IUCN Membership
Keystone Foundation has become a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN).
Keystone’s Online Fundraising Campaign!
Keystone has set up an iGive page as part of the India Tax Saving Challenge 2012 by Give India.The aim is to raise Rs. 5 Lakhs by 22nd March to support various field activities. Donations can start at Rs. 100 and donors would receive a feedback report from GiveIndia instantly along with a receipt.
Those interested in donating, whether in India or abroad, can do so by visiting this page. The Challenge is open till 22nd March 2012.
Linkages between indigenous communities in the Nilgiris.
On Wednesday 25/1 2012 Rev. Phillip Mulley, social anthropologist and one of Keystone’s trustees, held an informative lecture on the cultural links between the indigenous communities of the Nilgiri Mountains. The event was honoured with the presence of students from Rishi Valley. The event took place at the Bee Museum in Ooty.
Interactive trail in the Bikkapathy Mund reserved forest
Nilgiri Natural History Society arranged a walk in Bikkapathy Mund reserved forest, located in the Nilgiris Upper Plateau within the Nilgiris North Division, at an altitude on 1900 msl. The trail, with 20 engaged participants, started and ended in a village inhabited by Todas, an indigenous community of the region who are traditionally buffalo herders.
An eventful day!
The afternoon of the 10th of January 2012 turned out to be another day full of visitors. 41 students from Central Academy for State Forest Service (CASFOS), Dehradun arrived soon after the students from the Cornell University departed.
Anita Varghese ex
plained the linkages of our work and the areas of concern for both the communities and the forest department. The questions that the students raised and the rights of the communities that had to be defended became intense and showed the students’ enthusiasm to understand the issues faced by the communities. Resettlement (!) seemed to be the easiest options for them. 
Mathew John raised an interesting question to them (as he had to step in to reign the discussion back into forest governance from that of policing) which not only brought peals of laughter, also a perspective to the issues of concern for the students who will become the officers that will manage forests throughout their life. He asked the students that “If we had to bring down our population by 50% because we are unsustainable, is it possible to take a stand like that?” Interesting question! During the vote of thanks by the students, the mention of Madhya Marg (middle path) made our day as we could make out that we have impacted the minds of these students positively.
Cornell University students visit Keystone Foundation- a new beginning…
On the 10th of January 2012, 40 students from Cornell University, USA accompanied by their Professors interacted with us for more than four hours. The purpose of the visit is to understand the development processes at the grass roots level, the challenges and the learning from the perspective of indigenous communities. Traditional knowledge was the hot topic and the application of this knowledge in the modern world where technology is changing at a pace that outsmarts the kind of knowledge which is purely observational and time tested. The implication of the changing climate and the pattern of agriculture were discussed avidly by the students. Great to see the young minds grappling with the challenges that face the earth today and trying to find solutions that would be path breaking. This is a new beginning that would establish Keystone Foundation as a field university which imparts practical knowledge gained from the 17 years of its work in the mountainous regions with focus on the indigenous communities which resulted in the unique experiences that have global relevance. The time invested with the students is an investment of another kind which will bring forth new thinking in the approaches to sustainability in all spheres of life. The activities of Keystone Foundation were concisely presented by Mathew John who had to take a lot of questions and answer them thinking on his feet. The lively interactions still linger in the mind! Special thanks to Peter Hobbs!
Students from Cornell University USA visited the Bee Museum
On Saturday, 7th January 2012 students from Cornell University, USA visited the Bee Museum in Ooty and spent two hours browsing the Museum. Lot of questions and discussions. They will be visiting Keystone Campus tomorrow, Tuesday 10th January 2012. Interesting to know their views on GMO. This is the beginning of a relationship with Cornell University where Pratim is doing his fellowship currently. The visit by the students and the professors will establish Keystone as a field university in the future.
Bee Museum in `The Local’
A short and nice write up about the Bee Museum has appeared in our local news magazine – The Local.
A public talk and discussion on issues of Human-wildlife Conflict
On the 9th December, a public talk and discussion on issues of Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) was organised by the Nilgiri Natural History Society at Mudhaiya Hall, Ramesh Hotel, Kotagiri. About thirty people from The Kotagiri Wildlife Association, Kotagiri Drivers Association, Kotagiri Market Association, a group of farmers from Nedugula and others interested attended.
The resource people for this event was Samraj Gowder Thonthai and Robert Leo. Samraj mainly spoke about what HWC is and that the best scenario would imply integrated community development and wildlife conservation. After a very informative and educational talk Leo set off a discussion where people could share their experiences and thoughts about the subject. Representatives from the Forest Department were present and were addressed various questions and complaints of those gathered.
Issues such as elephants destroying agricultural fields and leopards preying on domestic animals were spoken about.
Shop Manager’s Workshop
A 2 day workshop for Retail Shop Managers under the Fair Trade India branding exercise, is being held at the campus on the 7th and 8th of Dec, 2011
