Richard Bakewell '98
Graduate studentAS PART OF A GROUP sent to help sponsor Bulgarian organizations in the fields of natural resources management, local business development, and instruction in the English language, Richard Bakewell ’98 has been in Bulgaria for a year now. His assignment is at the Roussenski Lom Nature Park, just outside Rousse, the largest city on the Danube River, and home to critical habitat for several species of endangered birds, as well as important historical sites related to the transmission of ancient Bulgarian culture through the Middle Ages. Despite the park’s rich holdings of historical and natural resources, it’s nearly impossible for visitors to find any information on the significance of what’s around them. Addressing this need has been one of Bakewell’s initial projects, and he is currently developing programs to tap the park’s ecotourism potential. These interrelated projects include initiating “ecological principles-based interpretive touring” (e.g., presenting a noteworthy natural feature as an example of an abstract ecological principle so as to relate confusing environmental information to the public), establishing environmentally friendly camping sites, and creating a system of bicycle touring routes (particularly suitable for the park’s decentralized geography).
Bakewell frequently gives talks on biodiversity the Rousse city schools and takes students on weekend excursions through the park. He is also seeking
establish an environmental education center for students. Once he gets the center up and running, he plans to revive the dormant “Friends of the Park” club, which allows local people to get involved with the hands-on management of the reserve. In his efforts to initiate such programs, Bakewell has quickly learned that his biggest challenge, and his most effective vehicle for serving the community, is acquiring funding. “Many Peace Corps volunteers in Bulgaria are perceived as sources for money, as cash cows,” he said. “And this isn’t too far from the truth. People want to see successful community development projects that involve the transfer not only of skills, but of concrete resources.”  | | Richard Bakewell ’98 watches over Veliko Turnivo, the ancient Bulgarian capital city. He works at Roussenski Lom Nature Park, just outside the nearby city of Rousse. |
With the possibility for pragmatic change contingent on persuasive grant writing, Bakewell is finding that his writing skills and rhetorical prowess, cultivated at Hampden-Sydney, provide him with the tools to bring his ideas to fruition. Bakewell has also taken to the Bulgarian tongue, which puts him at a distinct advantage over fellow volunteers who traditionally struggle with the language barrier. After 12 months in the country, he is comfortable with all daily communication and can understand television, newspapers, and magazines. In fact, he wrote his most recent proposal—the one for the environmental education center—in Bulgarian. Bakewell admits that he has lost a degree of naiveté since joining the Peace Corps last year. “I know the whole country won’t be a hell of a lot different when I leave in August 2003,” he said. And while he does plan to leave with a few tangible accomplishments under his belt, he sees himself as an agent in a larger humanitarian project. “Peace Corps is an experience for those with a long-term perspective,” he said. Update - As of 2004, Richard Bakewell ’98 is a graduate student in the Master’s of Public Administration program at Indiana University.
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