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It's Time to Give Back

By Carole Herdegen

Frequently I overhear conversations about our environment lamenting the loss of yet another animal species or complaining of erratic climatic conditions. However, they most always seem to conclude with the plaintive question: "But what can I do about it? I'm only one person!"

My answer is: "But actually, everyone CAN do something!" And, my response is echoed by the words of Margaret Mead who once said, "Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

With this preamble, I would now like to present my experiences with three projects I worked on for the Earthwatch Institute.

The official mission of the Earthwatch Institute is to promote the sustainable conservation of natural resources and our cultural heritage by creating partnerships between scientists, educators and the general public. The organization strongly believes in the power of ordinary people to achieve this goal. They do so when they are sent into the field and work directly with scientists. There, they experience the cutting edge of knowledge for the purposes of learning, solving problems and accepting responsibility for our future.

This is how it works. Earthwatch gathers scientists from universities, research institutes, and laboratories all over the world. Those chosen then submit field research projects that address specified world problems while also being appropriate for amateur, volunteer involvement. Only one of every three proposed research projects is accepted by Earthwatch's academic board.

When a project is selected, Earthwatch funds it by inviting people like you and me to directly participate in the research project and to share the costs. This year there were more than 130 projects in 44 countries and 18 U.S. states that required volunteers. Volunteers can be of any age from 16 to 85 and need no special skills, education or training. The specific, dedicated Earthwatch team will teach you all that you need to know about your project. Funds contributed by the volunteers go directly to support the projects. On average, this amounts to approximately $1850 and is 100% tax-deductible. Transportation costs to and from the project are additional and are borne by the volunteer; however, all meals and accommodation expenses during the project are covered in the initial contribution. Projects are in the duration of from one to three weeks. The field work is sometimes difficult and at times conducted in inhospitable and harsh locations; however, the accomplishments achieved are self-rewarding.

Volunteers have the opportunity to visit places usually not accorded ordinary people. They also engage in activities not attractive to the average person. However, through their unique experiences, they participate in making a real difference in the world.

Therefore, if YOU really want to change the world, Earthwatch provides the opportunity. I can assure you; these are experiences you will never forget.

After deciding that Earthwatch is for you, the next step is to choose a project.

In the 2004 Earthwatch booklet of research projects, volunteers can elect to:

conduct research on early man at the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.
assess wildlife diversity to ensure healthy prey populations for cheetahs in Namibia .
determine how to restore ecosystem dynamics through mangrove reforestation in Kenya.
collect data to save rare and endangered lemurs and their vanishing habitat in Madagascar.
establish a monitoring program for endangered medicinal plants to conserve tropical forest resources in Vietnam.
document bat diversity to help save a 30-million-year old rainforest in Malaysia.
survey Australian frogs and their habitat for clues to the amphibians' worldwide decline.
unearth evidence of two radically different but contemporaneous 3,000 year old Chilean societies.
reconstruct the dawn of the age of dinosaurs in Argentina.
conduct baseline surveys of endangered manatees and their habitat in Belize.
learn about living in cities from one of the original North American civilizations, the Hopi Indians of Arizona.
piece together the life and world of the Columbian mammoth at a famous archeological site in South Dakota.

These are just a few of the more than 100 projects you could join. Your accommodations could be camping in a tent, a bungalow in the middle of a reserve, a small hotel, a rustic research station or even a mud house with a grass roof.

For more information on the Earthwatch Institute or to request a brochure, click on www.earthwatch.org.

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