On Saturday, June 20, our students departed for a new host family and a new setting to begin their Service Term, the second half of SST. Stay tuned for more updates about the communities in which the students are living and the volunteer work they're doing with nonprofits, community organizations, and municipal governments!
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Wildlife and Humans Side-by-side
May 05 2025
We’ve spent almost two days in this area where the Ganges River comes out of the mountains and journeys across the plains. The Ganges’ role in bringing life to the whole of north India (through depositing mineral-rich silt in its annual floodwaters) is why this particular spot has long been seen as holy. For us, it also has been a place to explore the sub-tropical habitats at this elevation. Despite some recent rain, the area feels very dry at this time of year, before the monsoon rains begin in July.
One unique set of habitats here is the terai, made up of diverse wetlands and grasslands, and home to lots of wildlife, including tigers, leopards, elephants, and many other critters. There are several large protected national parks here, but also plenty of human-dominated land uses (busy highways and rail corridors, farmland, dense cities, etc), so the interactions between people and wildlife are complex. Still, an amazing range of animals are doing well here!
We also had a chance to learn more about one of the tribal groups of India, the Van Gujjar. Traditionally, the Gujjar are nomads who herd water buffalo to high mountain pastures in the summer and back to the plains for the winter. Their knowledge of the forests they rely on is renowned, yet their migratory lifestyle has been hard to maintain in modern times. We met several inspirational teachers who are working to help the tribe to hold on to its language and culture within India. Two little girls excitedly led us to different places, including the school building.
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