June/July 2010 holiday program

This coming holiday ECO-Rangers will be offering the following:

• Saturday 19th June : Kogelberg new trail
• Wednesday 23rd June : Trees: Collecting seed and planting
• Saturday 26th June : Wagon trail (Wedderwill to Sir Lowry’s Pass)
• Wednesday 30th  June : Owl nest building
• Sat & Sunday 3-4 July : Snow camp : Heksrivier mountains (Worcester)
• Wednesday 7th July : Bird ringing
• Friday 9th July : Waterfall hike (Jonkershoek)

All events are weather dependent.  The event will be postponed or  canceled in case of bad weather.

Kogelberg : New circular Route – 19th June 2010
A new route has been laid out in the Kogelberg Nature Reserve. This route has been completed, but is not open to the public yet. Andreas Groenewald will arrange that we will be one of the first groups walking this route. The Kogelberg Biosphere is a wonderful hiking area.
Meeting place: Somerset West Library
Time: 8h00 am (will be back at about 15h00)
Cost: R50 per person + Reserve entrance fee

Tree seed collecting and planting – Wednesday 23rd June 2010
Andreas will be showing and telling us about our indigenous trees. There are lots of seeds that are ripe at the moment. We will be collecting a variety of seeds and children will be taught how to plant different seeds in trays.
Meeting place: Helderberg Nature Reserve – Education Centre
Time: 9h00 am – 12h00 am
Cost: R30 for ECO-Rangers, R40 for visitors per child

Wagon Trail : Wedderwill to Sir Lowry’s Pass – Saturday 26th June 2010
This historic trail will take us up the rail track then right up the mountains on the trail that was used by ox wagons long ago. The ox wagon tracks are still visible where the wheels carved into the stone. Lovely views await us at the top.
Meeting place: Somerset West Library
Time: 8h00 am (will be back at about 15h00)
Cost: R50 per person

Owl nest building (Helderberg Nature Reserve) – Wednesday 30th June 2010 (9h00 – 12h00)
Do you have owls in your area? To encourage them to come to our gardens we will be building owl boxes. The children will have the opportunity to learn about owls and do some woodwork and installing the nests. If you would like to have an owl box  in your garden, you can let us know. You can then buy your nest box and we will help you install it.
Meeting place: Helderberg Nature Reserve – Education Centre
Time: 9h00 am – 12h00 am
Cost: R30 for ECO-Rangers, R40 for visitors per child

Snow camp : Heksriver mountains (Worcester) – Weekend of 2/4th July 2010
We will be walking up to a basic but lovely little stone hut high in the mountains, the Thomas hut. From here we can explore the area. There is a good chance of snow. We hope to be able to slide in the snow and build some snowmen!
This is quite a strenuous hike. If your child has walked up Helderberg mountain or table mountain, he/she should be fine.
A hiking rucksack, good walking shoes, warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag are a must. Children under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult. More detail will be sent at a later stage.
Meeting place: Somerset West Library
Cost: R260 per person

Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to join us on this snow camp. Space is limited and we need to know how many people will be coming.

Bird ringing  (Helderberg Nature Reserve) – Wednesday 7th July 2010
This is a wonderful opportunity for the ECO-Rangers to get to see our beautiful fynbos birds up close. They also have the wonderful opportunity to learn from the knowledgeable and enthusiastic bird ringers.
Meeting place: Helderberg Nature Reserve – Education Centre
Time: 7h15 am – 10h00am
Cost: Free

Waterfall hike : Jonkershoek (Stellenbosch) – Friday 9th July 2010
The best time to look at our spectacular waterfalls is now in winter, when the rain-laden rivers threaten to burst their banks. There are two lovely waterfalls in Jonkershoek that are easy accessible. Come and join us on this lovely fynbos walk..
Meeting place: Somerset West Library
Time: 8h00 am (will be back at about 15h00)
Cost: R50 per person + Reserve entrance fee

So do come and join us. Our enthusiastic and knowledgeable Guide, Andreas Groenewald, will ensure a memorable experience.You are welcome to invite friends to any of the events.

Contact Claudia Schuster at 021 858 1218 or 082 7951 778 or email AfrikaClaudia@gmail.com if you want to join us.