Karoo thunderstorms in the Great Karoo. The Swartberg Pass is not tarred and can be treacherously slippery after rain. It also becomes impassable after heavy snowfalls on the mountain, a not infrequent occurrence in winter. Poet Thomas Hardy wrote of the Karoo in his poem "Drummer Hodge". In "Bridge-Guard in the Karroo", Rudyard Kipling evoked the loneliness experienced by blockhouse soldiers at Ketting station on the Dwyka River while guarding the Karoo railway track, a lifeline during the South African War (excerpts). Karoo The Karoo ( ; from a Khoikhoi word, possibly "garo" "desert") is a semi desert natural region of
Osoyoos Desert Society Osoyoos Desert Society The Osoyoos Desert Society is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1991 to conserve and restore the biodiversitive area of the British Columbian Southern interior. This area had not been the focus of prievious conservation efforts, even though it contains a large concentration of at-risk species and is one of the four most endangered ecosystems in Canada. One of the area's main features is Okanagan Desert, a semi-arid region in the southern part of the Okanagon region of British Columbia, notable for having some plant species not found anywhere else in Canada. Another feature is the