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... cont'd
Marandet
The people who live
near the Falaise de Tiguidi, a long cliff
arcing across the middle of the country,
aknow the territory well. They know each
wadi, or dry drainage, each pasture and
every major hill. They have named them.
They have known for a long time about the
bones of giants preserved in the earth.
During the two weeks
we spent in Marandet we worked closely with
locals from Marandet and nomads in the surrounding
areas, who find sites primarily while they
are shepherding their flocks of sheep, goats,
and camels. Local people are always important
as guides; they know things like where the
good water is, and how to find a good route
across terrain where there are no roads.
Our work with the people of Marandet, however,
has taken on an added dimension.
Typical houses
in Marandet - on the left, the "knotted"
thatched hut popular with nomads; on the
right a house made of mud bricks similar
to those used in the Southwestern U.S.
Here in Marandet the
potential for eco-tourism is high - as is
the potential for poachers and black-market
fossil trade. People living in areas with
fossils, ultimately, are the the ones who
will protect the fossils over the long run.
A big part of our work in this area involves
training local people and laying the groundwork
for a conservation and tourism plan.
Not only did we give
a crash-course in paleontology to two men
who have been nominated by the town to work
with us, we developed a number of sites
with tourists in mind - places where visitors
can come with guides from nearby towns or
villages and see dinosaur bones in the ground.
A short drive
from Marandet, the team created a 10-stop
dinosaur park, where visitors can walkwith
guides among huge bones,
(as seen here in map view)..
We also prepared a guide,
in French and English, that includes a description
of what the ancient environment was like,
a map of sites in the area, a survey report
about the fossils, and a statement about
the importance of these fossils to the history
of dinosaur evolution. These materials,
along with photographs, a forelimb of Jobaria
prepared for display, and some books and
scientific papers, were donated to the school.
The right humerus
of the giant long-necked dinosaur Jobaria
rests in a plaster holder, a new exhibit
in the schoolroom-turned-museum in the village
of Marandet.
Our presentation of
many boxes of pens, notebooks and school
supplies was warmly received - most especially
by the school director and students. Meanwhile,
our team doctor, Tim Lyman, has had a never-ending
stream of patients.
All of these activities
are helping us to get to know the people
of the area -and helping them to get to
know us and the importance of the fossils
that abound here.
After
the expedition donates some much-needed
school supplies to the town, Gabrielle,
school director Houcho, and some of
the Marandet school students stand outside
the school house for a photo.
Looking Ahead
to Camp 4
We are now on the verge
of relocating to InAbangharit and Camp 4
- a move forward in time nearly 35 million
years into the Cenomanian. Our team worked
90-million year old beds in Morocco in 1995.
That expedition, one of our most physically
difficult, resulted in the discovery of
the lithe predator Deltadromeus ("the
delta runner") and Africa's answer to T-Rex,
the skull of an enormous predator called
Carcharodontosaurus (the "shark-toothed
reptile").
The beds in Morocco,
along a rough and steep cliff edge, produced
primarily isolated, and often very rolled
bone. Well-preserved fossils in the high-energy
environment of the ancient delta and its
rivers were hard to come by. We were thrilled
to leave the field with "big" discoveries.
But now, with Camp 4
in sight, there exists an enormous opportunity
to open the doors wider on this time period
- to repopulate this time period with its
ancient fauna - and, to make the last great
discoveries of the field season.
Working the
late shift at home base in Agadez,
the team unloads jackets collected at Camp
3.
Gabrielle
Lyon
Team Member, 2000 Expedition to Niger.
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