 |
We have included these documents as a way to help you learn about how we plan for expeditions. To return to the site click on the logo or use your browser's back button when you are finished. |
2000 Expedition to Niger
University of Chicago
Communication
#1
FROM: Paul C. Sereno
Dept. Organismal Biology & Anatomy
University of Chicago
1027 E. 57th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
TO: 2000 Expedition members
DATE: May 15, 2000
RE: 2000 Expedition to Niger: Basic information
Greetings! Communication #1 is designed to update my files on expedition participants and provide basic information about the expedition. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. This is private correspondence; do not make available communication information except as needed for your personal affairs. I have included the following:
(1) Personnel Information page--return to Sereno immediately if you have not filled this out already
(2) Document & Medical Preparation page
(3) Background Information
(4) Schedule & Schedule Explanation
(5) Expedition Support
(6) Personnel & Team Lists
(7) Personal Documents, Gear & Sundries
Personnel Information
1
1) Passport (attach
copy for my record)
Nationality ________________________
Passport Number ________________________
Place of Issue ________________________
Date of Issue ________________________
2) Medical Information
a) Blood type ______
b) Vaccinations/pills planned prior
to departure (circle)
Yellow Fever Meningococcus
Polio Booster Typhoid (oral)
Diphtheria tetanus Hepatitis A
Mefloquine (Malaria) pills Hepatitis B
(1 per week plus 4)
c) Pertinent medical conditions (e.g.
allergies, asthma):
___________________________________________
d) Prescription drugs you may take:
___________________________________________
e) Health Insurance Information
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
3) Emergency Contact
Information
Name ___________________
Relationship ___________________
Address _____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Telephone ____________________
4) Personal Contact
Information
Phone/fax/telephone numbers from now until the Expedition departs
(include alternative phone numbers if necessary)
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________ ____________________________________
Document & Medical Information
2
1) Document Information
You must obtain a valid passport and a yellow vaccination card (WHO card) with a record of your vaccinations. You can get the yellow card when you get your vaccinations and staple it in your passport. You should make photocopies of all important documents, including passports, WHO cards, visas, health insurance, airline itineraries, prescriptions, etc.
2) Visas
Our travel agent is in the process of getting the forms for us now. You should have around 10 visa photos ready. We will have short notice to get our passports and photos to her to get the visas back by late May. Also you should always have 2 passport quality photos with you in case you need to replace your passport. Details on visas will come as soon as we hear.
3) Medical Precautions Required
Each person must:
¨ Ensure that all vaccinations are received and/or are up-to-date
¨ Obtain a yellow vaccination card (WHO card) showing inoculations for:
Cholera Meningitis
Hepatitis A Typhoid
Hepatitis B Yellow Fever
**start soon (esp. Hep B, shots 1 & 2); all can’t be taken at once
¨ Get a prescription for malaria pills (Mefloquine)
Pills (1 per wk.) need to be taken 2 weeks before and after entry into a malarial zone. Those entering/leaving Niger (Aug 13-Niv 19), for example, need 18 pills (2 + 14 + 2 = 18 pills), although they may only provide a maximum of 12 pills.
¨ At the U of C, you can call (773) 702-6840 and ask for the Travel Clinic.
Background Information
3
General Background. For general information about the Sahara, the best available travel book is the Sahara Handbook (Simon Glen, 1990, 3rd ed., Roger Lascelles (publisher) 519 pp., paperback). It can be hard to find, necessary to order, and expensive ($47). It is distributed by Hunter Publishing, Inc., 155 Riverside Drive, NY, NY 10024. A copy will be on hand during the expedition.
Popular
account:
1996 P. C. Sereno. Africa’s Dinosaur Castaways. National
Geographic, June 1996.
Technical
articles:
1994 Sereno,
P. C., J. A. Wilson, H. C. E. Larsson, D. B. Dutheil, H.-D. Sues. Early Cretaceous dinosaurs from the Sahara.
Science 266:267-271.
1996 Sereno,
P. C., D. B. Dutheil, M. Iarochene, H. C. E. Larsson, G. H. Lyon, P. M. Magwene,
C. A. Sidor, D. J. Varricchio, J. A. Wilson.
Predatory dinosaurs from the Sahara and Late Cretaceous faunal differentiation.
Science 272:986-991.
