13th February,2009.

Weather, worse, so let's not talk about it!! It did attempt to improve but, by then, I was deep into campaigning mode!
Before mentioning that may I just touch on the following? Recently I've been thinking of how best to improve this Blog site after occasionally tinkering about over the past few months. A recent suggestion( thanks Ron! ) about including photographs is something I intend to pursue, not just of birds, but landscapes and moths too. Being an ex "conservation campaigner" I'm also going to use it to extol people to contribute to those I'm involved in personally to lend weight to the case. Nothing radical or highly political, just the sensible expression of genuinely held views aimed at bringing about change. I've no illusions that the readership (numerically) of the Blog is still low so I'll put some effort into that too.However,one things bugs me !! Whilst Blogs are personal outpourings, is it the sort of thing people want to read? Dare I ask the question?

Anyway, yesterday was spent pursuing the apparent plight of the area in Venezuela I'd mentioned before (Hato Pinero ) . A huge ranch, admittedley privately owned , that the Government wishes to turn into a more intensive agricultural enterprise ( a "bread basket" in fact ). It's currently operated on very traditional lines, much of the landscape remains as ever was and, of course, it is absolutely marvellous for wildlife, particularly birds. I very much treasure the memories of the time I spent there and hope a reasoned solution can be applied to its future. So time yesterday was spent constructing a game plan of how best the value of the area for wildlife could be inserted into approaches to politicians, and others, without the views being ignored. Better still, how alternative and integrated ideas can be assembled. Various names in the UK have come out of the hat and I'm considering an open letter , which can be presented to a conference taking place in London in April. Despite the bad press both the country and its President has received, immense social progress has been achieved. It's so easy to take for granted the availability of health care, education, three meals a day and so on, but these are initiatives which have become a reality there within the last decade. The task now is to balance the retention of a resource, which could contribute to such needs, against what its potential can be in other ways when, in the not too distant future, a more expanded tourist industry is in place and the area can be seen as an important part of the country's natural heritage.