THE QUARTERLY BUZZ

In This Issue:

Celebrations for the Graduates

Welcome to the new NQF crew

A proud moment…

Fauna and Flora: findings and frustrations

Pondering Penguins

Wandering with Eland

Fun at Iziko

Day at the Vlei

High School Outdoors

EE programme stats

CLP Snippets

Seaside Camping

Outreach at

Westlake

CTEET Newsletter Vol. 4 April - June 2016

“Nature is not a place to visit, it is

home!”

Gary Snyder

(Poet and environmental activist)

Celebrating the Graduates Cheers all round in this quarter as a number of staff have graduated. Karen Merrett, Senior Educator, graduated from Cape Peninsula University of Technology with a Btech in Nature Conservation. Last years WIL student Xoliswa Magwentshu and Abongile Madyolo, the Education Intern, have also received their Diploma. However Abongile’s official graduation will be in September. Sabelo Memani, the Skills Development Facilitator for the learnership, who graduated with his BTech in Nature Conservation through a bursary from our Luqmaan Jabaar Memorial Bursary Fund. Sabelo has taken up a contract with the City of Cape Town’s Green Jobs Unit. We are very proud of our NQF level 2 Nature Conservation: Resource Guardian-ship learners with 21 out of the 23 suc-cessfully completing the learnership. A graduation ceremony was held on 27 May 2016 at the Table Bay Nature Reserve.

They were joined by their reserve managers, mentors and very proud families. We were fortunate to have Cllr Mark Kleinschmidt address the group with his entertaining and motivating speech. Vuyokazi Rubushe, one of the learners, successfully placed in a permanent position as a field ranger at Helderberg Nature Reserve, gave a touching heartfelt thank you stating that “the learnership is a great opportunity that I got to be involved in. I’ve seen myself develop through the learnership” Another learner, Carol-Ann Jantjies said that “this learnership means so much to me because it made me realise what my calling is in life and where my passion lies.” Carol-Ann is going on to study Nature Conservation at CPUT through a bursary from our Luqmaan Jabaar Memorial Bursary Fund.

We wish the graduates all the best in their chosen paths.

Xoliswa and Karen at graduation

Nature Conservation Learnership Graduation joined by Cllr Kleinschimdt.

Welcome to the new NQF crew To kick off the NQF level 4 Environmental Practices Learnership a “meet and greet’ was held in anticipation of their official first day on 1 June 2016. Learners got to meet each other as well as their respective site supervisors and managers, as well as the CTEET Learnership Team and Lesley Jones from Elgin Learning Foundation. Elgin Learning Foundation, as the training provider, will be facilitating the theoretical component covering 23 unit standards (140 credits) in 8 modules to achieve the Further Education and Training Certificate in Environmental Practices. Their first module is scheduled for 4 July 2016. There are 12 learners partaking in this Learnership primarily funded through the Local Government

Sectoral Education and Training Authority (LGSETA) with the 13th learner, Anwar Boonzaair , funded through CTEET. Five of the learners (Kidwell Juqu, Melvin Booysen, Rando Arendse, Ntombiziphi Rafu and Thurlo Marco) have come off of the NQF 2 Nature Conservation Learnership. Anwille Saaiman, another NQF 2 learner was meant to go onto this programme was offered a permanent position with Quemic Africa the day of the meet and greet. The following reserves are participating in the learnership: Wolfgat, Tygerberg, Steenbras, Helderberg, Harmony Flats, False Bay Nature Reserve and the Gantouw Project based on Rondevlei Nature Reserve. It is going to be a busy year for the NQF 4 group, however with all the support they will receive from the dedicated reserve staff as well as from CTEET, we are certain that we will have another successful learnership. Good luck and may the “fours” be with you.

NQF level 4 Environmental Practices Learnership ‘Meet and Greet’ for the participants and the Reserve managers.

A proud moment... In May a Field Ranger Training course was facilitated by Sebastian Siljeur, an ex-CTEET staff member. The course was attended by several CTEET current and past staff. These included a previous participant of the CTEET Skills Development Programme and current staff member of the Gantouw Project - Christyline Matthews, 3 graduates of the NQF level 2 Nature Conservation Learnership; one who is now employed by the City of Cape Town - Crystal Moses (currently employed by the City of Cape Town). Thurlo Marco (a participant of the NQF level 4 Environmental Practices Learnership and Anwille Saaiman employed now with Quemic Africa. Exam time for the Field Ranger Training participants

Fauna and Flora: findings and frustrations

A number of interesting sightings and incidents have been recorded at a few of the conservation areas over the last 3 months.

The Milnerton Racecourse conservation area (MRCA) did a Cape grysbok drive count on 16 April with the assistance of students, the public and staff. A total of 22 Cape grysbok were counted; 17 females, 3 males and 2 juveniles.

An interesting sighting at MRCA was a juvenile African Harrier Hawk (a new species for MRCA) which was photographed raiding a nest under roof tiles. Other sightings included a ’Painted Lady’ (Vanessa cardui) on an Oxalis hirta and the Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild) who look well-prepared for winter.

