For the past six years Calvin College (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and Birzeit University (Birzeit) West Bank, have been pursuing the development of a partnership for the mutual enhancement of teaching and research in fields related to the environment, specifically, Geography, History, Environmental Studies and Archaeology. This effort is an outgrowth of the Environmental Global Stewardship Initiative, a Pew-funded Coalition of Christian Colleges venture, through which early exploratory visits to the West Bank and Gaza by principle investigator Bert de Vries were funded (1995, 1996). After that initiative, Calvin College paid for travel and costs in Jerusalem for two subsequent visits (1997, 1998). Off-Campus Programs at Calvin College contributed $9,000 towards development of the Birzeit-Calvin cooperative program in 1998 and 1999. Through these inquiries PI de Vries established working relations with the Geography faculty and staff of Birzeit University, and the staff of dozens of institutions and agencies involved in environmental programs in the region.

            

      Within this proposed cooperation, the environment is expansively defined as natural (non-human condition and use), cultural (past and present human use) and developmental (present and future human use). The scope is therefore a multi-faceted examination of the landscape of Palestine, involving a dozen disciplines ranging from hard sciences like hydrology and chemistry, social sciences like archaeology and anthropology to practical applications like environmental awareness and urban planning. The role of water is a common throughout this diversity allows the focus on water resources to flow naturally from this broad perspective. In the summers of 1998 and 1999, the feasibility of this partnership was tested with a course entitled, "The Environmental Geography of Palestine and Jordan" (Environmental Studies 305 at Calvin College, Studies in Geography at Birzeit University, see Appendix VII.). The course requires balanced enrollment by students of both institutions, and involves on-site environmental study of the Jordan Rift Valley watershed on its east and west banks. It has been taught jointly by this proposal's co-directors, Bert de Vries and Kamal Abdalfattah, with strong contributions from local Jordanian and Palestinian environmentalists and other Birzeit University and Calvin College professors. Its positive reception by the students and faculties of both institutions, demonstrated that the two bodies are able to work well together.

      Thus, an adjusted version of this course will provide a proven structure for the fieldwork in water resources proposed for the summers of 2001 and 2002. Its success testifies to the future potential and benefits of the cooperation between the two institutions. Specifically, it has helped identify a pool of staff members and students from both institutions with a combination of competence and interest for conducting the Water Resources Program.

      The relationship between the two schools has been further cemented by staff visits in both directions. In June, Ms. Riham Barghouti, Birzeit Director of International Relations, spent a week in Calvin College's Alumni and Development Offices for an orientation of their support structure methodologies. Later this fall, Calvin College is bringing Dr. Kamal Abdalfattah over to give a Geography Department Seminar and a public lecture. (Visits to Birzeit by de Vries and others from Calvin were noted above.) In conclusion, these activities set up a structure and atmosphere in which the proposed UPLINK Water Resources Program can be implemented with strong expectations for its sustainability after the term of USAID support expires.

      At Birzeit University this project fits directly into the teaching and research of the Geography Department, spearheaded by PI Kamal Abdalfattah's own research on the historical geography of Palestine. Numerous staff members of PNA agencies and NGO's responsible for water planning were trained in this department, including key project participants. Salem Thawaba of the Ministry of Planning has written his PHD thesis proposal on the water sources of a significant portion of the Wadi al-Far'a. Ghattas Sayij has done several water-related archaeological surveys, and has also participated in the USAID-funded "Project Rainkeep" part of the Madaba Plains Project in Central Jordan. The project is closely related to a cultural geography study, "The Lower Jordan River Basin Project," a joint project of Birzeit and Bergen (Norway) Universities, which includes the study of ancient water systems. The Palestinian Inst. of Archaeology is a major resource for research on the ancient water systems. Other relevant departments include the Inst. for Occupational and Environmental Health, which has a superb chemistry laboratory for water analysis, and the Engineering Dept., sponsor of the International Conference on Developing Capabilities and Scientific Research on Water, March 2000.

      At Calvin College there is a similar pool of expertise. The Geography Dept. is establishing a Minor in Hydrology, and offers the expertise of faculty members like Tom Timmermans (hydrogeology) and Jonathan Bascom (political ecology). The study of water and wetlands has involved Michigan river ecology and the environment of Au Sable Institute, an affiliate in northern Michigan. Other specific and accessible expertise includes the water system computer modeling done in Calvin's Engineering Department, the staff of Timmermans Environmental Services, and local professionals, available on standby (e.g., Chemical Engnr. Samuael S. Tawney for contamination solutions). Info. Technology at Calvin College is well set up to implement the proposed electronic features of this project, including hardware, software, and trained specialists. Calvin has a strong tradition in Middle Eastern Studies, with a range of courses in history, archaeology and religion. PI Bert de Vries has done much work on ancient water systems in Jordan, and acted as an advisor for the preparation of the "Rainkeep" proposal. The Archaeology Minor, directed by de Vries, has included fieldwork and a field school at Jordanian archaeological sites for decades. The structuring of the fieldwork in this proposal is in fact based on the experience from those archaeological field seasons. The project will be a participant in the Calvin Environmental Action Program, a grant-funded component of Service Learning, through which student participants in practical environmental projects receive transcript recognition in addition to course grades.

Far'a Project Staff Names for Report and Publication Credits (click on name to access staff summary and resume)

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