Photo By Spc. Kiyoshi Freeman | A hooded crow -- a distinctive subspecies called Iraqi Pied Crow, which is found in...... read more read more
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By Spc. Kiyoshi Freeman
3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – Windswept deserts. Barren, bleak, arid and lifeless.
This is the image most people at Al Asad have of western Iraq, said Ohio National Guardsman and amateur naturalist Maj. Randel L. Rogers, the support operations plans officer, 371st Sustainment Brigade, from Columbus, Ohio. However, he went on to say, "One of the big surprises for me and for a lot of people is just the diversity [of animals and birds] here."
According to Rogers, who studied wildlife management in college, that diversity of wildlife – porcupines, coyotes, frogs, wild dogs, mallard ducks, hooded crows – is drawn to Al Asad for one unique feature: permanent wetlands.
"A lot of people that don't get away from the office are surprised to know that there (are) wetlands here, a marsh area," he said. "They don't typically associate that with this base because you kind of feel like you're out in the desert. But in fact we have permanent water here, and that's going to attract different kinds of wildlife."
Between Dec. 15 and Jan. 1, Rogers got up early and trudged through those wetlands to perform a bird count, which is an informal survey of bird species and populations. The results of his survey were donated to Nature Iraq, a non-governmental organization affiliated with Birdlife International and accredited by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
According to its website, Nature Iraq was founded "to protect, restore, and preserve Iraq's natural environment and the rich cultural heritage that it nourishes."
In an email interview, Dr. Azzam Alwash, the director of Nature Iraq, said his organization was established in 2004 to address environmental issues in Iraq. In particular, the restoration of the Iraqi marshlands, once the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East, which were drained during the reign of Saddam Hussein.
As part of its larger environmental mission, Nature Iraq is conducting a detailed survey of plant and wildlife in Iraq, which provides "baseline information to compare the existing situation with the historic levels," Alwash said. The last such organized survey was done in 1980.
With no offices in western Iraq, though, Alwash is dependent on the support of volunteers like Rogers.
"His work in Al Asad covers for us a crucial area and a large void in our database," particularly for locating Sociable Lapwings, an endangered bird species known to winter in western Iraq, Alwash said.
In addition to volunteering his time and support, Rogers has also put Alwash in contact with his birdwatching clubs back home. Those organizations donated packets of equipment and field guides which will assist Nature Iraq with its own surveys.
Rogers said, "One of (my) goals is to build some personal relationship between Americans and Iraqis. It's been a great opportunity to see some birds from a different part of the world," and one day, if Alwash ever finds himself in Ohio, Rogers would like to return the favor for a fellow naturalist.
| Date Taken: | 01.14.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 01.12.2009 02:13 |
| Story ID: | 28731 |
| Location: | AL ASAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 312 |
| Downloads: | 277 |
This work, Ohio Guardsman, Nature Iraq partner to preserve environment, by SPC Kiyoshi Freeman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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