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A CITO Event with a twist


gavgold

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Hi all

 

I'm new to events and how one goes about staging them. I see there is loads of material on the subject and I shall read that. Meanwhile, what I wanted to present here is the a concept - a variation on CITO which I call Cache In, Alien Out.

 

I belong to a group of volunteers who assist in the conservation of a biodiversity hot-spot in the Cape (South Africa) Floral Kingdom. The conservation area is on private land and the rather sensitive so general public access isn't possible. That said, the land owner and reserve manager allows us to stage activities to both promote the area and assist with it's conservation.

 

I'd thought it would be both fun and educational to stage a Geocachcing event in the area. The conservation team really like the idea and we thought that we could take a guided tour to selected hot spots - each of which would have a cache hidden in the area which contains information about that the area/plants/etc. We would also use the opportunity to help with some alien clearing .

 

I would really appreciate feedback on my idea.

 

GavGold

 

ps: Thanks to MnCo and Battlerat & Pussycat for pointing me to the SA forum

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This sounds like a great idea, and it will certainly be different from the normal events. I for one look forward to it.

 

Just something to bare in mind. Events must be open to all, and so you must accommodate those that would like to attend, but may not be able to hike/climb/hack for extended periods of time. This could simply be a central point were people can gather. It may well be a good idea to give more details on what you have in mind. Its easier to give feedback if there are some details to work with.

 

I'm not sure the hot-spots would require caches if there is a guide to provide information. They would have to be temporary anyway as this event will be on private land and presumably, has restricted access, but I guess this would also depend on specifically what your idea is with them.

 

Some more details please ...

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What would you be doing in this area to promote conservation and make it a CITO event? I especially like the idea of you working with the landowner and for cachers to see an area not normally open to the public. You might need to discuss it farther with your reviewer to make sure it meets the CITO guidelines. Keep us posted with how you are making out :)

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What would you be doing in this area to promote conservation and make it a CITO event?

 

South Africa has an on going problem with alien vegetation and the only sure way of getting rid of it so that the natural fynbos can recover, is to chop it down and remove it, called hacking.

 

You might need to discuss it farther with your reviewer to make sure it meets the CITO guidelines.

 

As I understand it, there is no plan to listed it as a CITO event. It will be listed as a normal event but with a similar style to CITO but rather than Trash being removed, we will be removing Alien plants.

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Ah well that makes the Alien remark clear :) The title of the thread suggests its a CITO event so thats why I commented. CITO's don't need to be just about garbage (I've held two tree plantings) it covers other environmental initiatives so its very likely you could publish it as a CITO if you wanted. Either way best of luck its a great idea.

Edited by Treknschmidt
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The area is part of the Cape Flats Sand Fynbos vegetation type. I am meeting with the conservation team tomorrow and will discuss the possibilities then feed back more info.

 

For now I am grateful for the feedback - I hadn't been sure that it would be ok to do it under he Geocache banner. :)

 

Thanks!

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Yes - and perhaps a tree planting - or seed dispersal or something similar could be done too?

 

What we generally do is clear areas in the dry season (summer) when we also propagate into a "tunnel" seed and cuttings collected from the area. In winter we then plant into the areas previously cleared. So, yes; a planting is a definite possibility.

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Yes - and perhaps a tree planting - or seed dispersal or something similar could be done too?

 

What we generally do is clear areas in the dry season (summer) when we also propagate into a "tunnel" seed and cuttings collected from the area. In winter we then plant into the areas previously cleared. So, yes; a planting is a definite possibility.

 

Brilliant - good luck - and I feel this would be an excellent CITO type event - I trust it meets the guidelines - check out the CITO forum for confirmation

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Thanks for all of the interest. I met with the reserve manager this evening and would like to share her feedback.

 

So where is this mysterious reserve? In the heart of suburbia is the Kenilworth Racecourse and in the centre of the racecourse is the 52 hectare Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area (http://www.krca.co.za). The conservation area is on private land but in 2006 Gold Circle (the landowner), City of Cape Town Nature Conservation and CapeNature Conservation established a management agreement. In 2007 Friends of Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area (http://www.krca.co.za/friends_KRCA) was formed and Gold Circle graciously allow them controlled access for conservation related activities.

 

KRCA is home to a number of critically endangered species of fauna and flora, amongst them Erica Verticilate (extinct in the wild) and the micro frog (Microbatrachella capensis).

 

It is in this very special area which we will be the hosting the event. With the calendar already filled to capacity with events; including some for International Biodiversity Day (22 May), World Environment Day (5 June) and Mandela Day (17 July); we shall most likely host the event in August.

 

We still need to decide on the nature of the event. Perhaps it will be something more traditional, such as alien vegetation clearing. But then, if we've had good rains and the seasonal wet pans are nice and full, maybe it will be something a little different such as a nocturnal amphibian survey. The tiny micro frogs are quite something to see and the racket they can conjure up, while singing for a mate, is quite something to hear. :lol:

 

I shall be sure to keep you all posted.

 

GavGold

Edited by gavgold
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So where is this mysterious reserve? In the heart of suburbia is the Kenilworth Racecourse and in the centre of the racecourse is the 52 hectare Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area...

 

Sounds like its going to be a fun event (as long as its not actually raining) and something very different. If there is a vote happening, then mine would be for the nocturnal amphibian survey, just because the micro frogs are not something someone is likely to see very often.

 

Look forward to hearing more.

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We still need to decide on the nature of the event. Perhaps it will be something more traditional, such as alien vegetation clearing. But then, if we've had good rains and the seasonal wet pans are nice and full, maybe it will be something a little different such as a nocturnal amphibian survey. The tiny micro frogs are quite something to see and the racket they can conjure up, while singing for a mate, is quite something to hear. :lol:

 

GavGold

 

Who said geocaching was about finding little plastic boxes stuck beneath rocks?...

This sounds like a Lekker Event, where we actually get to learn something or see something that we would normally not know anything about...

I'm sure I'll be there...

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Hi all

 

I met with the reserve manager this evening. There's an area in which they did a controlled burn and they want to clear this of of invasives, predominantly Port Jackson.

 

Is Sun 18 September to soon? Maybe the 25th is better? I'll be posting the event in the next few days.

 

Gavin

 

p.s. As it's home to the critically endangered micro frog, we'll be hosting a "Frog Walk" in the next 2 weeks. It's a brilliant way to spend an evening - contact me or keep an eye on the FKRCA list if you'd like details

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