cape Town monthly. In April 2005 Lydia Willems and Sue Winter of Stellenbosch organized a Creation Care Workshop, bringing together a diverse group of people interested in conservation from the greater Cape Town area. A network was established to share information and ideas and communicate needs for prayer and conservation action. The core group in Stellenbosch focused their activities on outdoor hikes and opportunities to experience and appreciate the splendour and diversity of the world’s largest wildflower kingdom in the fold mountains and valleys of the Western Cape coastal region. The better part of 2005 was spent in social events and outings in the immediate surroundings of Stellenbosch, like the Assegaaibosch, Jonkershoek Nature Reserves, Paarl Mountain, Klapmutskop and the Du Toitskloof Mountains, each boasting hosts of endemic mountain Fynbos species. The highlight of the year in September 2005 was a Creation Stewardship Weekend, at “Waterval” near Porterville in the Swartland led by Allen Goddard and Dieter Oschadleus. Bible expositions, bird ringing, silent reflection time and an exquisite kloof ramble drew together many typical A Rocha characteristics to give the group a taste of what A Rocha is and does. Duthie Reserve “Flower Hunt” – 16 September 2006 – Lydia Willems Reports Despite cloudy and chilly weather twenty-one enthusiastic “flower hunters” came to Duthie Reserve, including seven members from the Tygerberg CREW group (Custodians for Rare & Endangered Wildflowers) and fourteen Stellenbosch Bewonder & Bewaar members. Our main objective was to count how many plants of Poeierkwas (Haemanthus pumilio) we could find - a rare and endangered species - and to identify what other species were flowering. Because the Haemanthus only flowers from March to April, we had to identify it by its distinctive leaves, which have brown stripy markings on the lower stem (see photo).  We were pleased to note that since we had done some invasive plant clearance at the reserve in June this year, the university had followed up and cleared the remaining Port Jacksons, Black Wattle trees & Stinkbean. It seems that the interest we are showing in the reserve is making a difference! The rain finally chased us all away, but the reserve’s many beautiful species are beckoning us to make another visit in the near future! … With the help of the CREW volunteers, at least 30 species were identified in 2 hours. Here are just a few…
Why not look up these names in a flower guide to see what they look like? Photo Album22 April 2006 Indigenous bulb planting day in the J.S. Marais Nature Reserve in the heart of Stellenbosch    |