Atlantic Beach Golf Course Conservation Area (ABGCCA) had an exciting time finding 6 rhombic egg-eaters during a fire-hydrant inspection; the birth of 3 springbok; discovering a Silvery Dwarf Burrowing Skink during the site rehabilitation work and the

presence of koi-fish-eating otter.

One evening in May the ABGCCA team were called to

capture an otter that had killed 27 koi fish in the

residential estate. A lengthy capture operation

started with the otter cornered under an air-

conditioning unit. It was surrounded by a

multiple boxes and a rubbish bin (as an extra

precaution) and bystanders were standing ready

with a capture net. Despite these efforts the otter

escaped into another pond housing additional koi fish. Once the pond had been emptied to a suitable low

level, a handmade neck leash was used to try capture the otter, who again managed to evade capture. It was decided to call it a night. Despite the area being blocked off overnight, in the morning when the team returned the otter had escaped.

Sadly the residents requested the otter to be removed from the estate, however, Louis van Wyk, site

manager for ABGCCA, explained to the homeowners that the otter had not posed any human harm and therefore would not be removed and recommended that they cover their ponds with netting to protect their fish. Louis has undertaken to create awareness around the scarcity of the otters and their need for

protection.

Other records for ABGCCA includes the Grey

Afrikaaner (Gladiolus griseus), Ocellated thick-toed gecko, Red Viooltjie/ Sandkalossie (Lachenalia rubida var. rubida) and a Cape dwarf chameleon (Bradypodion pumilum).

It has been noted in the Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area that the endangered Hessea cinnamomea has flowered again after the 2015 fire. The KRCA nursery has been actively propagating species from the conservation area with over 5347 plants being Propagated. Learners assisted with site rehabilitation by planting out a number of these plants.

Grey Afrikaaner

Silvery Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Red Viooltjie

Ocellated thick-toed gecko

Cape dwarf chameleon

Rhombic egg-eater

Cape Grysbok drive count Juvenile African Harrier Hawk raiding a nest

Painted lady or a Sondagsrokkie

Puffy-looking Common Waxbills

Learners assisting with rehabilitation at KRCA

Pondering Penguins The Burghers Walk Penguin Project based at Boulders Beach in Simons Town currently has 4 staff who have been involved in 24 callouts and 33 sweeps, over and above the regular nest checks and other monitoring activities. This led to the penguin monitors retrieving 113 adults, 30 chicks and 17 penguins eggs with 7 adult penguins, 37 chicks and 45 eggs being sent to SANCCOB along with 2 kelp gulls and 3 Cape cormorants.

The monitors also released 11 adult penguins, 2 juveniles and 40 Blues. Blues is the term used for a pen-guin whose head is a blue-grey colour, it is the last phase before they ‘moult’ into their adult plumage.

On their patrols and sweeps the monitors came across an abandoned bag of abalone from suspected poaching activities but on a brighter note they recorded Cape clawless otter, Southern right whale, small spotted genet, a Cape dwarf chame-leon and various sightings of different mongoose species. Look out for the upcoming Penguin Festival happening on 8 October 2016.

A Blue on the left and an adult on the right

Penguins released after returning from SANCCOB

Wandering with Eland The quarter is definitely all about training, information sharing and research. Starting off with plant training done by Leighan Mossop from the Biodiversity Management Branch for the Gantouw Team as well as Nature Conservation WIL students. Two of the eland monitors attended the Field Ranger Training. One session was held at Table Bay Nature Reserve and the second at Rondevlei Nature Reserve. The eland decided that their monitors had been away for too long and decided to visit them at the Rondevlei Tea Room, much to everyone’s surprise and enjoyment.

Petro Botha, the project manager, presented the project to the Constantia Environmental Group and was involved with a film shoot. The highlight of this quarter was being asked to present the Gantouw Project at the PAAZA (Pan-African Association of Zoos and Aquaria) conference held in Johannesburg. This is an international conference with delegates from all over Africa as well as representatives from Europe, North America

and Australia. Not only were the delegates impressed with the aim of the project and training of the eland but the social impacts of having the eland on the reserve particularly the change in behavior towards the conservation of the vegetation type.

Over the months, a number of vegetation surveys as well as bird surveys have been conducted to collect the base-line data to understand if the eland will make a difference to the bush encroachment and increasing diversity of fauna and flora species in the Cape Flats Dune Strandveld. Further data collected from a collar worn by Uniqua (the oldest member of the herd) will provide evidence of the movement of the eland and the plant species they feed on. For those who have not seen the Eland in the past few months you will be surprised to find that they have not only grown a lot but they have also become ‘fluffy’ as they have their winter coat, as if they were-n't cute enough before!

Eland visiting their monitors whilst they were attending training

Abstract for the PAAZA Conference 2016

Uniqua’s collar

Berni in her winter coat

Fun at Iziko Our first Eco-Schools educator work-shop hosted by the South African Iziko Museum, was held on 28 May with 29 educators from 12 schools from the CTEET southern Eco-Schools node of our Eco-Schools. Educators had loads of fun racing around the museum partaking in the “Amazing Race” activity linked to the Eco-School programme’s structural themes and the museum exhibits. This was followed by an idea-sharing session and discussions about how to integrate classroom lessons with outdoor environmentally sustainable projects at the school.

