The final days…
Thanks to Tori, Laura, Luke, and David for a tremendous contribution of energy, enthusiasm, and persistence. The research is done – more accurately we have plenty of data to analyze!
I am writing from the Mennonite Guest House in Nairobi where Donna, Isaac, Mara, and I are spending our final days in Kenya. Last evening we successfully took Laura and David to the airport for their 11:25 p.m. flight back home. The evening before we made the same trip with Luke, who (as of now) is safely back in Illinois. It has been mind boggling how quickly the 6 weeks have gone by, a swirl of data collection, game drives, and evening conversations.
This previous week was a busy one. On Monday the entire team went to Segera ranch for data collection. We stopped in at the main office to say farewell to the land managers and thank them for the opportunity to research on their land. Tuesday was also filled with measuring acacia trees and finishing up field work.
Wednesday and Thursday we stayed in the lab at Mpala Research Center to organize our data, compile the data files, and clean and organize our equipment. By the end of the trip we measured and collected data on more than 13,000 trees! Thursday afternoon we had a final meeting with Duncan and John to express our thanks and share highlights. In the evening we took one last game drive to say farewell to the Kenyan landscape, watching in silence a herd of elephants, impala, hartebeest, and giraffe. Later we found a safe, open area on the escarpment to get out of the Landrover and enjoy the view of the valley.
Friday we loaded the Landrover with our luggage and completed our last 4 hour drive to Nairobi. It was a rather quiet and pensive drive; each of us was contemplating our final days in Kenya and processing the impending transition back home. Once we are back in Goshen, we’ll begin the tedious and arduous process of analyzing the data and working toward the publication of our results.
It has been an amazing summer with a pulse and rhythm unique to field work – long days, bumpy roads, surprising sightings, and unexpected vistas. We were equally grateful for the relationships with John, Duncan, and others in the Laikipia community who welcomed us so genuinely – the students counted this as one of the highlights of the experience.
Perhaps each of us will again receive the gift of experiencing another dawn over Mt. Kenya, the laugh of the hyenas at night, and the morning greetings in Swahili from our colleagues. Until then we’ll hold on to the images, retell the stories, and dream of our next visit. Thanks for joining us on the journey.
Ryan on behalf of Donna, Isaac, Mara & the Fire Ecology Research team
