Nakuru means "Dust or Dusty Place" in Maasai language.Near our town there is Lake Nakuru. It is best known for its thousands, sometimes millions of flamingos nesting along the shores. Lake Nakuru National Park is part of the global network of places recognised for their outstanding value to bird conservation. However, the flamingos and other spectacular birds and large mammals at Lake Nakuru are suffering the short-term effects of the severe drought affecting our country. Last year was horrible! Longer term problems include  the extensive clearance of the Mau Forest by settlers, loggers and charcoal makers, which has reduced the forest's capacity to hold an release water during the rainy  season. Much of Lake Nakuru's water is provided by four rivers which originate in the Mau Forest. There are 200,000 charcoal producers operating in Kenya and half a million people (producers, transporters and vendors) involved in the charcoal trade (around half of these on a full time basis) who support 2.5 million dependents. Saving the Mau Forest would ensure 160 million Africans  have access to water, and mitigate the species loss. One such species that is at risk of extinction is the African Forest Elephant, which is found in the Mau Forest.Kenya just recently went through the most devastating drought in decades. It is believed that in some parts of the country, this drought was made worse by forest destruction and the resultant drying of rivers. The Mau is the largest continuous forest area in East Africa and is the source of many rivers.