From summit@igc2.igc.apc.org Fri Feb 17 12:50:53 PST 1995 >From summit@igc2.igc.apc.org Fri Feb 17 12:50:53 1995 Return-Path: Received: from mx5.u.washington.edu by lists.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.32 ) id AA29764; Fri, 17 Feb 95 12:50:53 -0800 Received: from cdp.igc.apc.org by mx5.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.31 ) id AA10990; Fri, 17 Feb 95 12:50:52 -0800 Received: from igc2.igc.apc.org (igc2.igc.apc.org [192.82.108.39]) by cdp.igc.org (8.6.9/Revision: 1.192 ) with SMTP id MAA07593 for ; Fri, 17 Feb 1995 12:52:07 -0800 Received: (from summit) by igc2.igc.apc.org (8.6.9/Revision: 1.9 ) id MAA22390 for INDKNOW@u.washington.edu; Fri, 17 Feb 1995 12:50:04 -0800 Date: Fri, 17 Feb 1995 12:50:04 -0800 From: Brenda Simmons Message-Id: <199502172050.MAA22390@igc2.igc.apc.org> To: INDKNOW@u.washington.edu Subject: Qomolangma Diary QOMOLANGMA DIARY By Darla Hillard, author of Vanishing Tracks: Four Years Among the Snow Leopards of Nepal (William Morrow, 1989) It would be hard to find a place where our human connection to the land is more apparent than in Tibet. The land itself is so distinctive, with the highest point on earth rising out of a 16,000-foot plateau, and, within a radius of less than fifty miles, plunging nearly to sea level. The weather, too, plunges from a summer high of 100xF to a winter low of -30, not counting the chill factor of winds that have been known to blow a rider off his horse. Bound to this environment of extremes, down through the centuries of tumultuous history, the people have tilled the earth, tended flocks, and traversed the land, trading goods as well as information, keeping alive the myths and legends of their strong and venerable culture. Other peoples have undertaken journeys of hardship for the promise of a better life. The wagon trains that crossed the American west must surely have carried extraordinarily spirited and motivated people. But their journey was not a beloved way of life, nor, as far as I can tell, did an exuberant passion for living so define the character of their society. The animals, too, are built for strength and endurance. Sleek, low, densely furred, and sturdy, the snow leopard finds a home in the mountainous borderlands. Wild asses and Tibetan gazelle congregate on the open, windy plains. Through the ages these animals have held their place in the scheme of things, sometimes clashing with people over crops or livestock, sometimes being hunted for their meat, pelts, organs and bones, but often side-by- side in relative harmony with human beings and their herds of sheep and shaggy yaks. And yet the pressures of modernization and of burgeoning human populations have put this delicately balanced environment at risk. Rodney Jackson and I saw this for ourselves during a 1991 wildlife survey of the Qomolangma (pronounce "Cho-mo-lungma") Nature Preserve (QNP). The preserve was initiated by The Mountain Institute of West Virginia in the mid-1980s as part of their program to conserve the Mt. Everest ecosystem in Tibet and Nepal. The QNP's nearly 38,000 square miles adjoin three parks in Nepal, including the newly established Makalu-Barun National Park and Conservation Area. Combined, they make up a cross-border protected area of some 42,000 square miles. Qomolangma Diary recounts the six-week survey, and our brief entry into the rhythm of life in southern Tibet. The trip, far more than a search for animals, provided me with answers to many of my questions about the benefits of a nature preserve, for the people who live within its boundaries, for the country at-large that needs its resources, for the visitor from 12,000 miles away, and for the overall health of planet earth. A detailed Master Plan for QNP was approved in 1992, from which The Mountain Institute has developed a framework of conservation and socio-economic development programs and partnerships. Focusing on indigenous needs and issues, the programs range from restoration of monasteries and revival of hand papermaking to creation of a sustainable medicinal herb industry, from biodiversity conservation to training for young men and women in practical skills as well as preserve management. Big challenges lie ahead: even without the psychological impacts of international concerns over China-Tibet politics, there would still be daunting financial and technological obstacles facing these ambitious programs. Our survey of QNP was fieldwork at its most satisfying, one-on-one with the people who live there, with the built-in chance to see how their lives might be affected by the various programs. This, for me, is the essence of the Qomolangma Diary. And if Tibet does epitomize our human connection to the land, then what better symbol of that connection than the highest mountain on earth, at the heart of the Qomolangma Nature Preserve? Qomolangma Diary (10,500 words, illustrated), and descriptive brochures, are available for $5 each (to cover postage and handling, $7 ea. outside U.S.) from: The Mountain Institute, P.O. Box 907, Franklin, WV 26807, Phone: 304-358-2401, Fax: 304-358- 2400, E-Mail: summit@igc.apc.org. , .