Bay Area naturalist travels to Kenya to teach students about their environment
He's teaching them wildlife camera trapping.
Setting up camera traps in the wilderness, from Mount Tamalpais to Kenya, has given Peter Barto an extra tool to do what he loves.
"It's tied to what I love, which is keeping wild animals alive and safe in their own habitat," said Barto.
He and his wife embarked on a recent journey to Daraja Academy, a free boarding school for underserved girls in Nanyuki, Kenya, where he taught them to set up cameras, monitor, and document data.
"We got the first two primates we've ever gotten- a Vervet monkey and a troupe of Olive Baboons. It's just getting started, but it's exciting," said Barto.
Tracking wildlife, population sizes, and species interacting near the school campus has piqued some of the students' curiosity.
Shakira Mwendwa first learned about camera trapping at Daraja.
"I wanted to know what they do, what are they used for. Out of curiosity of the camera traps, I became an environmentalist," said Mwendwa.
"I grew up in an environment where I saw people polluting the environment, the air and water. That always made me want to come up with a solution and impact them in the future," said Daraja Academy graduate Caroline Mwende.
Shakira and Caroline just finished their internship at the renowned MPLA Research Center, jointly operated by Princeton University and the Smithsonian Institution.
"Hopefully, this will be an option for the girls going forward in a career, working with wildlife conservation, a safari leader, or a bird guide," said Barto.
Barto hopes students will learn more about native vultures, which are often killed, Barto says, by intentional lead poisoning.
Other wildlife can also be seen as the enemy.
"I'm hoping this program will help change that, and their understanding of animals, their place in the world, and why they do certain things," said Barto.
It's one step for this environmental steward, doing what he can to protect nature, and inspiring others to do the same.
Barto is a certified California naturalist.
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