Indholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2018 i The Explorers Journal

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

a deep dive indeed

As we head into summer and a prime season for many of our extraordinary expeditions, I want to share with you how thrilled I am, as your new president, to invite you—no matter where you live in our world—to be very much a part of the stimulating and exciting Explorers Club weekly lectures at Club Headquarters. These presentations by the foremost explorers on the planet are now available through exciting “live streaming” direct to your smart phone, computer, or tablet. And, to add even more, we now have a new “live element” and we want to invite you to become a part of it. We are asking our explorer-members to share with our explorer world important activities and achievements through a “live Skype” appearance that will precede our live lectures…

2 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

membership in THE EXPLORERS CLUB

FOUNDED IN 1904 BY A GROUP OF AMERICA’S LEADING EXPLORERS, THE EXPLORERS CLUB IS A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY DEDICATED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF FIELD RESEARCH, SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION, AND THE IDEAL THAT IT IS VITAL TO PRESERVE THE INSTINCT TO EXPLORE. THE CLUB’S MISSION HAS STEADFASTLY BEEN TO ENCOURAGE AND PROMOTE SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION OF LAND, SEA, AIR, AND SPACE, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. AS A PRIMARY AND PRESTIGIOUS CENTER FOR EXPLORATION AND EXPEDITION PLANNING, THE CLUB IS A FOCAL POINT AND UNIFYING FORCE FOR EXPLORERS AND SCIENTISTS WORLDWIDE, WITH 28 CHAPTERS SPANNING THE GLOBE. For information regarding categories of membership (Fellow, Member, Associate, and Student), and the process of election to The Explorers Club, visit us at www.explorers.org. The downloadable application sets forth qualifications for membership.…

1 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

A VISUAL WAR ON WILDLIFE CRIME

AWARD-WINNING PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE HAVE RECENTLY JOINED FORCES UNDER THE RUBRIC PHOTOGRAPHERS AGAINST WILDLIFE CRIME TO USE THEIR POWERFUL IMAGES TO HELP BRING AN END TO THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE. SPEARHEADED BY COFOUNDER KEITH WILSON, THE PROJECT HAS RESULTED IN AN EXHIBITION, A BOOK, AND A PHILOSOPHY THAT AIMS TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF WILDLIFE EXPLOITATION IN THE BELIEF THAT PHOTOGRAPHY IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MEDIA TO DELIVER MESSAGES THAT ALTER THE STATUS QUO. THE EXPLORERS JOURNAL U.K. EDITOR NICK SMITH CAUGHT UP WITH WILSON TO TALK ABOUT THIS ILLEGAL TRADE, WHICH IS THE WORLD’S FOURTH LARGEST CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AFTER DRUG SMUGGLING, THE ILLEGAL FIREARMS TRADE, AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING. (TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHERS AGAINST WILDLIFE CRIME AND TO ORDER A COPY OF THE BOOK,…

8 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

RETURN TO CLIPPERTON ATOLL

RETURN OF FLAG Nº93 SINCE ITS FIRST FORAY INTO THE FIELD ON THE 1939 FRASER SALMON RIVER EXPEDITION, FLAG Nº 93 HAS BEEN CARRIED ON TEN EXPEDITIONS, INCLUDING FOUR TO AFRICA AND ONE TO THE HIGH HIMALAYA. FELLOWS OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 2016, MICHEL LABRECQUE AND JULIE OUIMET ARE THE OWNERS OF N2PIX, SPECIALIZING IN UNDERWATER IMAGERY AND EXPEDITION LOGISTICS. BIG MIGRATIONS 2 IS THE SECOND OF TWO SCIENTIFIC MISSIONS THAT THEY HAVE LED TO CLIPPERTON ATOLL, CONSIDERED THE MOST ISOLATED ATOLL ON THE PLANET. THEY HAVE BEEN LOBBYING FOR THE PROTECTION OF CLIPPERTON AND HAVE AIDED A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF SCIENTISTS TO GATHER IMPORTANT DATA ON THIS UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM. FOR MORE INFORMATION: WWW.DIVECLIPPERTON.N2PIX.COM. When we embarked on our first mission to Clipperton Atoll, carrying Explorers Club Flag Nº213,…

