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Green Futures 2011 Intake

The Grootbos Foundation would like to welcome the following Green Futures students who have been chosen for the 2011 intake!  We unfortunately do not have photographs of the new students at this stage, but we will upload them when the students start in January, 2011.

Name: Collin Khaya Tyekana

Date of Birth: 21 September 1989

Collin likes to work with other people, because by working with others you get positive things in life. In his life, Collin likes to see people achieve their dreams.  He is the person who has dreams and vision in life, because he says that without vision and dreams you do not know where you are going in life. Collin would like to see himself in a better position today than he did yesterday because in life, it is all about success. And he appreciative to God for the opportunity that he has been given.  Collin likes to teach people to dance when he is not working because dancing is his talent! He looks forward to learning new skills in the College! Collin also feels that nature is the light that shows you how beautiful you are in the world, and that if you don’t care for Nature, you don’t care for yourself. After his year at Green Futures, he would like to see himself employed on Grootbos or would like to continue with Green Futures.

Name: Gcinisizwe Momoza

Date of Birth: 05 July 1986

In his future, Gcinisizwe would like to learn and by achieving Grade 12, he has been given many chances and is able to work at any institution.  He is strong enough to do something from home.  Once he has completed Green Futures, he will be able to help the youth make a lot of changes.  Gcinisiswe is very interested in learning about growing plants and says that he has had experience in it.  Nature, he says is the beauty in the world.  After he has completed his year at Green Futures, he would like to stay on because of the experience he has gained.

Name: Khulekwa (Cindy) Robhana

Date of Birth: 03 December 1986

Khulekwa is a hard working person who always strives for excellence in whatever she does.  She says she can work under pressure and is dedicated and loyal, and is adaptive to change in the work place.  When she was young, she helped her mom to plant the garden and clean the yard.  Khulekwa has experience in growing plants and would like to learn more.  Nature, she says, means everything to us and that we cannot survive without it.  Animals also depend on nature and it makes the environment beautiful.  She says that after her year at Green Futures, she would like to work for Green Futures.

Name: Lindelani Nyandeni

Date of Birth: 10 June 1988

Lindelani says he is a dedicated and hard worker, is proud and likes to achieve his own goals.  Lindelani has had previous experience with plants as he has helped out at a nursery on Saturdays.  He says nature is the beauty of the world, filled with beautiful fynbos and mountains.  After completing his year with Green Futures, Lindilani would like to get a job where he can apply what he has learnt during the year.

Name: Lonwaba Twala

Date of Birth: 13 December 1988

Lonwaba has started his own little garden and has planted spinach, carrots and cabbage and works hard at maintaining his house and garden.  He also likes to play soccer.  Lonwaba says that he is interested in growing plants, although he doesn’t have any experience looks forward to learning how to take care of plants. To Lonwaba nature means that things grow without being planted and that nature is something created by God.  After Green Futures, he would like to start his own project in which he would like to buy and sell trees.

Name: Luyanda Matwa

Date of Birth: 07 April 1990

Luyanda likes playing rugby, playing games and watching television, although he also likes to read set books and share the ideas with his friends.  He says he is interested in growing plants and looks forward to the fresh air and seeing our vegetation.  After his year with Green Futures, he would like to continue with Green Futures.

Name: Masilakhe Falo

Date of Birth: 06 March 1988

Masilakhe says that he is happy because he is still young, but to him it is not a good thing to not be working and would like to start working so that he can start helping his parents and would like to get the experience so that he can plant plants.  He is interested in growing plants and did Agriculture as a subject at school.  To Masilakhe nature is important because it gives us fresh air and he loves it, and does not even like killing birds.  After Green Futures, he would like to get some more experience in planting plants and working together.

Name: Sakhubuntu Patric Samela

Date of Birth: 19 July 1989

Sakhubuntu likes to plant and take care of animals.  He also likes to read books and newspapers.  He likes to run and walk and play soccer.  He says he is interested in growing plants and did Agricultural Science at school.  Nature, he says, is our wealth and that we need to take care of it so that it can provide for us. He says that after Green Futures, he would like to provide food and take care of animals so that they do not become extent.

