William Holden Wildlife Foundation
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The William Holden Wildlife Foundation (WHWF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the United States whose principal project is the William Holden Wildlife Education Center located near Nanyuki,
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. The Education Center is dedicated to wildlife conservation and environmental studies for local people, with occasional visits from international groups. The office of the Foundation is located in California, USA.


Mission statement

To focus on the educational component of wildlife and environmental protection and
habitat conservation Habitat conservation is a management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore habitats and prevent species extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range. It is a priority of many groups that cannot be easily characterized in term ...
. To foster a better understanding of the crucial role flora and fauna plays in the quality of life and its sustenance on our planet with emphasis on practical methods of sustainability accessible to all. To teach alternatives to habitat destruction for man and animals. To enlighten students and visitors to the available innovations in energy production techniques with low environmental impact. To inspire a personal commitment in all who participate.


Educational Programs

The Center has served as many as 11,000 students in one year. The groups come to the Center from all over Kenya, generally for a stay of three days, during which curricula is adjusted according to the needs of individual groups. Lectures are given by the Education staff, as are guided visits to the Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy's animal orphanage and surrounding pastures. On site educational displays include the following: * A practical example of high-yield companion planting using
compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...
fertilizers and
crop rotation Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. It reduces reliance on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, and the probability of developing resistant ...
on a small plot. * A tree nursery with indigenous trees that are fast-growing and nitrogen-producing. * Displays of natural history, including soil samples and installations demonstrating how
soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...
occurs. * A
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borrowing water from the adjacent river, and returning it to the river unpolluted. * A nature walk to experience an unexploited
virgin forest ''Virgin Forest'' is a 1985 Filipino period film directed by Peque Gallaga. A self-described B-movie, it stars Sarsi Emmanuel, who plays a barrio lass of Chinese ancestry; Miguel Rodriguez, as a Filipino-Spanish illustrado; and, Abel Jurado, wh ...
. * A
biogas digester Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. It is a re ...
that produces
methane gas Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
from llama dung for either low-level lighting or for cooking. * A hand press for the production of alternative fuel briquettes to burn in the efficient Bellerive cookers. * A bush refrigerator. * A solar cooker. * The first known breeding herd of
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an llamas in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. * A
permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. It applies these principle ...
wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
, enabling the complete
water treatment Water treatment is any process that improves the Water quality, quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking water, drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recrea ...
and water purification of all used water at the center. * Solar panels for water heating. * A fully equipped library inside a lecture hall with a video system. * Sleeping accommodation for 45 students and four teachers.


Rural Outreach Programs

WHWF has constructed four libraries at two primary and two secondary schools in rural communities serving roughly 2,200 students on a continual basis. The libraries provide syllabus books for all grades, along with magazines, periodicals, books, pamphlets, and charts conveying the lessons of environmental concerns and information on wildlife. Over the years, each school has been partnered with overseas schools where teachers lead classes in a pen pal program, exchanging letters with Kenyan students in schools.


History

The Mt Kenya Game Ranch was founded in the 1960s by filmstar William Holden, Don and Iris Hunt, Julian McKeand and Deane Johnson after purchase of an game farm on the slopes of
Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (), Nelion () and Point Lenana (). Mount Kenya is locat ...
. Over time, 37 species in breeding herds were captured and brought to the ranch to create the first game ranch of its kind in East Africa. This effort was inspired by observing the diminishing herds due to over-hunting, poaching, and population encroachment. While his partners remained on the ranch to oversee its development, Holden carried on with his acting career, providing the financial support for the operation, and visiting whenever possible. Holden always spoke of the importance of education for local people in order that they might learn the valuable role wildlife plays in the balance of nature. After his death in 1981 his longtime life partner
Stefanie Powers Stefanie Powers (born November 2, 1942) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Hart on the mystery television series ''Hart to Hart'' (1979–1984), for which she received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards a ...
, and Don and Iris Hunt created the William Holden Wildlife Foundation as a fulfillment of his desires and as a tribute to his dedication.''A Memorial to Bill'' at http://www.animalorphanagekenya.org/memorial_mt_kenya_conservancy.php Powers serves as the President of the Foundation and chief fundraiser and Don Hunt as the Vice President. Fifteen acres of land was excised from the game ranch as a site for the Foundation's Education Center, which was inaugurated in a groundbreaking ceremony in 1982.


See also

*
Sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...
* Wildlife management *
Endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
*
Conservation biology Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an int ...


References

{{Reflist, 2


External links


The William Holden Wildlife Foundation
Conservation and environmental foundations in the United States Environmental organizations based in California Environmental organisations based in Kenya Foreign charities operating in Kenya