Dear QNHG friends,

Welcome to the 2021-2022 season !
It is finally here! The light at the end of the tunnel might be around the corner!

As we start our new season, we are happy to hear about the lifting of some COVID-19 restrictions.
Our past two seasons have been disrupted by the pandemic. But we managed to keep most of our activities up and running.

We are grateful to the eleven speakers who introduced us to many aspects of Qatar’s natural history, heritage, and conservation last season. Those online talks were well received and helped to keep a sense of normalcy.

We were also glad to share these online talks with the Dubai Natural History Group, which reciprocated, making their Sunday Zoom talks accessible to our members. This collaboration gives us engaging insights into the natural history and other issues in the region.

Despite a break, during the 1st semester, we were still able to organize 23 outings.

We would like to acknowledge the efforts made by our group of volunteers to diversify the opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and discover the desert environment. This is a huge increase from what QNHG usually offers during a regular season.

Rest assured that the steering committee works hard to keep the group functional based on its goals and core values. We appreciate every opportunity to learn, educate, and share the passion for nature, the history, and the culture of the Qatari peninsula.

We appreciate hearing from you and always welcome suggestions for outings, speakers, topics, and contacts that can benefit our activities. Feel free to contact us if you would like to serve on the committee on a volunteer basis.

Our first talk for this season is on October the 13th. It will be on Communicating Environmental Sustainability: From Scientific Research to Exhibition and presented by Lina Patmali (Exhibition Researcher, National Museum of Qatar) & Bouthayna Baltaji (Head of Exhibitions, National Museum of Qatar)

On October the 9th, we scheduled a bird-watching outing as part of Global Big Day. We also plan to contribute to the Sustainability Week at the end of the month. We are also working on other activities including regular nature watch, camping, and stargazing trips. The announcements should be out very soon.

Based on the MOPH guidelines, we will have to limit our outings to a maximum of 35 vaccinated people, Ehteza is mandatory. Outdoors, masks are no longer mandatory, but we encourage you to respect social distancing.

This season, the registration will be online. There is no change in the yearly membership fees: 75QR for individuals and 150 QR for families. The registration fee is a small contribution to the group's regular expenses and investments in some materials (first aid kits, binoculars, books, etc.).

a separate email will be sent on how to enroll for the new season.

We thank you for your support and understanding! We look forward to seeing you soon.

On behalf of the Steering Committee,

Thierry Lesales,

QNHG Chair