1998 Sereno,
P. C., A. L. Beck, D. B. Dutheil, B. Gado, H. C. E. Larsson, G. H. Lyon, J.
D. Marcot, O. W. M. Rauhut, R. W. Sadlier, C. A. Sidor, D. J. Varricchio,
G. P. Wilson, J. A. Wilson. A long-snouted
predatory dinosaur from Africa and the evolution of spinosaurids. Science,
282:1298-1302.
1999 Sereno,
P. C., A. L. Beck, D. B. Dutheil, H. C. E. Larsson, G. H. Lyon, B. Moussa,
R. W. Sadlier, C. A. Sidor, D. J. Varricchio, G. P. Wilson, J. A. Wilson.
Cretaceous sauropods from the Sahara and the uneven rate of skeletal evolution
among dinosaurs. Science, 286:1342-1347.
The following
websites have information on Niger:
http://washingtonpost.com/wp- sru/inatl/longterm/worldref/country/niger.htm
(Washington Post; carries archived
articles about Niger)
http://travel.state.gov/niger.html
(State Dept. Info sheet)
http://www.tripprep.com/index.html
(Travel Health Online; goto “country
summary”)
http://www.travel-finder.com/search/NIger.html
http://www.peacecorps.gov/www/io/niger1.html
(peace corps site; go to Niger info.)
http://www.ph.kcl.ac.uk/local/cia/1994/176.html
(CIA world fact book; last update in
1994)
http://www.sil.org/ethnologue/countries/Nige.html
(languages of Niger)
http://iucn.org/places/niger_co.html
http://www.txdirect.net/users/jmayer/about.html
or http://www/txdirect/net/~jmayer/cet.html
(political update)
Schedule & Schedule Explanation
4
**If you have any difficulty with the schedule, let me know immediately.**
Precise dates for flights are now being scheduled. Please leave a day or two of flexibility in your schedule.
2000 Expedition
to Niger
August 13 to December 5 (116 days)
Arrival and Set-Up (12 days)
Aug 13 Advance team leaves Chicago
Aug 14 Advance team arrives in Niamey
Aug 15-18 Get permits, permissions, set-up Suchomimus, store fossils
Aug 19-20 Advance team travels to Agadez with all gear
Aug 21-24 Arrange base in Agadez, meet & greet, plan for Camp I
Field Work (91 days)
Camp I-Aug 25 to Sept 10 (17 days)
Aug 25 Travel to Camp I
Aug 26 Set-up base camp
Aug 27 Begin work in Camp I
Aug 27 Support
crew, NGS and visitors leave U.S.
Aug 28 Support crew travels Chicago-->Niamey
Aug 29 Support crew and others travel to Agadez
Aug 30 Support crew and others travel Agadez-->Camp I
Sep 9 Break-down camp
Sep 10 All travel to Agadez
Interim (5 days)
Sep 11 Store gear & specimens in Agadez
Sep 12-13 Travel to In Gall for Cure Salée (Sep 12-19)
Sep 14 NGS and visitors leave for Niamey, team to Agadez
Sep 15 Arrange details for trip to Camp II
Camp II-Sept 16 to Oct 9 (22 days)
Sep 16 Travel to Camp II
Sep 17 Set-up base camp
Sep 18 Begin work in South Arbre
Oct 6 Break-down camp
Oct 7 Travel to Agadez
Oct 9 Geissler travels to Niamey
Oct 10 Geissler flies Niamey-->Chicago
Interim (2 days)
Oct 8-9 Arrange details for trip to North Arbre
Camp III -Oct 10 to Nov 3 (25 days)
Oct 10-11 Travel to Camp III
Oct 11-12 Set-up base camp
Oct 12 Begin work in Camp III
Nov 1 Break-down camp
Nov 2-3 Travel to Agadez
Interim (2 days)
Nov 3-4 Arrange details for trip to Camp IV
Camp IV-Nov 5 to Nov 22 (18 days)
Nov 5 Travel to Camp IV, set-up base camp.
Nov 6 Begin work in Camp IV
Nov 18
Sereno, Dutheil, Beck & Sidor travel to Agadez.
Nov 19 Sereno, Dutheil, Beck & Sidor travel
to Niamey.
Nov 21 Beck & Sidor fly to South Africa,
Sereno & Dutheil arrange
exit details
Nov 21 Break-down camp
Nov 22 Travel to Agadez
Departure (13 days)
Nov 23-24 Arrange details in Agadez
Nov 25-26 Travel to Niamey
Nov 28 Blackburn, Conrad, Larsson, Sadleir fly Niamey-->Chicago
Nov 27-
Dec 4 Arrange final details in Niamey
Dec 5 Bourahima, Duneman, Dutheil, Lyon, Sereno, Wilson fly out
Expedition Support
5
The expedition will support:
1) visa fees
2) all expedition expenses (including air fares, ferries, room & board)
The expedition will not support:
1) salaries during the expedition
2) personal gear (personal tents, shoes, ice skates, etc.)
