2004-09-13 - 7:14 p.m.

On the drive from Nouakchott to Atar I got ;y first glimpse of it and I couldn’t help but feel the futility of my task. Miles and miles of sand dunes stretched before me where 20 years before plant and animal life thrived. How can I hope to have any effect on such a force. Jeff, my site mate in M’Beidia is stationed in a city an hour and a half from Atar. The city is desert oasis and is called Chingetti. It was once know as the 7th holiest city in Islam where trees flourished for miles around. It has now been reduced to paying it citizens to haul sand that is constantly filling the streets back out to the surrounding dunes. With the help of the wind the sand will return, but by creating a counter force the loss of this historic city can be delayed for at least another decade.

Back in the south the dunes could just as well be on the other side of the world. I look around M’Beidia and I see no advancing hills of sand that threaten to engulf houses and destroy once fertile soil. There are trees. There are animals. The river is close. It is only through the elders that I know we too are in danger. Three nights ago we met with the chief members of the community:

“I remember so many trees that fell with the drought. We once were able to have fruit all year round. My friends and I would play in the grass fields surrounding the city. Our parents would yell at us and make us return because wild beasts still roamed the area. I remember seeing them myself. Elephants would come into the city and we had to work together to get them out. Even when I had my first son I wouldn’t allow him to venture into the grasses. Lions would still stalk our caws and sheep. Now it is no longer lions that stalk our herds, but thirst. Not 10 years ago my third son lost an entire heard to the drought.” Sitting in a circle under starlight I heard a dozen stories like this one. In addition the group as a whole was under a consensus that habits and behaviors must change if they hoped to continue living in M’Beidia. I asked a question, “Do you really feel that if you take action to plant trees and using wood as a fuel source you will be able to make a difference?”

“Yes, at the minimum we can keep the environment stable, but if we can get the help of the whole community we will put ourselves on a path to making things the way they were. By planting trees we will provide habitat for those animals that left, and maybe they will return. In addition the trees will hold water in the ground and keep the soil stable so the desert can’t advance any further.” My heart leapt at this. There is a desire and hope in Mauritania.

One of th first questions my host father asked me when I arrived in M’Beidia was whether or not I was going to start a tree nursery. He was aware that it was one of our projects because the volunteers from the year before had done one. When I confided we would be starting a nursery he asked if I knew how to grow mango trees. I admitted I didn’t have the faintest idea, but I would do everything in my power to find out. As time draws near to my departure from M’Beidia I have searched my mind for the gift to give to the family that has taught me so much. On a recent trip to the city of Rindiao I found the answer: 2 mango trees, 2 lemon trees and 2 banana. They are each a year old and have been bread from parents that are known to have high yields. The smile on Alyoun’s face was when the trees arrived and being able to work side by side with him to plant them were so far the highlights of my stay in Mauritania. He had grown Banana trees before, but had only planted them in a shallow hole. I showed him to first dig the hole deep to loosen up the soil, then mix in manure to give nutrients. I can say one thing, getting the hole deep enough was not an easy task. You would almost think you were pounding against solid rock if not for the fact that the chunks eventually crumble into soil. It has turned into hard pan due to the cementing action of water and then compacted by wind. I felt like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, digging away to reveal the chamber that contained the lost ark of the covenant.

In a week from now Jeff, Molly and I will be giving a presentation to the entire village entirely in Hassanyan no less. The subject is how to start a tree nursery and the importance of Moringa trees (will talk about that later). The grand finalee will be to give away the 150 baby trees growing in our nursery. I pray not only for the survival of the trees, but also that the information we are giving will be retained and spread. When I return in the future and I see my trees growing tall I know my time in M’Beidia will not have been a waste.

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