Name: Samkela Vula

Date of Birth:  06 July 2007

Samkela comes from a rural area where there are limited human resources.  He likes to listen to music and likes to read magazines when he is not working.  By being part of Green Futures, he will able to help his family to be like other families.  Samkela looks forward to learning about growing plants.  Nature, he says, is the beauty of our country.  He says that after he finishes his year at Green Futures, he would like to help the children who are without a family.

Name: Zimaya Gobingca

Date of Birth: 16 November 1988

Zimaya grew up in the Eastern Cape and stayed with her grandmother.  After school she used to help her grandmother in her garden.  She planted seeds and fetched water for the plants.  It was important to her grandmother and Zimaya learned a lot from her about gardening.  She is interested in growing plants and learnt a lot helping her grandmother in her garden and even has her own pot plant. Nature, to her, means that we must take care of plants and trees because they all come from the earth.  After she has completed her year at Green Futures she would like to stay on and take care of plants and nature.

Name: Zolisa Laurence Magalani

Date of Birth: 20 June 1988

Zolisa comes from a poor home.  His father passed away from a young age and they all lives on his mother’s grant.  He wants to be part of Green Futures so that his family can live like other families.  Zolisa is interested in growing plants, but doesn’t have any experience.  Nature is the beauty of country and is dependant on nature.  After Green Futures he wants to get a job so that he can help his family.

Name: Zubule (Alice) Tshayimpunzi

Date of Birth: 06 August 1980

Alice was born in the Eastern Cape.  She grew up in a family where they are dependant on growing mealies and vegetables.  She has a small vegetable garden, and is not currently employed.   Her parents are not currently employed and she came to Gansbaai lookinf for a job.  She says that she is interested in growing plants as she grew up planting vegetables.  Alice says that nature is important as it is part of creation and because we get oxygen from trees.  When she has completed her year at Green Futures, she would like to get a better job, within Grootbos if possible.

The Foundation would like to wish you luck for the year ahead.  We know that you will make the most of the opportunities you have been given!  We look forward to seeing you grow and develop.

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New Springtail Species Discovered at Grootbos!

During a recent visit from Louis Deharveng and Anne Bedo, Collembola taxonomists from the Natural History Museum in Paris, France and molecular Biologist David Porco and PhD student Charlene Janion took part in survey to determine what species of Collombola occur at Grootbos as this is one of the largest remaining patches of Milkwood forest in the Western Cape.

The following information was very kindly supplied to us by Charlene Janion!

The Springtails of Grootbos

Collembola or springtails are small, primitive wingless invertebrates, usually 1 - 2 mm in size, and are among the most abundant and widespread invertebrates in the world.  Some scientists believe that springtails are actually more closely related to crustaceans than to insects.  The oldest fossil of Collembola (Rhyniella praecursor) is about 400 million years old and was found in Scotland, and is also the oldest insect fossil known to date.

Collembola have the following characteristics in common:

  1. They have a spring, or furca, they use for jumping, thus to move around with.  Some species that live in caves or in soil have lost the use of their furcas, so it has become vestigial or is absent;
  2. They have a ventral tube, which is important in water balance.

Collembola occur in all habitat types (mostly in soil and litter) from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and are generally more abundant in tropical regions.  Collembola play an important role in ecosystem functioning, by actively breaking down leaf litter, soil formation and are also prey to spiders, predatory mites, and even lizards and frogs. Worldwide, about 7500 species have been described.

Until recently, very little research has been done on these little invertebrates in South Africa.  Together with the Natural History Museum in Paris, the DST-NRF Centre for Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, is running a project investigating the Collembola diversity in the fynbos.  We are working with several experts in the field of Collembola taxonomy, soil ecology and molecular biology in order to fully understand this very diverse group and several new species have been discovered so far.