3) personal pleasures (hired women, men or animals; more than an occasional beer; more than basic room and board, travel expenses away from the expedition)
4) personal advance medical preparation (immunizations, malaria pills)
5) transport to/from Chicago (my apartment is available for crashing for those that will travel here before and after the expedition)
Personnel & Team Lists
6
Personnel
Chicago
1 Allison
Beck
2 David Blackburn
3 Jack Conrad
4 Eric Duneman
5
Grant Geissler
6
Hans Larsson
7
Gabrielle Lyon
8
Rudyard Sadleir
9
Paul Sereno
10 Christian
Sidor
USA
11 Gregory
Wilson (Berkeley, CA)
Europe
12 Moussa Bourahima
(Dijon)
13 Didier Dutheil
(Paris)
Team Lists
Advance Team
(8)
1 Moussa Bourahima
2 Eric Duneman
3 Didier Dutheil
4 Hans Larsson
5 Gabrielle
Lyon
6 Paul Sereno
7 Christian
Sidor
8 Gregory Wilson
Support Team
(5)
1 Allison Beck
2 David Blackburn
3 Jack Conrad
4 Grant Geissler
5 Rudyard Sadleir
First Departures
(7)
1 Allison Beck
2 David Blackburn
3 Jack Conrad
4 Grant Geissler
5 Hans Larsson
6 Rudyard Sadleir
7 Christian Sidor
Terminators
(6)
1 Moussa Bourahima
2 Eric Duneman
3 Didier Dutheil
4 Gabrielle
Lyon
5 Paul Sereno
6 Gregory Wilson
Personal Documents, Gear & Sundries
7
Documents
1) Valid driver's license and AAA International Driver's License (for all potential drivers—312.372.1818—100 W. Randolph)
2) Passport and 4 extra passport photos.
3) Photocopy of passport, driver's license and AAA International Driver's License, WHO card, health insurance, prescriptions (medical,
eyeglasses, etc).
4) Vaccination certificate (i.e., yellow fever in passport)
Money
1) Might be good to pick up some French francs (fixed exchange with CFA, the currency in Niger)
2) Traveler’s checks are not so useful in Africa (and I won't accept them either!)
3) U.S. dollars (enough for souvenirs, special foods, sundries etc.)
Vaccinations/pills
1) Yellow Fever
Polio Booster
Diphtheria Tetanus
Hepatitis B (optional)
2) Meningococcus (optional)
Typhoid (oral)
3) Hepatitis A (1 week before leaving)
Malaria
Personal Gear
¨ personal tent, 2-person (with substantial stakes; the longer the better)
¨ sleeping pad
¨ sleeping bag
¨ small rugged backpack (for day use—few zippers, they won’t last)
¨ compass
¨ flashlight & holder or headlamp (extra batteries & bulbs)
¨ knife
¨ field notebooks, journals
¨ writing utensils
¨
camera & film (& extra batteries)
¨ a bag for film that is sand proof
¨ water bottles (at least 2 liters total)
¨ pocket French dictionary
¨ safety whistle
¨ eyepiece magnifier (optional)
¨ rock hammer (optional)
Clothing
¨ sun hat & bandana
¨ warm jacket for cold nights & mornings (fleece or down; warm hat)
¨ long pants (at least 2) (1 pair should be good enough to meet with officials etc—the ladies could opt for a long skirt)
¨ shorts (2 pair)
¨ light long-sleeved flannel shirt (2)
¨ T-shirts (many)
¨ one decent shirt
¨ one pair rugged field boots (break them in)
¨ camp shoes/sandals
¨ socks (many pairs)—bring liner socks also
¨ underwear
¨ bras
¨ towel
¨ belt
Miscellaneous
¨ sunglasses (2-3 cheap pair)
¨ sunscreen & chapstick (spf 15 or greater)
¨ alarm clock or watch alarm
¨ personal toiletries
¨ personal medications, vitamins, lotions
¨ extra eyeglasses (contacts not recommended)
¨ personal documents/valuables (document holder/carrier so they’re all in one place)
¨ books/tapes/toys etc.
