Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuary and the Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project (HSPDP) in Southwestern Ethiopia

      The Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) in southwestern Ethiopia, on the border with Kenya, caught my attention on a Google Maps adventure.

      The SWS is one of six Ethiopian wildlife preserves; there are also eight national parks in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, there's not much information available about its name (which, as someone named Stephanie, is of particular interest.)

        The large lake in Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuary is Chew Bahir ("Ocean of Salt" in Amharic) and is the subject of numerous research papers on hominin sites via extensive fluvio-lacustrine coring. One of the Harvard researchers is shown here near Chew Bahir.

       The Hominin (not Hominid--see link) Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project (HSPDP) cored five fluvio-lacustrine sites of climate change in Ethiopia and Kenya, including Chew Bahir. The sediment cores are expected to provide valuable insights into east African environmental variability during the last 3.5 million years.

      The sanctuary attracts a variety of exotic and not-so- exotic wildlife, 

including these lions 

and several primates.

      Asking this imaginative group:

     What exotic story might there be for the naming of the Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuary?

Steph  

Blue Earth, Green Giant, and Tidings from Mac

      We are taking a detour from the traditional PEOTS meanderings to our return road trip from The Cities through southwest Minnesota:

     We had a great time in Blue Earth as Maizie frolicked beneath the giant's size 78 shoes.

     Of course, in all the cement arrow searchings, this was the definite highlight. Congrats to Zoe, Macalester Class of 2015. May your meanderings in Ethiopia be long, safe, and fruitful! 

        What a great, l o n g trip it's been! Thelma and Louise-ing it. . .

Very bittersweet moments here,
Steph