During a recent visit from from Louis Deharveng and Anne Bedos, Collembola taxonomists from the Natural History Museum in Paris, France, we were very interested to see what species of Collembola occur at Grootbos, as this is one of the largest remaining patches of Milkwood forest in the Western Cape.  Molecular Biologist, David Porco, and PhD student, Charlene Janion, also took part in the survey.

Sampling sites

During our visit to Grootbos, we spend the day walking through the fynbos and the Milkwood forest, searching for Collembola.  They are known to mostly occur in leaf litter and soil, but also found on the fynbos vegetation, especially the Ericaceae (Erica family).  We also take leaf litter samples back to the laboratory, where the Collembola are extracted (using Berlese funnels), and the diversity and abundance is incredible!

Both the forest and the fynbos yielded interesting soil fauna, which is currently under study.  More than 40 species of spingtails (Collembola) were collected, of which at least 15 are new to science!

Seira, the most diversified springtail genus of the Western Cape, was very abundant in the forest and in the fynbos, on the vegetation but also in the forest litter.  We recognized 6 species differing by color and pattern and overall morphology.  All were of large size Collembola (i.e. at least 2mm in adult).  This makes Grootbos the richest site sampled so far for this genus in Africa.  The fauna collected at the forest edge included a remarkable species from a genus only known so far by one species represented by 3 specimens from Madagascar.  Several body parts of this species are strongly modified, including the mouth, suggesting a special ecology which remains enigmatic.

The litter fauna, though not rich, included several valuable species new to science.  What was unexpectedly diverse was the fauna of deep sandy soil.  Species adapted to this habitat have a very small size (usually less than 0.6 mm) and reduced appendages.  The unique sample analysed so far contained 8 such species.  Three of them belong to general that are recorded for the first time from South Africa!

We also sampled some moss, which are known to host specialized fauna often able to cope with xeric (dry) conditions.  Our most interesting finding was Cryptopygus with extremely reduced jumping apparatus, and a set of characters on antennae and on legs so original that even its placement in Cryptopygus is questionable!

We would sincerely like to thank Grootbos management for allowing us to sample in the forest, especially to Sean Ingles for his interest and hospitality!  We really appreciate it, and hope to be back soon.  This research is funded by the NRF and SA-France grant.

Check out these excellent websites for more information on Collembola and the Centre for Invation Biology:

www.sun.ac.za/cib

www.collembola.org

www.stevehopkin.co.za

Thanks for supplying us with the article, Charlene!  We look forward to learning more about the Grootbos Collembola!

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Growing the Future grows…


The students are nearing the end of their one year course.  They have laearned a lot and are keen to put it into practice.  Viola, our life skills teacher, has settled in very well with Growing The Future and is doing a wonderful job with the students.  As we are nearing winter it is getting quieter in the garden although we still planted strawberries, garlic and onions.  A few of the pigs are pregnant and we are expecting our first piglets in June.

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Planting trees at Gansbaai’s new high school

Gansbaai finally has a high school! The new Gansbaai Secondary School opened in January alongside the Spaces for Sport grounds. It was opened as a no fee school to benefit the local community, and although a low fee has been implemented to cover some running costs, this still leaves the school with many requirements.



Recently, the Grootbos Foundation Landscaping Collaborative, along with Dyer Island Conservation Trust, embarked on a mini project to “green” the new school by donating and planting twenty trees as well as sponsoring some much needed hose pipes.



With our local press in attendance, and some very enthusiastic school pupils of Grade 9, we all got our hands dirty, learning how to correctly plant and position a tree as well as how often to water it. We planted two hardy tree types to withstand the winds and salty air – the camphor bush and the wild silver oak. The trees were given personal names by the pupils as they took ownership as to their future care. We hope that in twenty years times the trees will stand as testament to the school’s history and something that those pupils involved will look back on with pride. A special thanks to the Grootbos Foundation, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, the high-school students and all the others involved in this special project!

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