¨ small gifts or mimentos
¨ ziplocks (lots) or other type of containers to store dust-sensitive things (cameras, eyeglasses, etc)
¨ shoe goo/barge cement
¨ insect repellent (optional)
¨ sewing kit
¨ extra batteries for any electronics the ones in Niger are no good, they often leak and will destroy your radio/gps etc
¨ 2 large soft duffels, preferably with combination padlocks
Comments
1) General--All personal gear should fit into 2 large soft duffel bags. We plan to load these into a cargo container that will leave with expedition supplies on July 1. Almost all of your things should be in those two bags, except your documents and other small personal gear. Remember, do not try to take as a carry-on a geologic hammer or other sharp tools--these will be confiscated. These items should all be in your bags in the container. Make sure you buy everything by mid June and pack it by June 20 so that we can load it into the container on time. Then we need only worry about carry-ons (and maybe some last-minute things) on the flights to Niamey. Pack as light as possible but be sure to bring enough warm clothes for the cooler nights. If you plan to bring anything electronic or otherwize unusual, let Eric or me know so we are not surprised at a police check. Anything that needs to be protected from dust should be packed in a ziplock, camera case, or water-proof bag.
2) Documents--Make sure these documents are in order. Photocopies of all items is a good idea.
3) Money--Best not to carry large quantities of money. Best to arrive with French francs, which in Niger can be converted to the local currency, CFA, on the street or in shops. Keep your currency simple, as you must list it upon entering African countries. Undoubtedly, you will want to purchase local jewelry and crafts. I would recommend that you carry a majority of your money in a money pouch or other concealable bag or belt. And it might simplify your return trip by having some US dollars in your stash to get transport back to your place after arriving in the airport.
4) Vaccinations/pills--Make sure you have appropriate medical vaccinations. The major vaccinations are good for more than one year, thus, those who began their vaccinations in 1999 will have no problem in 2000. Mefloquine pills, for example, are good for several years. We will have good medical kits in camp and in every vehicle. If you have not already done so, please inform me of your blood type. Should an accident occur, we will have the capability for blood transfusion with our own personnel equipment and needles. Wild animals are essentially non-existent in the field. However, do not pet the camels. The most common nuisances will be scorpions and tics. In this regard, boots and long pants are probably preferable.
5) Equipment--Do not bring your own short-wave radios, as these may be confiscated at checkpoints. Such equipment may be viewed as having potential military value to you or someone else. A small, two-man dome tent is probably preferable. You must limit your luggage limited to two large, soft-case bags (including clothing, tent, sleeping bag and sundries, putting a padlock on these is not a bad idea). We must travel in large groups in small vehicles--do not exceed these limits. Sleeping bags need not be for extreme cold, as the temperature will not reach freezing (although it might come close!). Keep in mind not to attempt to carry onto the airplane personal equipment, such as a geology hammer, knives, etc., as these will be confiscated at the airport before departure. If you bring camera equipment, be prepared to risk damage (from sand or dust) or loss (always a potential of theft despite the locked boxes that we will have in camp). Keep your camera equipment wrapped in zip-lock plastic bags.
6) Clothes--In general, you will want to protect yourself from the sun, despite considerable dry heat. This may mean that some of you will prefer long-sleeved shirts. Keep in mind that short pants are not the custom in West Africa, so it would be better to wear long pants and at least a short-sleeved shirt or T-shirt (rather than a tank top) when traveling to an oasis or other native community. For comfort's sake, make sure clothing is 100% cotton or other natural fiber. Bring enough changes because washing will be limited in the field due to limited water. Clothes washing will most likely occur every two weeks at the hotel in Agadez. Finally, keep in mind that we will be returning to Chicago in late November/early December. In this regard, I would bring a down vest and sweater and build up a few layers which will help keep you warm as the nights get cooler in the desert. We have always managed to experience the full range on each expedition, from 40° -130° F.
7) Sundries--Bring enough lip balm and other comforts so that you do not depend on someone else’s supplies. Sunglasses (several pairs) with UV protection are a must to avoid eye damage. Lotion with SP protection of 15 or more is best to avoid adverse reaction to sun and heat. Leave any extra ID’s, credit cards, or office keys at home. Bring only what you’ll need to get back inside your apartment.
8) Photography--In many African countries, photography is forbidden near "sensitive" areas, which include airports, government buildings & offices, radio or TV stations, mining or industrial locales, train lines or transportation hubs, any building or area run by or staffed by military or police, sometimes even open public areas such as markets. Use your best judgement or ask if there is someone nearby.