The Ecology of Sub-Saharan Africa
Biology 5535 U/G

    CSU students and faculty took part in a participation camping safari across varied environments of Botswana Africa.  This unique opportunity allowed around the clock exposure to the sights, sounds and smells of the various flora and fauna which inhabit these pristine environments.  Each student presented a short seminar on the ecology of the various regions visited or on one of the interesting life forms encountered.
    The group departed Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe enroute to Chobe National Park, one of Botswana’s largest contiguous parks.  At the first campsite, situated above the Chobe River, we were instructed how to set up tents, dig latrines and gather firewood suitable for cooking.  A typical day started around 5:30am with coffee and biscuits then in the field for a morning game drive until around noon.  During the early afternoon hours each student presented their topic to the CSU group and our Wilderness Safari guides.  Around 3:30 we would depart for our evening game drive which lasted until sundown.  Upon return to the campsite participants pitched in to prepare the evening meal and discuss the events of the day.
    The second site visited was another part of the large Chobe National Park called Savute.  This site was much drier consisting of vast grasslands with our campsite located along the now dry Savute Channel.
    The third stop was at the Moremi Game Reserve which is located on the eastern fringes of the Okavango Delta allowing exploration and comparison of the diverse flora and fauna in the floodplains and the drier upland Mopane wooded areas.   Our last campsite was on a small island in the Okavango Delta.  Our mode of transportation was by mokoro, poled by Bayei boatmen.  Reeds, papyrus and cattails along with a plethora of aquatic birds and hippos dominated this freshwater aquatic environment.  Dr. Julie BallengerDr. Julie Ballenger

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