Take A Peep into the Beautiful Kedarnath Valley in Uttarakhand, India. It got devastated by the recent floods of June 2013. The Valley Needs Healing.  Here is a call to Join, an effort to Rebuild. This presentation has been put together with content and feedback from IndianWildlifeclub.com members.

1. Take A Peep into the Beautiful Kedar Valley
It got devastated by recent floods
Needs Healing
A call to Join
An Effort to Rebuild
http://www.indianwildlifeclub.com

3. The sanctuary, established in 1972, lies in the upper
catchment of the Alaknanda and Mandakini
Rivers, which are major tributaries of Ganges. It is
bordered by high mountain peaks, Kedarnath
(6940m), Mandani (6193m) and Chaukhamba (7068m)

4. The Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary is rich in biological
diversity. The villagers are fully dependent on forest
resources, especially ethno medicines

5. The conservation of plant biodiversity in the Indian
Himalayan region has become a major concern; the
knowledge of indigenous uses of native plants needs
to be studied before it gets extinct.

6. Musk Deer, Himalayan Thar, Serow and Pheasants
make Kedarnath sanctuary an area of immense national
significance.

7. In the Himalayan region, the soil formation is a
comparatively rapid process, the damp, evergreen
forests playing an important part in the generation and
conservation of the soil cap.
Given that the Himalayan range is geologically young and still rising, it makes th
area vulnerable to erosion and instability.

8. The rivers and streams of the sanctuary are perennial in
nature due to thick forest cover and heavy precipitation.
Vegetative cover slows the speed of falling rain and prevents soil erosion and
gully formation — the precursors to landslides and floods.

9. Dense vegetation, by evapo-transpiration, also stops
nearly 30-40 per cent of rainwater from falling to the
ground, thereby significantly reducing run-off. Besides
holding the soil together, forests and soil soak water
from the rain, release it slowly and prevent water
flowing as run-off.

10. The sanctuary has a large number of temples located
within its precincts. Kedarnath temple is the most
historic of these and is visited by a over 6 lacs pilgrims a
year during a window of 6 months.
This temple dates to the 8th century. The entire 14 km route
from Gauri Khund to Kedarnath temple passes through the
sanctuary.

11. The sanctuary has a musk deer breeding centre. Musk
deer is valued for its glands , the secretion of which , is
used in the perfume industry. Musk deer is highly
endangered.
There is also a high-altitude botanical field station
established at Tungnath .

12. The sanctuary harbours extensive alpine meadows and
several dense broad leaved oak mixed forest. A total of
one hundred and fifty two species of ethno medicinal
plants have been compiled.

13. After the flash floods of 16th June, 2013, causing
unimaginable loss to lives and property, it is time to
rebuild. Waters rose above the Mandakini Bird
Watchers Camp

14. All the photographs in this slide show except the one of Mandakini
Magpie Bird Watcher’s Camp were taken in 2004, by Shashi Sharma. The
photo of the Camp was taken by Mousree Ganguli just two days before
the floods ravaged it, in June 2013.
You can read a trip report on the camp at this link
http://www.indianwildlifeclub.com/UserContent/Trip-Report-
Details.aspx?rid=544
Let us make a beginning. Help Mr. Yashpal Negi rebuild the
Magpie Birdwatchers camp.

15. Help rebuild Mandakini Magpie Bird Watchers’ Camp
Send money to
Yashpal Singh Negi
Kakragad, PO Bhiri , Dist. Rudraprayag
Uttarakhand 246419, India
Mobile No. 09412909399
Bank Acctt. Detail
SBI - Bhiri, Code - 9834, Acctt. No. 11442534733
Those who contribute more than Rs 1000/- may send in their name, email
id , date and amount of credit to susan_sharma@hotmail.com.
IndianWildlifeClub .com will send a high resolution copy of ‘ Morning
Glory at Kedarnath” (first slide) to each one of them.
http://www.indianwildlifeclub.com