The day ended off with a tour of the VOC Company Gardens to get some inspiring ideas of establishing vegetable gardens to benefit the school and the local community.

A fun ‘Enviro Pop Quiz’ was won by Rucshana Bayat from JEQ Pre-Primary and Primary School. The prize was a selection of water-wise Succulents donated by Dr Boomslang Nursery as well as some gardening tools.

Day at the Vlei! The Princess Vlei Forum held a ‘Nature Champions Plant’ at Princess Vlei on the 2 June. Over 120 learners from 5 schools were present at the event of these Lotus High School, Levana Primary School and Harmony Primary School are three of the Eco-Schools we support.

The learners assisted with picking up litter as well as clearing invasive alien plants. Amazingly over 400 plants (all endemic to the area) were planted on the day. Some learners even rescued and relocated some of the local biodiversity. We often forget that children need to be part of the solution and not just bogged down with doomsday messages. Action days like these give them a sense of community and they walk away with the pride in knowing they have made a difference.

Mrs. Bayat, the Pop Quiz winner

Amazing Race participants getting their clue at the Iziko Museum

‘Toad-al’ Hero

Happily removing invasive plants

High School Outdoors Part of the Grade 10 curriculum is to complete an environmen-tal study as part of their portfolio work, it is a daunting study but CTEET has made it a whole lot of fun. Starting off with an introduction to the Biosphere and biomes, followed by an ecological study of a section of the Rondevlei Nature Reserve.

What better place is there to do an environmental study? The lesson ended off debating a scenario of turning Rondevlei Nature Reserve into a shopping mall. From the evaluations, the learners walked away with the message that they need to protect the natural environment. This programme which happened between April and June was sponsored by the Councillors from Ward 11 and Ward 17.

Investigating the flora of Rondevlei Nature Reserve

Environmental Education Programme Stats:

Day programmes 1622 3-day Camp 351 2-day Camp 112

CLP Snippets The Conservation Leadership Programme members started off the quarter with a hike up Constantia Nek, a first experience for many of the children as well as some of the facilitators. They made the best of less-

than-ideal weather conditions and persevered to the top, quite an achievement for first-time hikers.

Later in April, the CLP members joined the BirdLife Birdathon at False Bay Nature Reserve. They completed the 6km birding walk in the Strandfontien Important Birding Area, stopping at various activity stations and ending off with the lucky prizes. Their action project was a litter clean up at the Zeekoeivlei section of the False Bay Nature Reserve.

Outreach at Westlake In the spirit of Youth Day, CTEET ran a Youth Outreach Programme at the Westlake Community Centre providing the youth with an opportunity to take action. On 17 June, 220 excited youths partook in the waste awareness programme which aimed to create awareness around the negative effects of illegal dumping and littering. The programme also provides the youths with practical ways to reduce waste generated in their homes. Plastics SA provided the gloves, masks and bags for the litter clean up and it was inspiring to see how enthusiastic the children were and how much they managed to clean up in a short time. The bags were later collected by the City of Cape Town’s Green Jobs Unit. After the clean up, a few up- cycling activities were provided such as, using waste to make pencil holders and fun items such as insects. Vuzi, the Glass Recycling Company mascot, kept the group motivated throughout the day. Thank you to all the partners; the Orphan Care Foundation, Women of Westlake, City of Cape Town Waste Management Department, Sports and Recreation Department, Green Jobs Unit and Plastics SA, without whom this programme would not have been such a great success.

Birding at the Birdathon

Litter pickup in the vlei Seaside camping

Sixty learners from two schools in the Atlantis community were afforded the opportunity to attend a 3 day seaside camping experience at the Silwerstroom-strand camp site. The two camps hosted 30 learners each time and provided them with a host of fun activities, starting off with the learners having to pitch their own tents and assisting to set up the 5mx5m ‘kitchen tent’. Once the beach safety talk was out of the way, the learners enjoyed a discovery walk learning about the various life forms found along the beach. Each morning started with an exercise session but it wasn't the only form of physical activity the learners got to do on the camp. Aside from a number of interesting beach walks and night walks, the highlight for many of the learners on the “seaside” camp is sand-boarding in the dunes. Loads of fun! During all this fun, the learners were unknowingly being taught about beach and dune ecology, useful plants and the biodiversity of the area and if they were lucky and quiet enough, they would have seen some of the animals around camp. On the last evening, the learners had fun preparing their own dinner, a ‘potjie’. They were responsible for preparing the fire and all the ingredients as well as cooking their meal, quite an experience for some. This programme is popular, as we are fully booked for the year.

Misty start for the 1st time hikers

Youth of the community working together

The big clean up

Sandboarding down the dunes

For the full story and more information check out our website. http://cteet.co.za/