User:Marcus334

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Bio
I work on Protected areas of India topics for Wikipedia as a form of internet activism. I believe increased education of the public about the Protected areas of Tamil Nadu can have a positive impact on protection of these areas. I appreciate and enjoy the beauty, serenity and grandeur of these wild forests and jungles.

I live in Hyannis Port, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. I attended Barnstable High School for a year and graduated from Proctor Academy in 1965. I am a 1969, B.A. Biology graduate of Beloit College in Wisconsin. I am a friend of the Kodaikanal International School. I traveled From Luxemborg to India by bicycle in 1970 - 1971 and have lived and worked in India, mostly In Tamil Nadu, for 4 1/2 years.[http://www.world66.com/myworld66/visitedCountries/worldmap?visited=CAUSMXBSJMATBEBABGHRDKDEGRISITLUNLYUCHUKVABHIRKWTRAFINJPMYMMPKSGLKKRTWTH. Countries visited]. I was married and have three adult children.

I am a Biologist, Engineer, Project Manager, Sailboat Captain and an Innkeeper. I have worked for the Chrysler Corporation and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - Biology Dept..

I worked for 15 years designing, building, testing and commercializing wind powered water pumps for lift irrigation in Asia, employed by the New Alchemy Institute, Oxfam-India (see: report), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, National Energy Authority of Thailand and Volunteers in Technical Assistance.

Wiki-info
I have been a Wikipedian for months. I have prepared a Report on Research of the Protected Areas of Tamil Nadu about my 4 month WikiTrip to South India in 2007/08. I will include some new information I collected in 20012 - 13 in my future article contributions. The Principle Chief Conservator of Forests of Tamil Nadu kindly facilitated some of my research during my Wikitrips to Tamil Nadu. Please contact me with any questions, comments or suggestions, especially if you edit articles about and/or are in Tamil Nadu, Kerala or Goa. You can talk to me or E-mail me privately. I will reply.
 * Read here about my:
 * ...Pages created
 * ...Recent contributions
 * ...Global contributions
 * ...Barnstars
 * ...Do You Know (DYK) articles
 * ...Edit counter
 * ...New images
 * ...Wikimedia gallery
 * and my Photos of Protected Areas of India on Flickr till July 29, 2024.

I can often be found playing in my Sandbox or on Facebook.

New articles and Major expansions
I have written several new articles and major expansions for WikiProject Protected areas of India, especially in the Western Ghats. I conduct Research of the Protected Areas of Tamil Nadu  to collect published documentation and do original Conservation photography of the Protected areas of India for expanding articles in Wikipedia about those areas, including:

Protected areas of Tamil Nadu
such as the national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and associated areas in: Bangitappal, Mudumalai National Park, Mukurthi National Park, Sathyamangalam Wildllife Sanctuary, Sigur Plateau  Indira Gandhi National Park, Palani Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park , Amaravathi Dam, Amaravathi Reservoir, Amaravathi River, Anaimalai Hills, Berijam Lake, Kodaikanal - Munnar Road, Manjampatti Valley and the nearby villages: Kilanavayal, Kukkal, Kumbur, and Poombarai all near the Sheep Research Center in Mannavanur. Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, Agasthyamalai Hills, Cardamom Hills, Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, Suruli Falls and the Tirparappu Waterfalls, Guindy National Park, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, I went stargazing at Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, near Kodaikanal after walking to Kodaikanal Lake. Many of my friends in Hyannis, Massachusetts know nothing about the History of Kodaikanal, nearby Vilpatti village or the Kalabhras Dynasty in the dark age of ancient Tamil Nadu. My bike broke down between the Chinnar River and the Pambar River on the State Highway 17 (Tamil Nadu - Kerala, India) and SH-156 (Tamil Nadu, India) but I fixed it with my toolbox.
 * Nilgiri Hills:
 * Anamalai Hills & Palani Hills:
 * Southern Hills:
 * Plains:
 * Other TNU:

Protected areas of Kerala
I started the articles about New Amarambalam Reserved Forest, Anamudi Shola National Park, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary‎, Karimpuzha National Park, Kurinjimala Sanctuary, Pambadum Shola National Park and Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary. I am still Saving Silent Valley‎, Sairandhri, Anginda peak‎ and Sispara peak in Silent Valley National Park near Mudugar and Muthuvan hamlets at Attappati Forest. For a change of scenery, I went to Palaiyar caves in the Anaimalai Hills, the Nilgiri Hills and the Cardamom Hills.

Protected areas of Goa
I went to Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park and Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. I have not yet been to Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary or Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary.

Other places
The new Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary  is nearby in Karnataka. Also I found a stray Irrawaddy Dolphin in Chilka Lake.

