Cast Your Vote!

Over the next few weeks I will be submitting several reader surveys (see the upper right-hand corner of the blog site) in order to get a better understanding of just how the overall consensus of our readers feel about certain topics related to Abaga Falls and the surrounding area. Please feel free to take a moment and cast your vote.

At the end of each voting period. I will review the topic and provide an analysis of the results.

Talking the Walk (Part 2)

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past year, you’ve no doubt heard about the increasing popularity of the "Eco-Chic" movement. Everywhere you go, people are trying to show how "green" they are. While I’d agree that this is a good thing (at the very least it gets us all thinking about things like preserving our environment) I would also argue however that there are a lot of things being done in the name of saving the planet that may not be everything they're cracked up to be. In other words, we can't always be complacent when we think we've arrived at an answer. Every now and then we need to ask ourselves... is this solution the best one or can we do better?

How does Abaga Falls fit into this conversation you ask? Let me explain… For a while now I’ve been touting the many benefits that come from taking a closer look at vital ecosystems and ensuring that we are doing what we can to preserve or even restore these systems. Why? Not just because it's a nice thing to do, but because there can often be some tangible benefits to humans when doing so. If you recall from the previous post in this series (Talking the Walk- Part 1) I address a number of specific benefits that can come from "thinking" out side of the box" and questioning the norm. Let’s face it, whenever people are impoverished, the health of the environment always takes a back seat. Understandably so. So the question remains how do we raise people up and instill a sense of stewardship for their land? There are many answers to that question, but certainly pride can be a major factor. If people are proud of their surroundings, there’s a very good chance that they will take great strides to care for them.

Now back to the original conversation. When we look around at all of the efforts being undertaken to try and strike an equitable balance between the health of the planet and the well-being of man, the discussion always seems to boil down to the concept of energy. Whether it’s traveling to work or farming the food we eat, or producing the various goods we consume, energy is a basic building block to our existence. What’s more important in my opinion however, is how we produce these basic building blocks.

Renewable energy source? With all of the Eco-talk being thrown about lately, I’m sure you’ve heard that term at least once before. A renewable energy source is exactly what it says, a feasible source of energy that for all practical purposes, never goes away. This is why things like oil and gas are not considered renewable energy sources, while things like nuclear and hydro-electrical are. Can you see where I’m going with this? As someone with a renewed passion for saving my boyhood playground, let me just offer the following… we may be sitting on a significant source of renewable (hydro-electric) energy without even knowing it. Sure Abaga Falls and its surroundings may appear to be the iconic tropical paradise captured in postcards and travel brochures, but I’d be willing to argue that it is so much more…

But isn’t the development of hydro-electric power in this area an old idea you ask? The short answer of course is yes. The nearby city of Iligan receives most of the electric it uses from a number of hydroelectric plants that have been strategically placed along the Agus River and operating there for many years. But, is there a possibly a better way to produce even more energy with less effort in this area? And if so, is there any benefit to pursing such a strategy? That’s really the true meaning of conservation isn’t it? Trying to do more with less. In the grand scheme of things, attitudes like this can not only benefit the planet, but the people as well.

Stay tuned. In my next installment of this series, I will delve into the nitty-gritty of this very concept...

Happy New Year!

A safe, healthy and prosperous New Year to all of our friends and family.

May 2008 bring you and your families all the best!

A picture is worth...

I'm sure that you've heard me mention on a number previous posts, how difficult it has been to try and obtain any kind of photographic details of the Abaga Falls area via the Internet. Even when using more specialized search engines like Google or Microsoft Live Search, the results are less than rewarding. In fact, it would be very safe to say that one could easily locate ten times more photos of alleged Big Foots or Loch Ness Monsters of the world than photos of Abaga Falls or the surrounding area (recent or otherwise). The reality here is that there just aren't very many photos of Abaga Falls available. Again and as always, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

The most frustrating part of course for someone who is trying to take their cause to the streets, is that without any sort of visual or photographic depictions of Abaga Falls available, it is very difficult to rally people into action. In other words, how do you convince people to make any kind of effort to save and conserve something that they can't even see? This is a very "tough sell" to say the least.

