Lonesome George

I just got word that Lonesome George, the last remaining Pinta tortoise, has died. You can read the full story here. I feel much sadder about his death than I had expected to. After all, we have been working on finding replacements for the Pinta tortoise. But the extinction is so final - after so many decades of work by so many people, it happened anyway. George died without leaving any offspring, and now the Pinta lineage is gone. I have always felt honored to work on George's island. Now I feel a responsibility, a burden, settling onto my shoulders that before was only abstract. Extinctions really are forever, and we must do all that we can to stop them. And all the effort that went into saving the Pinta tortoise makes it even scarier. Many species go extinct with little notice or there are too few resources to do anything to help them before it's too late. I hope George's death will be a lesson, that he will be an even greater and more powerful icon in death than he was in life. George on Pinta in 1972 (taken by Ole Hamann).

Video and news

Here's a link to a video that ESF's PR department put together from footage that we took of the field season last summer.

I'll be defending my MS thesis on the Pinta work in just a few short weeks. I've tremendously enjoyed the writing process (unlike any other time I've had to write something!). It's been so gratifying to see all of our hard work come together into these documents, these stories.

Amazingly, I get to go to the Galapagos again this summer. The Galapagos Conservancy and the Galapagos National Park have been planning for a few years a "tortoise summit" in which to gather together scientists and managers who have knowledge or interests in the conservation of giant tortoises in the Galapagos to decide how to approach giant tortoise conservation in the next 10 years. I am very honored to be invited and excited to share what I have learned about how tortoises can be used as ecosystem restoration tools. I'm excited to go back, too, of course. Though it's not Pinta, the bustling harbor town of Puerto Ayora still has its little corner with giant tortoises, and I yearn to see them again.

Phew

We returned back to the US on Monday, and since then it has been a bit of a whirlwind for me preparing for my next adventure...Siberia! I won't go into the details here but it's a conservation project for the argali sheep (largest sheep in the world, I only work with the largest) and will involve hiking through mountain wilderness for 3 weeks. I leave on Monday. Become a conservation biologist and see the world, kids.

My shift back into normal US life was much easier this time than last, but maybe that's because I knew another wild place was right on the horizon.

I meant to post some Pinta pictures (courtesy of the crew) before I left, but in all the hecticness of packing, my computer with photos is now inaccessible. Will post when I return.

Do svidanya! (Or something like that...)

Back!

We arrived back to Santa Cruz last night! All the noise and sights and people are overwhelming, but I think I adequately prepared myself for it this time. The strangest thing is speaking Spanish to someone other than Daniel - I have learned a lot from him, but it doesnt translate as well with other people!

Just a few days here on Santa Cruz putting things away and preparing samples for departure and then we return to the US.

I think we are all tired, but I woke up last night with my legs aching from lack of use. They needed a break, but only a couple of days apparently!

Waiting

Waiting for the boat is somewhat agonizing, unsure of when to say goodbye. It is wrenching to leave this time, not knowing if ill ever come back. I hope so!

Goodbye Pinta!

Last day of fieldwork today, teared up saying goodbye to all my favorite places. Tomorrow de-seed clean and pack then wait for the boat which could come 18-20.

Adios!

We are taking radios off all the tortoises we can. Soon the airwaves above pinta will be silent, the tortoises roaming hidden in the landscape.

Countdown

We only have a week left on pinta! I can't believe how quickly the time went. my legs and feet want to leave but the rest wants to stay. maybe that can be arranged

A Change in the Weather

The rain and wetness has abated the last couple of mornings, giving our feet a break. Boots are nearing their ragged ends, though.

A memorable day

Hiked to the western cliffs today - spectacular. Pinta's raw and unbounded beauty never ceases to astound. I hope those cliffs are burned into my memory.

Behavior

We have seen a couple of interactions between tortoises - males mounting other males. The females will have no part of it.

Ouch

One of the harder days ive had on pinta today. J & I went to the far northwest corner to map cactus and it was very thick, mean vegetation. Sleep well tonight.

Halfway Day

We are halfway done now and im feeling pretty good about data collection. Mapping lots of cacti and our observations of torts will be very useful for modeling.

Some Relaxing

A good day off: washing clothes, entering data, and helping john to build a sweet solar power station that will protect it from the coming rain.

Resupply

The boat comes next week to resupply our water, plenty of food this time. It's a relief not to have to worry and to go to bed with a full belly each night!

tortoises impacts 2011

Just to follow up on Elizabeth's comments about tortoises having large impacts in the small areas into which they settle ... here is an example. We spotted this site on the way up the volcano on the first day in the field on a trip up to scan the airwaves for tortoises. Clearly tortoises impact the vegetation in significant ways. Obviously an island-wide effect will require more tortoises but so far so good. - James

Wilman

Wilman continues to hang around. We leave him cactus offerings in the hopes that he wont destroy our camp with his wanderings. So far he is appeased.

Vegetation changes

From the tortoises we have so far been able to find, it seems that they are settling into home ranges with substantial impact to vegetation in small areas.

Messages

The satellite texter seems to be working well, except that many of our parents have not responded to our messages. Moms and dads, check your spam folders for a message from GeoPro!

Dolphins

There are hundreds of dolphins right off our beach! Must be a big school of fish as they have been here a couple of hours, jumping and splashing.