In case anyone is curious as to what Ive been up to the last 2 years... Description of Peace Corps Volunteer Service – Douglas Ottke Following a competitive application process emphasizing applicant skills, adaptability and cross cultural understanding, Douglas Ottke was invited to serve as a Specialist Volunteer in Natural Resources and Environmental Management under the authority of Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) in November of 2012. Doug entered service on August 27th, 2012, entering an intensive 11-week pre-service training program in Querétaro, México. Approximately half of the training was Spanish language acquisition and cultural understanding, the other half technical and sector skills. This training emphasized Mexican history and politics, the organization of government institutions and the management of natural resources and the environment. Peace Corps philosophy on development, participatory practices, and capacity-building were also taught. Doug lived with a host family in Querétaro for the duration of pre-service training, upon completion of which Douglas was sworn in as a volunteer on November 13, 2012. On November 15, 2012 Doug arrived at his assigned site of San Luis de la Paz, Guanajuato, to work under the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) with the National Forest Commission (CONAFOR) as a GIS specialist. Helping to manage the NE part of the State of Guanajuato, the majority of which is a national biosphere reserve, Douglas worked under the supervision of Jose Fausto Martinez Contreras. Douglas was assigned to assist in a number of capacities including Mine Waste Management, Geographic Information Systems, Project Design and Planning, Training and Capacity Building, and as an Intermediary to Outside Institutions. Mine Waste Management – Working with the assistance of CONAFOR, university students and an assembled team of local workers, Doug mapped and evaluated all tailings, mine shafts, subsidence and historic structures in two historic mining communities in NE Guanajuato: Mineral de Pozos and Mina La Aurora. The impacts of the mine workings on the water, soil, vegetation, and populations of these historic areas were evaluated. 140 tailings piles, 215 mine shafts, 25 areas of subsidence, and 120 historic structures were mapped and surveyed. 40 samples were collected from tailings for analysis of metals present. All vegetation growing on the tailings piles was surveyed for future work with reforestation in heavily polluted areas. Several GIS projects and 10 paper plots were constructed to communicate spatial information about fall hazard, water consumption patterns, and pollutions dangers in and around Pozos, and then given to the community members and leaders. 2000 maps (created in QGIS) were printed and distributed to members and visitors of the communities. Throughout the course of this work Doug trained over 100 people in the field to identify mine features and dangers. Geographic Information Systems – Doug helped to assemble and manage all relevant geospatial data relevant to CONAFOR in NE Guanajuato into a single database. He constructed hundreds of maps for the reforestation projects allowing for funds to be distributed directly to property owners. Many more maps were created in support of ecotourism and mine management in the biosphere reserve. An analysis of the productive potential of oregano was constructed through a variable hierarchy analysis of elevation and vegetation type. Tutorials for this 15 step process were constructed in ARC9.3, ARC10, and QGIS. These tutorials have been used to help teach co-workers and fellow volunteers GIS. Doug helped plan and was a key contributor and moderator to a GIS conference attended by thirty-eight Mexican agency staff who are currently working in GIS within their offices’. Project Design and Planning – Working with the National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP) and the Technological University of Querétaro, Doug designed, organized and led a sampling program searching for heavy metals in the mine tailings of Mina La Aurora. Doug received and successfully managed funding of $5700 USD from a small project assistance grant made available through USAID. Using this money Doug designed a program to map the mines of Mineral de Pozos, and created a mine education program. A team of 15 people was assembled to perform the mapping; Doug managed and scheduled all field trips for this team. The results of the project were quantified in GIS, presented to the people of Pozos and detailed on a map distributed to over 1500 people. Training and Capacity Building – On five occasions, Doug gave presentations covering topics of GIS, mining and desertification in Spanish to local communities, large groups of government workers, professionals and university students. He lectured, answered questions and facilitated a discussion amongst Mexican GIS professionals. Doug worked on the pcmconnect, an online forum for sharing information between volunteers and their counterparts and fellow workers. Doug redesigned and organized the GIS section of this forum making all his and his fellow volunteers’ tutorials and projects available. Intermediary to Outside Institutions – During the course of his service Doug shared an office with CONANP and the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food (SAGARPA), working very closely with both organizations in reforestation and mine management. Doug created partnerships between the tourist office of San Luis de la Paz, the Delegada of Pozos, and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). In both Xichú and Mineral de Pozos, very close working ties were created with the municipalities, community groups, universities, tourist mines, and guides of the areas. In each of these capacities, Doug served as a facilitator, project manager, and/or team member or leader, usually within groups of 2-15 participants. Douglas arranged meetings and participatory workshops, conducted research, wrote funding proposals, and managed all logistical issues. He managed project budgets, maintained all project documentation, and created and delivered appropriate training sessions. In all these capacities he served as a liaison between Peace Corps, other government organizations, universities, project participants and the people of México. Doug served successfully for 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:42:11 +0000
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