People's Environmental Awareness-Khati is undergoing the final touches to the Environment Centre. The area has been a hive of activity with mud rendering, painting, attaching animal handles to doors/windows and photograph mounting underway. The season so far has been low in trekking numbers but Indian school groups in May usually make up for the early season deficit. Informal talks have already been conducted but the official opening season will be in September. The centre aims to effectively disseminate information on the region using local knowledge.
The Pindari Valley has recently been included in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. The inclusion is wonderful news, the full depth of which has yet to be realised. Recently pressure cookers, two hot houses and some gas stoves where handed out to local villagers as 'compensation' for the valley's inclusion.
The region is endowed with verdant forests, diverse alpine flora and animal species. Home to rare and endangered animals inlcuding the snow leopard (the closest we have come is footprints in the snow), Asiatic black bear, blue sheep and himalayan musk deer. The variety of wildlife also extends to the common leopard, jackals and Himalayan martens to name a few. A plethora of birdlife fills the valley with song and did I mention mountains???
The Environment Centre is currently doubling as the basic health care outpost and first aid room for any Khati casualties, luckily they have been few in numbers. However, Dr Scott is kept exceptionally busy with stitching wounds and lancing boils, a semi-regular occurrence.
Bonnie (PEAK) April 2008