8 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

be immortalized at THE EXPLORERS CLUB

JOIN THE “EXPLORERS IMMORTALS” AND ENGRAVE YOUR NAME OR DEDICATION IN STONE ON NEW PAVERS FOR THE LEFRAK TERRACE AT EXPLORERS CLUB HEADQUARTERS. ADORN OUR LANDMARK OUTDOOR SPACE AND HELP PAY FOR URGENT WORK FOR PHASE II RENOVATIONS BY MAKING A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION OF $2,500 PER DEDICATED PAVER TO OUR LOWELL THOMAS BUILDING FUND. THE EXPLORERS CLUB WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING WHO HAVE PURCHASED A PAVER: Robert Ashton, James H. Alexander, John G. Alexander, Darlene T. Anderson, Jeanne D. Andlinger, Barbara Annan, Robert J. Aresty, Atlanta Chapter, Robert J. Atwater, Norman L. Baker, Andreas Bender, Josh Bernstein, John Bierley, Bruce Blanchard, John R. Bockstoce, Brian M. Boom, John R. Boreske Jr., Gary W. Bowersox, Lawson W. Brigham, Diane Britz-Lotti, Julianne M. Chase, James M. Clash, Allen S. Counter,…

2 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

tipping point

It has been nearly two decades since Malcolm Gladwell defined a “tipping point” as a moment in which a critical mass unleashes a chain of events that in most cases is all but irreversible. Although Gladwell focused on the observed parallels between the spread of viruses and changes in human societal behavior, the notion of a tipping point has far broader implications. This edition, we focus on a suite of projects aimed at stemming the destruction of our planet and its denizens. THE EXPLORERS JOURNAL’s U.K. editor Nick Smith caught up with Keith Wilson, cofounder of Photographers Against Wildlife Crime, to chat about his ambitious campaign to heighten awareness of not only the cruel destruction of wildlife due to poaching and habitat loss, but also the heroic efforts of a…

1 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

MAPPING ETHIOPIA’S BLUE NILE

AN AUTHOR, TELEVISION PRESENTER, FORMER ROYAL ENGINEER, AND EXPLORERS CLUB MEDALIST, JOHN BLASHFORD-SNELL IS PRESIDENT OF THE SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION SOCIETY. IN ADDITION TO FIELD EXPLORATION, HE DEVOTES MUCH OF HIS TIME TO HELPING UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN AND PROMOTING WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND THE PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT. From its origin at Lake Tana, the Blue Nile, or Great Abbai, plunges some 800 kilometers through the highlands of Ethiopia, cutting through a gorge that in places is a kilometer and a half deep. From there, it courses another 650 kilometers across Sudan to Khartoum, where the river joins the Nile. The Blue Nile was said to be the last unexplored part of Africa, for all attempts to explore this little-known region had failed. That was until the summer of 1968, when a 70-strong…

4 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

SAVING THE LAST SOUTH AFRICAN RHINOS

A MEMBER OF THE PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 2016, ROBERT R. GRIFFITH IS A RETIRED ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGEON WHO SERVED IN THE U.S. ARMY RESERVE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT—DISCHARGED WITH THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL. HIS LIFE-LONG PASSION FOR THE NATURAL WORLD HAS TAKEN HIM TO ALL 47 NATIONAL PARKS IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES. HE IS RETURNING TO SOUTHERN AFRICA IN JULY TO CONTINUE HIS WORK ON RHINO CONSERVATION AND TO PARTICIPATE IN HORN-TRIMMING PROCEDURES, CARRYING EXPLORERS CLUB FLAG Nº 210. South Africa is home to 85 percent of the world’s wild rhinoceros, its white rhino population numbering some 16,000 and black rhino around 4,000. Rhino are among the most threatened animals on the planet with more than 1,000 a year being savagely slaughtered for their horns,…