It was during one of my recent image searches on the web for "all things Abaga Falls," that I came across the following photo of Limunsudan Falls. This spectacular two-tiered waterfall also lies on the outer fringes of Iligan City and is part of the surrounding system of dramatic waterfalls that are the city's claim to fame. It seems that this particular photograph has had an especially strong impact on me mostly because it is one of the few that I have recently come across that, in a way reminds me of the overwhelming beauty and grandeur I experienced as a boy exploring the Abaga Falls area. This photo in many ways, represents the primal beauty of Abaga Falls that I remember so vividly some 60 years ago. I can only hope that when the day comes, when I can somehow get my hands on similar photos of Abaga Falls, the beauty and grandeur will still be there...

Save Me: Pithecophaga jefferyii

(The first in a profile series highlighting several threatened species known to inhabit the Abaga Falls area.)

The people know me as Pagasa or the Monkey-eating eagle or even the great Philippine Eagle. The Filipino people refer to me in stories and in legends that they pass down through the generations. They emblazon my likeness on coins and military insignias. But few actually know me and even fewer have actually seen me in the wild.

I inhabit the lush tropical forests of the Southern Philipinne islands. In places like Abaga Falls, where I can hunt and raise my young without danger or disturbance.

All of that has been changing lately though. The humans continue to press further and further into our forests. At last count, there are less than 300 of us in the northern Mindinao area. We are killed to protect livestock, hunted for sport or kidnapped to be sold as exotic pets.

Worse, the areas that we often hunt and rear our young is being decimated for use as farmland. The trees we use to stand vigil and keep watch over our domain are being cut down to use as lumber.

At this point, all we can do is keep hope. Hope that the humans who often play the role of our enemies, will realize that it is only they who have the power to be our protectors and saviors.

Would you like to know more about me?

The Philippine Eagle Foundation

Philippine Eagle on Wikipedia

Indiana Jones and the....

Don't let the hiatus of active posts this past few months be any indication that I've somehow slacked off from my usual obsession regarding Abaga Falls. Quite the contrary! While it's true that I have been busy with things outside the realm of the this project, it is also true that I've been lucky enough dig up some very interesting information regarding the current environmental status of the Abaga Falls area (remember, this is still the primary quest of this project). Please note, I am using the term "interesting" here to denote that content of the information and not necessarily the quantity that is readily available to people outside of the immediate area. In regards to the latter, the situation remains the same... obtaining information about Abaga Falls is literally like pulling teeth. As I had mentioned in previous posts, I've been doing my best to make contact with locals, both formally and informally in a vain attempt to locate someone, anyone willing to provide any current information regarding the ecosystem. I've e-mailed countless local government officials, reached out to other bloggers and as well as local environmental groups for assistance. Nothing.

Well, up until recently that is... I was lucky enough to finally make contact with some of the folks from a group known as the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands. While they themselves were unable to provide any specific information regarding Abaga Falls (they've never even heard of the place!), they were able to put me in contact with some people that may be of value to our project now and in the future. One of of the most interesting things that I was able to cull from my recent various e-mail exchanges with these new contacts, was that Abaga Falls itself continues to be a mystery. Like some mysterious forbidden place right out of a good adventure movie. Frustration. Does anyone in that area know about Abaga Falls? There is so little information available. No one I've written to seems to know much of anything. Take for example, the second-hand satellite photo that one of my contacts recently provided (see attached photo). The photo has been cropped for the sake of size, but notice the markings on it to indicate various locations... Abaga Cliff? Why did whomever made this mark use the word "cliff" instead of "falls"??? Is this possibly because any sizable amount of water no longer flows through this area? Does Abaga Falls even exist anymore? It's somewhat demoralizing when your local contacts seem to politely insist that you're subject matter expert on Abaga Falls. I guess they're forgetting that I'm over eight thousand miles and an ocean away...

Wiki Wiki

Just a quick note to let you all know that we have recently created a page for Abaga Falls on that very popular on-line encyclopedia known as Wikipedia. This site will serve as public repository for all of the pertinent information that we are obtaining through our research, so I suggest that you please check the site on a regular basis.

Also, If there are any Wiki-Pros out there with information on Abaga Falls, we welcome you to stop by and add your own details to the site.

Abaga Falls on Wikipedia