Trail Log 1995-1997 - Lamar at Colorado State University

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MacGill, R. E. and E. A. Schelpe, "The bryophytes of Southern Africa, an annotated checklist,"
Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa, no. 43, 1979.
Cowling, Richard and Dave Richardson, Fynbos: South Africa's Unique Floral Kingdom Vlaeberg:
Fernwood Press, 1995. 154 pages. ISBN 1 874590 10 5 Fynbos, a vegetation type unique to
South Africa, is the smallest floral kingdom in the world, yet for its size it boasts the largest number
of plant species. Nowhere else on earth are so many species crammed into such a small area.
This is an extremely attractive presentation in text and photography, not only of the flora but of the
fauna it supports. Its conservation is of great concern and one of the leading arguments here is that
the solutions to these problems lie in the recognition of fynbos as an economic resource. Cowling
is an ecologist at the University of Cape Town and a 1994 winner of the Pew Conservation Award.
Richardson is a researcher at the Institute for Plant Conservation, University of Cape Town.
Later, I had an interview with geologist on environmental geology.
Lecture at Stellenbosch in the afternoon.
Evening: Dinner with Jerry Eckert.
August 9. Wednesday. Hike in mountains out of Jonkershoek Nature Reserve. "Hoek" means
"hook," but here a hollow or valley. The lower parts are plantations, but the upper parts preserved
as fynbos. We made a considerable climb (about 3,000 ft) over a rather rocky trail, with lowering
clouds above. Then we got into the clouds, eventually made the ridge in deteriorating weather and
got sopping wet coming back down. It was rather hard picking your way underfoot with water
fogging your glasses, but we made it back. This was a holiday, "Woman's Day," the first such
holiday in South Africa. The higher mountains here are over 5,000 feet, which means they are as
high as Mt. Rogers in Virginia, or Ben Nevis in Scotland, and as high above their base (sea level)
as Long's Peak is above the plains. Others not far away are over 6,000 ft.
Evening: Dinner with Johan's mother and father; He is a retired pastor in the Dutch Reformed
Church.
August 10, Thursday.
I had an interview with John Hanks, WWF South Africa (formerly Southern Africa Nature
Foundation). He is a friend of Gene Decker's.
Evening: Dinner with Rudi Bigalke, dean, Faculty of Forestry. Forestry here has three departments:
1. Wood Technology. 2. Silviculture. 3. Conservation (not the exact names). He is a friend of
Gene Decker's.
Had blesbok for the meat-very tender.
August 11, Friday.
Morning: River tour with Danie R. Schreuder, environmental education and the Department of
Education. Visits to various spots on the river reveal a great deal about the character of the society
on the river. Whites have a clean river and spend money to keep it clean; rivers that flow through
the black settlements are polluted, especially with human wastes, also quite trashy; rivers that flow
through some problematic colored settlements are