We can offer environmental education activities focussed on leopards’ place in the ecosystem. These activies include:

# a hike to a camera trap, downloading the images and experiencing the excitement of viewing the recorded images that evening.

#learning about the  large mammals of our mountains and their role in the ecosystem.

# the leopard’s position as apex predator, and learning more about the leopard habits, distribution and life cycle.

# interaction and conflict between man and leopards, hunting, trapping, poison, livestock, habitat reduction.

# animal messages- spoor and droppings.

# wild animals – poetry and art. t shirt making

# an introduction to maps through Landmark Foundation data from collared leopards, plotting of camera trap positions on maps.

#  a discussion of disappearance of several species from the Overberg: Blue antelope, hippo and rhinoceros.

We will use educational material provided by the Landmark Foundation. If possible the Landmark Foundation education officer will personally present some of the activities.

More information is available on www.landmarkfoundation.org.za .

The hiking component was centred on Greyton and coordinated by GAP ( Greyton Adventure Programmes). The first hike was a comfortable hike from Genadendal to Greyton following a contour path high on the slopes of the Sonderend Mountains, this allowed the girls some time to walk into Greyton and treat themselves at the local coffee shops. The second day of hiking covers the Boesmanskloof ( Greyton-McGregor) trail, this is more demanding especially on a hot day, but is a very beautiful hike. The groups overnight at Die Galg at the end of the trail before heading off on their cycling leg.

We would like to thank the staff involved for their hard work and committment to making the 2012 Step Out such a success.We look forward to being a part of this wonderful opportunity for the girls to experience the benefits of time in the Outdoors in 2013.

GAP is busy planning a similar trip centred around Greyton, using the Sonderend River, existing mountain bike routes and hikes in the Mountains. The aim is to reduce the logistical demands of such a trip by designing a circular route with the three legs linked to each other in a circular route. This route will be available for School Groups wanting to do a longer outdoor expedition combining river, cycling and hiking.

These three missionaries came to Genadendal to re-establish the Mission that George Schmidt had started in 1738, leaving after being forbidden to administer sacrements to any of his indiginous converts.

I was looking for a copy of Dr Balie’s book on Genadendal and was offered these diaries instead. Being able to read the meticulous and detailed diaries is bringing history alive for me. Imagine the bravery and faith of these three men setting out for the Cape, knowing they would most probably never see family and friends again. Setting off for a new continent of which they new very little. They left Zeist for Amsterdam on the 11th June 1792, boarding their ship on the 25th.

They disembarked in Cape Town on the 23rd November ” glad and thankful to our dear Lord and Saviour that our life on board which had lasted for twenty one weeks and four days had now ended.”

It is exciting that the heritage of these men is so well preserved at Genadendal and is so easy to visit. The Museum at Genadendal has a rich collection of history and artifacts, preserving for our enjoyment and education this legacy of the Missionaries and the indiginous people.

Genadendal is only a 7 km hike or drive from Greyton and it would be a great pity if any visitors to the area left a visit to Genadendal off their itinerary. The 7km hike from Greyton to Genadendal is suitable for children from Grade 5, there is also a longer route that follows a contour line high on the slopes of the Sonderend Mountains ( more suited to older children and fitter hikers). The Museum is a must-see for School and Church groups visiting the area, and the curator and education officer are available to offer guided tours of the Museum.

The grape vines that we planted 3 years ago are yielding their first edible grapes, although the birds are winning the early thing, they seem to know exactly when a grape is sweet enough. That leaves us with a choice between bird pecked grapes and face contortingly sour grapes. Now the saying “sour grapes” makes sense after all these years.

The large tree to the left of the entrance steps decided to finally reveal its identity this year by giving a small crop of plums! The tree looks 10 years old but has never produced a single plum, must have something to do with the tap we fitted close by this year?

We have the second group of German volunteers here this week, unfortunately for them the weather is cold and rainy.

Visiting a rock art site a privilege and there are certain basic rules to follow. You shouldn’t touch or soak the paintings with water, fires and smoke are also damaging and lastly one should leave only foot steps behind. We recommend visiting with a local guide, this creates employment and also means that the site will be properly supervised. This site will be very difficult to find without a guide as there are no paths leading to it.

After an hour of admiring the paintings and absorbing the special atmosphere of the rock shelter we headed back to Genadendal and arrived back 5 hours after we set out.

We then became aware of different interpretations of the art. There is one painting of what looks like a donkey, it could perhaps also be a quagga or zebra.

Some claim the fact that it is a donkey means that the painting is very recent as donkeys were evidently not found in this area until the 1700′s. It is also suggested that the paintings could be fake. The truth may become clear once more research has been done ( these paintings were discovered by Paul about 5 years ago). My personal opinion is that the paintings look very genuine and I can’t imagine who would go to the trouble of making such good forgeries in such a remote and difficult to find shelter.

This research aims at establishing the current status of leopard populations so that conservation efforts can be designed to safeguard them. A concern is that there are several very small populations that are separated by large areas of agricultural or urban land. The danger of in-breeding exists, and it is hoped to try and establish safe corridors through which these separate populations can be linked.