7 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

EXTREME MEDICINE YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE FIELD

IT IS VALUABLE TO PAUSE PERIODICALLY AND TAKE STOCK OF OUR GAINED KNOWLEDGE. THIS COLUMN REVIEWS KEY MESSAGES FROM PREVIOUS COLUMNS IN THE EXPLORERS JOURNAL TO REMIND US OF THOSE IMPORTANT LESSONS. SAFETY AND SECURITY TRIP PREPARATION Disclose all medical problems and all medications taken regularly. Hand-carry your own medicines and customize your supplies for your conditions and destination. Bring extra meds in case of trip delay or extension. Determine need for pre-trip vaccinations and specific disease prevention with your doctor. Take cross-functional supplies where possible—duct tape has many uses, Benadryl can be used for several medical problems. Be efficient. MEDICAL EVACUATION COVERAGE Tour operators and travel companies only offer very basic services. Evacuation is very expensive without a policy. Medical facilities and care are sporadic and of variable quality…

4 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

chapter chairs

46 EAST 70TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10021 WWW.EXPLORERS.ORG | 212-628-8383 AFRICA Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka gladys@ctph.org ALASKA OPEN—Interested parties, please contact: Idee Belau Co-chair Chapter Relations Committee alive2dive@yahoo.com ATLANTA Steve Pigott Tel: 770-337-5450 jagter@msn.com AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND Todd Tai todd@mivision.com.au CANADA Ray Hyland chapterchair@explorersclub.ca CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA Jimmy McSparron jimmy@trekkingnut.com CHICAGO/GREAT LAKES Robert A. Shuchman, PhD Tel: 734-649-0937 shuchman@mtu.edu EAST & SOUTH ASIA Steven R. Schwankert Tel: 86-1350-116-3629 steven@sinoscuba.com FLORIDA Aida “Idee” Belau Tel: 321-243-8448 chair@floridaexplorersclub.org GEORGE ROGERS CLARK Leonard A. Weakley, Jr. Tel: 513-702-0725 lweakley@rendigs.com GREAT BRITAIN Eleuthera du Breuil Tel: 44-2036036974 eleutheradb@hotmail.com GREATER PIEDMONT David N. Brinkman dobrink@bellsouth.net HAWAII Gary Bowersox mrgary77@aol.com HONG KONG Michael E. Barth mebarth@explorershk.org Tel: 852-9618-8850 NEW ENGLAND Gregory Deyermenjian Tel: 781-968-5174 paititi@alumni.clarku.edu NORTH PACIFIC ALASKA Mead Treadwell Tel: 907-258-7764 Fax: 907-258-7768 meadwell@alaska.net…

1 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

TIMING IS EVERYTHING. THAT’S WHAT’S MADE GREG OLSEN, A MEMBER OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 2007, A GOOD BUSINESSMAN. IN 2005, THE FOUNDER OF SENSORS UNLIMITED SPENT $20 MILLION OF HIS OWN MONEY TO FLY AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN ON A SOYUZ ROCKET TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. BY TODAY’S STANDARDS, THE TRIP WAS A BARGAIN. WITH THE RETIREMENT OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE, THAT SAME FLIGHT NOW COSTS MORE THAN $75 MILLION. OLSEN TRAINED IN STAR CITY, RUSSIA, FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, INCLUDING AN INTERRUPTION FOR HEALTH REASONS, BEFORE HIS 2005 LAUNCH FROM BAIKONUR, KAZAKHSTAN. TEN DAYS LATER, HE RETURNED, LANDING SAFELY IN A DESERT BACK IN KAZAKHSTAN. JC: How does training in Russia differ from training in America? GO: About 40 percent of the people who go into space get…

2 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

EXPLORATION NEWS

WRECK OF THE SAN JOSÉ FOUND The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has confirmed the discovery of the 310-year-old wreck of the San José—a 62-gun, three-masted Spanish galleon that sank with a cargo worth an estimated $17 billion in today’s currency. Often refered to as the “holy grail of shipwrecks,” the ship, which was discovered off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia, went down with its treasure of gold, silver, and emeralds in 1708, during a battle with British ships in the War of Spanish Succession. The wreck was found at a depth of more than 600 meters of water on November 27, 2015, during an expedition led by Roger Dooley, chief project archaeologist for Maritime Archaeology Consultants, and carried out under the aegis of the Colombian Ministry of Culture. The…

