Project Description Country: Sri Lanka Location: Northwest Province Total Budget: $1,500 Area of Focus: The environment Activity Type: Education: General Summary: Providing funding for boat fuel for at sea monitoring of illegal fishing to preserve the seagrass ecosystem in the Northwest Province, Sri Lanka. The dugong is a marine mammal, a cousin of the manatees. In Sri Lanka, the dugong suffers decline due to by-catch/direct killings and injuries from boat and net encounters. Ranil P. Nanayakkara, founder of the non-profit Biodiversity Education and Research, is working at the community level to reverse this trend and change the mindset of the people about dugongs and their seagrass ecosystem. To directly reduce the mortality numbers of this marine mammal, he is conducting workshops and street dramas, training locals to report on injuries and deaths, and closely monitoring both illegal activities and informant outcomes. Among the fishing community households, he is working to establish alternative livelihoods with higher incomes like selling wood carvings and paintings to eco-tourists, making cloth rugs and mats for local markets from the free remnants of cloth factories in the area; cultivating Spirulina algae for popular nutritional products; training tour guides; and staffing a rehabilitation/reintroduction center. He is also distributing legal fishing nets to 100 fishermen in 5 communities, providing locals with equipment to reduce the scope of harm due to existing fishing gear and retrieve old illegal gear for proper disposal. Researchers in Sri Lanka have submitted a proposal to Idea Wild, Fort Collins, to fund fuel for boats to monitor illegal fishing of dugong. "Idea Wild works to equip, empower and activate the world's most promising environmental leaders to grow and strengthen the movement to conserve the planet's biodiversity." Idea Wild has vetted these researchers and our funds will be given to Idea Wild to support this project. Thompson Valley chose this project to begin to introduce the club to international service. Although there will be no hands-on involvement, it is the plan to keep the club in contact with Idea Wild for ongoing presentations on the projects progress and to invite the researchers to participate in a meeting by Zoom. The secondary reason for this choice was for club members to see first-hand the work that is being done so to increase TRF club giving in the future. Project Contact Person District: 5440 Rotary Club of: Loveland Thompson Valley Primary Contact: Jeanne Knopf DeRoche Email: jeanneknopfderoche@hotmail.com Project Status Completed This project is "Completed". This means the project has been implemented and the report was accepted by the district leadership. The project will stay listed on this website as a testimony of the achievements of the project partners. Project listed for the 2022-23 Rotary Year.

Proposed Financing Existing Contributions Towards This Project Date Cash DDF Total Loveland Thompson Valley (5440) 30-Nov-22 $750 $750 $1,500 Total $750 $750 $1,500

Project Supporting Documents Alphabetical with icons By date with icons Alphabetical list format By date list format [31-May-23] Cancelled Check [31-May-23] Final Report [3-Dec-22] Project Budget

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History Log Entries 30-Nov-22 by Randall Looper Jeanne, A District grant must have Rotarian involvement. The club cannot just give money. Please add to the description describing the clubs involvement with the project. Also, please add a detailed budget of all income and expenses to the documents are. 30-Nov-22 System Entry System Entry: Creation of project page. 6-Dec-22 by Jeanne Knopf DeRoche System Entry: Project sent for club signatures. 6-Dec-22 by Jeanne Knopf DeRoche System Entry: Project signed by Jeanne Knopf DeRoche. 6-Dec-22 System Entry System Entry: Project signed by Ann Boian. 21-Dec-22 by Randall Looper Jeanne, Your club has an outstanding grant P-2558 TVR Literacy Project that needs to have a final report and receipts or club check for the project uploaded to the documents area of that grant. Once this is done I can approve this grant. Please let me know if you need help closing out that grant. Randy Looper 23-Dec-22 by Randall Looper System Entry: Project approved by the District Approval Committee. 23-Dec-22 by Randall Looper System Entry: Check for DDF payment issued by Foundation Treasurer. 12-Apr-23 by Randall Looper Jeanne, Please provide a quarterly history log update as to the status of this project. Randy 12-Apr-23 by Jeanne Knopf DeRoche The funds have been sent to Idea Wild and we are in the process of getting a project update to the club by Idea Wild within the next month. 31-May-23 by Jeanne Knopf DeRoche System Entry: Project has been implemented and final report uploaded. 31-May-23 by Randall Looper System Entry: Final report approved by the District Approval Committee.