GeoSphere

The Umvoto Foundation (TUF) is still busy on the development of the Hermanus Water Walk and associated guidebook/app layer, which should hopefully be finally finished and published by the end of this year. Separately Dylan Blake (TUF) presented to Whale Coast Conservation on the geology and hydrogeology of the Overstrand region in September 2025, and will be giving the same talk to the University of the 3^rd Age (in association with the Overberg Geoscientist Group) in Hermanus in April 2026.

Paul Lee (TUF) continues to take guided Table Mountain Dams hydrogeoheritage day trips up Orange Kloof and onto the Back Table in summer, which are proving popular with local and foreign tourists. TUF have sold out of the 1^st and 2^nd printings of the Table Mountain Dams guidebook (so about 300 physical copies have been distributed now), and will do a 3^rd print run of ~300 copies this year. The latter will be done once the app geotrail layer has been properly migrated to the Avenza (https://store.avenza.com/products/table-mountain-dams-geotrail-forge-map?utm_source=vendor_link) and Outdooractive apps/sites (and there are new QR codes to put in the reprinted guidebook), which will be in the next couple of months (due to the Forge app closing, and them migrating their maps to these apps).

TUF will be working with Dr Charl Cilliers (UWC), Professor Jan Van Bever Donker (UWC), Dr Hayley Cawthra (CGS) and Mike Dormer (OGG) on doing a Virtual Field Trip (VFT) for the De Kelders Drip Cave probably around May 2026.

On Saturday 28^th February Dylan Blake gave a talk to the 1^st Claremont, 2^nd Plumstead and 1^st Naruna Constantia Cub Packs about being a geologist (and also taught them about the three main rock types and showed them a range of various rock specimens for each type), who were on their 2026 Cub Camp at Gordon’s Camp in Glencairn to get their “Geologist” badges. This is a great initiative to introduce children/teens to geology, who would already likely have a strong affinity to it being Cubs/Scouts. The tasks required to get the two badges (https://scoutwiki.scouts.org.za/wiki/Cub_Geologist_Badge and https://scoutwiki.scouts.org.za/wiki/Geologist_Scout_Interest_Badge) are actually quite detailed for children in primary school (Cubs) and teens in high school (Scouts), especially the latter where they would have essentially had no formal geological education/training (other than the small amount of geology they do as part of the Geography subject in high school). If any other geologists around the Western Cape get asked by Cub Packs or Scout Troops to assist in helping give talks or being examiners (for the Scout “Geologist” badge) then it can be highly recommended to become involved.

The OGG have also planned 2 field trips for the year so far – 6th June 2026 is a day trip in the Hemel en Aarde valley, and 4th-6th September 2026 is a weekend trip to Worcester/Hex River, and Dylan Blake from TUF will be attending both to provide hydrogeological insight.