5 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

BOTANY IN THE HIGH HIMALAYA

FOUNDER OF THE HONG KONG–BASED EXPEDITIONARY TREKKING COMPANY WHISTLING ARROW, ADRIAN BOTTOMLEY HAS SPENT SOME 15 YEARS EXPLORING THE WILDER REGIONS OF ASIA, SUCCESSFULLY DESIGNING AND LEADING MORE THAN 40 EXPEDITIONS TO WESTERN CHINA, EASTERN TIBET, AND WESTERN MONGOLIA. HE HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB SINCE 2017. KYLE OBERMANN IS A MANDARIN-SPEAKING ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHER BASED IN WESTERN CHINA. HE HAS SPENT THE PAST YEAR IN THE HENGDUAN MOUNTAINS, DOCUMENTING GRASSROOTS CONSERVATION EFFORTS TO PROTECT WESTERN CHINA’S VAST UNSPOILED BACKCOUNTRY. “No special lake,” repeated Kelsang, our horseman, his bloodshot eyes holding my bemused gaze. “But a lake doesn’t just disappear, it’s called Fox Call Lake, and it’s right here on Google Earth,” I said, pointing to my map and wondering what sound a fox actually makes. I also…

9 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

CHAMPION OF FOREST AND SEA

AS THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU, CÉLINE COUSTEAU HAS BEEN A CONSERVATIONIST VIRTUALLY ALL OF HER LIFE, HAVING GROWN UP LARGELY ABOARD THE FAMED FRENCH OCEANOGRAPHER’S RESEARCH VESSEL CALYPSO AS IT PLIED THE SEAS THE WORLD OVER. AS A DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER AND EXPLORER, COUSTEAU, 45, HAS WORKED TIRELESSLY TO CALL ATTENTION TO EARTH’S FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS, MOST RECENTLY THROUGH HER FILM PROJECT TRIBES ON THE EDGE, WHICH IS IN ITS FINAL STAGES OF POSTPRODUCTION. THE DOCUMENTARY HIGH-LIGHTS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES ON THE AMAZON RAINFOREST AND THE PLIGHT OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WHO CALL IT HOME. THE EXPLORERS JOURNAL RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH COUSTEAU AT EXPLORERS CLUB HEADQUARTERS IN THE LEAD-UP TO WORLD OCEANS DAY TO TALK ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND WAYS IN WHICH ALL OF US CAN WORK TOGETHER TO PRESERVE NOT…

7 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

BOOK REVIEWS

240 PP • LONDON: I.B. TAURIS & CO, 2017 • ISBN-10: 1784538396• ISBN-13: 978-1784538392 • $35 • REVIEWED BY NICK SMITH In 1977–1978, the Royal Geographical Society sent out a scientific field research expedition led by Robin Hanbury-Tenison to Sarawak to survey the newly gazetted Gunung Mulu National Park—now known simply as “Mulu.” Over the course of 15 months, some 115 of the world’s finest scientists contributed 10,000 man-days to the expedition. To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of their accomplishments, the author has written Finding Eden, a book that is far more than a fieldwork account. With the passing of time he’s come to realize the scale of the achievement, while remaining modest about his leadership skills. “Sometimes it feels as though the whole planet has been so polluted and…

5 min

The Explorers Journal|Summer 2018

legacy society

“MEMBERSHIP IN THE LEGACY SOCIETY IS CRUCIAL FOR THE FUTURE SUCCESS OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB. PLEASE JOIN US IN SUPPORTING THIS VITAL INITIATIVE AND ENSURING THAT OUR CLUB IS HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF EXPLORERS!” —ERIC ZEMBER MR’14 John G. Alexander • Alan B. Albright • Robert J. Atwater • Capt. Norman L. Baker* • Barbara Ballard • Robert D. Ballard, PhD • Samuel B. Ballen* • Mark Gregory Bayuk • Daniel A. Bennett • Josh Bernstein • Bruce Blanchard • John R. Bockstoce, DPhil • Jack Aaron Boggs • Bjorn G. Bolstad* • Capt. Bruce M. Bongar, PhD • Brian M. Boom, PhD • Jill Botway • Garrett R. Bowden • Capt. Lawson W. Brigham, PhD, USCG (ret.) • Harry Davis Brooks • Lt. Col. Jewell…

3 min