Using the Complete Geographical Map of all the Kingdoms of the World, I have been to Top Station in Kerala. I would like to visit Sessa Orchid Sanctuary, Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Kameng Elephant Reserve, Kameng River, Malaguni River in  Arunachal Pradesh, Panna National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Loharinag Pala Hydro Power Project, and some Dams in Burma including Myitsone Dam and Yeywa Dam, to cool off in many Tmcft of water. I like Chandoli National Park, National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary and Radhanagri Wildlife Sanctuary. I missed the last Delhi Durbar.

Wildlife
I advocate for the Tiger Reserves of India, including; Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu, Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh, Chandoli National Park, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand and Kaziranga Tiger Reserve in Assam.

I seek protection of the Wildlife of Tamil Nadu, including the legendary Gaur: Manjampatti White Bison, also Red-crowned roofed turtle, Travancore Flying Squirrel and some other Conservation reliant species.

I've encountered some unique plants including Aphanamixis polystachya, Impatiens denisonii, Impatiens sivarajanii, Mimosa diplotricha, Noronhia, Noronhia emarginata, Rhododendron arboreum and Youngia nilgiriensis. I am concerned about birds such as Black-breasted Parrotbill, Grey-breasted Laughingthrush, Pale-capped Pigeon, Rufous-vented Prinia, Spotted Greenshank and the elusive Nilgiri Pipit living at the end of the Central Asian Flyway in Tamil Nadu at the bird sanctuaries I created: Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary and Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary at Pulicat Lake in spite of the History of Pulicat.
 * Bird related articles

I also started Puttenahalli Lake Bird Sanctuary, Suchindram Theroor Birds Sanctuary, Tiruvidaimarudur Conservation Reserve, Udayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary,  Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary and Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary.

Biographies
I have created or done major expansion of articles on: Alexandra Naldera, Belinda Wright (conservationist), Fateh Singh Rathore, G. D. Agrawal,  Grace Curzon, Hugh Francis Cleghorn, Lady Alexandra Curzon, Mary Victoria Leiter, Michael Lubbock, Edward Pritchard Gee, Benjamin Heyne, Ernst Bernard Heyne,  Jairam Ramesh,  Ram Sharma, Romulus Whitaker also the Scudders in India, including Ida S. Scudder and  John Scudder, Sr..

I have worked with M. S. Swaminathan.

I enjoy the Drawings by Douglas Hamilton by Douglas Hamilton and the artwork of Stephen Ponsonby Peacocke and P.F. Fyson.

Organizations
I have started or made major contributions to the articles:
 * Chennai Trekking Club
 * Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
 * Environmental Organizations and Resource Persons in Tamil Nadu
 * Kodaikanal Golf Club
 * Kodaikanal Solar Observatory
 * Madras Crocodile Bank Trust,
 * MS Swaminathan Research Foundation
 * Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association
 * Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
 * Tamil Nadu Forest Department 
 * Wildlife Protection Society of India

Diversions
I have a few off subject diversions including the CSS Shenandoah, Haramain High Speed Rail Project, Impossible Black Tulip (map), Maldhari  nomadic tribal herdsmen and Makara (Hindu mythology).

Motivations:
My reasons for working on these Protected areas of India topics for Wikipedia are:
 * I believe increased education of the public about the protected areas of Tamilnadu can have a positive impact on protection of these areas.
 * I appreciate and enjoy the beauty, serenity and grandeur of these protected areas.
 * Concern about decreasing biodiversity and depletion of endemic species of flora and fauna in South India.
 * Concern about Habitat fragmentation, habitat destruction and deforestation caused by poaching, illegal forest clearing and agriculture, especially in the Western Ghats.
 * Concern about decreased groundwater recharge, increase of surface water runoff and increasing drought severity due to deforestation.
 * Concern about degradation of the culture and habitat of the Adivasi native nomadic tribes people who have lived in remote parts of the Western Ghats for millenniums.
 * I believe that conservation movements, environmentalism and Internet activism can help alleviate these problems.
 * Articles in Wikipedia are a popular educational tool and receive high visibility worldwide due to their high search result placement in Google search, Yahoo Search and Windows Live Search, the 1st, 4th and 7th most visited websites in the world. Wikipedia itself is ranked 6th.

Visiting card:
Captain Marcus Sherman '''Veteren Editor - Wikipedia

WikiProject Protected areas of India'''

Web Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Marcus334 Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53476720@N00/

President - Catboat Rides Inc.

Hyannis, MA 02601-4329 USA Phone #: 001-508-280-3343 (USA) -

Wildlife sanctuaries of India