stephanie looking up

Sometimes you just let an idea grow and grow, and the next thing you know you have organized a local March for Science... And March for Science Kibale was a great success! We were joined by field assistants from most of the research projects currently going on in Kibale National Park, about 80 kids from the local primary schools and football team, 13 representatives from the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (federal governing body) and some additional community members who just wanted to participate. Also, the day before the March, I was invited to be on public radio to discuss the event. I went with one of the field assistants that I work with, Saizi, and we were given a 40 minute slot on an environmental talk show where we were able to discuss why we were having the march and about the importance of science and conservation more generally. It was heaps of fun!  We started the day by making posters with the kids about why science was important to them. Then we took our pos

One day last week, the chimps took us to the top of one of the highest hills at about seven in the morning, just in time to see the sunrise. The hills in the foreground are all part of Kibale National Park, and in the far distance you can see the Rwenzori Mountains. This mountain range is also the border with the Congo. I haven't yet learned what this plant is, but I saw it in the forest this week. Isn't it crazy!? I think probably a fly trap of some sort.  The view from my porch, watching a storm roll in. My house looks just like the other two in this photo - each one is a duplex and I have half the house to myself.  A particularly large elephant, as you can see from this footprint, was hanging out nearby us in the forest a few weeks back. I could also see prints from its wrinkly skin in the mud. I got poured on while I was trying to get to town to get groceries. Luckily anyone will let you stay on their porch to wait it out.

This past month has mostly been a matter of steadily hauling myself up a learning curve. I’ve had a lot to learn – remembering how to recognize the individual chimps, how to get around the forest, how to tactfully avoid running into elephants, where to by my groceries, what cell phone company now has the best reception… you name it. I have also had a lot to set up in terms of my own data collection protocols. It’s coming along – slowly by slowly, as they say in Uganda. I’m happy to report I haven’t been chased by an elephant yet, have only had to be pulled (I mean that literally) out of the swamp once, and have only been caught in the forest during a few major storms – not too bad considering it's the rainy season. The weather is wonderfully cool now – think June in Muskoka or Canmore – nice and warm during the day but you can bundle up in sweaters and under blankets at night. It stays even cooler in the forest, so I’m happy wearing pants and long sleeves, even though I

When we arrive in camp, chimpanzee researchers are quarantined for five days to make sure we aren't carrying any communicable diseases that we might give to the chimpanzees (even a common cold can kill them). So I've had some time to reacquaint myself with the the friendly faces that regularly pass through my backyard at Makerere University Biological Field Station. Yesterday I tried out my new camera as I watched all of the usual suspects pass by. Here are some snaps! (and yes, that poor baboon baby is being yanked by the hairs on her chinny chin chin). You can click on any of the photos to see them larger.

I've spent the last few days setting up shop in Uganda. I unpacked my three pieces of luggage (each weighing in at a full 50 lbs), hired a cook, helped the cook sweep a nest of army ants out of my kitchen, harangued some cooking equipment and bought more groceries than my cook and I could carry. I had five people working on the house today fixing lightbulbs, sweeping off the roof, setting up the kitchen, and literally banging various things back into shape. Then I convinced someone to give me a table, a bookcase and some chairs, and pushed the few pieces of furniture around in circles until finding a satisfying arrangement. Hazah - feels like home. The humidity, the smell of the forest, the rain pounding on the tin roof, the incessant chirping from birds and bugs, the small plumes of smoke rising from village homes, hearing colobus roar in the morning and the rich color of the red dirt roads all bring back fond memories.