The camera traps have added a fascinating dimension to appreciating wildlife in our mountains. Hikers have always known that leopards were around from sightings of spoor and droppings, however these claims were always treated with mild disbelief by others. The fact that many of the larger mammals that live in the mountains are very shy and nocturnal meant that the chances of seeing them were very slight. Now we have photographic evidence of these animals, often on the same paths we are hiking on.

Other animals that have been photographed include: klipspringer; grey rhebok; porcupine; honeybadger; genet ; cape hare; baboon and  mongoose.

Zebra Moon have sponsored accommodation for the Landmark Foundation team and are planning to sponsor a camera in 2012. We are creating several activities for School groups with leopard conservation as a theme. Leopards are a great way to get an environmental message across as most people are more interested in large cats than fynbos ants! However as leopards are apex predators the whole ecosystem must be functioning properly to sustain leopards. School groups will be able to hike to one of the cameras and download the photographs, in the evening we will then screen the photographs – this is very exciting to see what has been captured on film at the very spot you hiked to!

Why I am going to spend time in Greyton these holidays?

Its cheap, especially if you stay at Zebra Moon. In Summer, Greyton is an especially shady village and if you have had enough wind, the wind blows alot less in our sheltered valley. Swimming in a mountain stream on a hot day is a delight, the water is always refreshing, and if you go into Noupoort it is more like bracing ( very bracing!). You can spend a few days unwinding in the Village, coffee or milkshakes at one of the great eateries.

In the heat of the day Zebra Moon is beautifully cool, they built well 50 years ago. Catch up on your reading, then after a lazy tea you can go for an afternoon hike on one of the many routes, or cycle around the Village.

Once you have recharged your batteries, consider a short drive to Genadendal and its beautiful shady werf and impressive Museum. Or if you are feeling very adventurous, head to Hermanus via Caledon and the Hemel en Arde valley and enjoy their beautiful cliff walks and beaches. Then come back to the tranquility of Greyton.

A big plus in Greyton is that you can walk pretty much everywhere: slow down, enjoy the walk and reduce your carbon footprint!

I have come to realise that a School camp is not just an excuse to get out of the classroom for a holiday, but that it is potentially a very powerful tool for creating changed behaviour, and for learning many valuable lessons. I have seen huge behaviour change in a class after a two night camp. We are privileged to have the Somerset College Trek spend a night in the grounds of Zebra Moon every year and the Trek represents the highest committment to outdoor experiential education in the Western Cape, with the whole Grade 9 setting off in groups of about 24 for a 27  day trek that covers 360 kms by foot, mountain bike and canoe. The tremendous positive results achieved by the Trek are being taken note of by other Schools, with several implementing similar ( mostly shorter) programmes.

While a 27 day experience is the envy of many, a carefully planned two day camp can achieve much. Why does a School camp have such potential, and what are the necessary ingredients to maximise this potential?

My personal observations:

It is useful if the camp takes place in a new and unfamiliar environment.

There should be new and unusual experiences that take children out of their comfort zone.

There should be an element of physical challenge that needs some perseverance and a little bit of pain to achieve.

While children are taken out of their comfort zone, this should be done in a well supervised and supportive environment.

Team activities have great potential for building team cohesion.

Reflection and thinking about activities and the camp as a whole are important, and need to be done while the activity is very fresh on children’s minds.

There should be lots of fun.

Self awareness exercises in a natural environment are recommended.

Even a short night hike or night activity is great fun and builds confidence.

No electronic gadgets ( cell phones, ipods etc)

Good facilitators who who want the best experience possible for the children.

Most children are now day scholars so a camp has two important facets that are present and need no special attention to achieve: 1) children are away from home, parents and siblings ( sometimes for the first time) and this is on it’s own a great learning opportunity.

2) Children are together with their class mates for an extended period of time and learn a lot about each other outside of the normal classsroom environment. There is a chance for old friendships to deepen and for new friendships to form as children see different parts of each others characters. The children are also all in new territory away from family and friends and the group suddenly becomes far more cohesive as they face these new challenges together.

The Grade 6′s did alot of hiking and walking, including the 7km hike to Genadendal. Here they were met by Mr Baadjes, the resident education officer, and taken on a fascinating tour of the Genadendal Museum. The Museum has a wealth of artifacts and displays and includes a working water mill, a printing Museum, a transport Museum and the main Museum building with a fascinating depiction of the History of Genadendal. This is always a great discovery for those who never knew about Genadendal.

Being a November camp the cool waters of the pools in the Gobos River were a great attraction. The Children were kept busy with a variety of indoor activities as well, the one activity that looked  particularly interesting was body mapping, in which Children look at their bodies from various perspectives: my strengths; things I want to improve; my goals and aspirations;things I like; things relatedto the head, heart and limbs. All this written on a full sized outline of your own body.The group also fitted in a night hike to the river.

The parents and teachers, with help from the Children, prepared all the meals in the large Hostel kitchen. A range of delicious meals and braais were prepared and it looked as if the Children were very well catered for.

Thanks to Joan Sleigh for organising the camp, it is always a pleasure to have her Class on camp.And to the other staff and parents for all their hard work- helping on a School camp is not a holiday, its exhausting keeping up with the Children and nights are never early!