Support for the Triassic Research in Ischigualasto www.ischigualasto.org

["Rodolfo Lomascolo" <r.lomascolo@mail.ips.es>]

Dear Friend,

Ischigualasto, in San Juan Argentina, is home of some of the oldest
dinosaurs found, like Eoraptor, Herrerasaurus and Pisanosaurus.

As you may know, Argentina is experiencing a prolonged economic crisis
that is severely restricting the budget and operations of the Museum in
San Juan. There is great concern, because thc scientific mission and
very existence of the Museum are threatened. It is important to note in
this regard that field work in lschigualasto is supported chiefly by
volunteers, whereas operation of the Muscum is supported normally (but
thinly) by the University. Support from the University has essentially
stopped over the past few months. If the Museum were fórced to close and
disband, the loss would be both local and international. San Juan wouid
lose an important cultural asset, and scientitic research of great merit
on the Triassic world would be truncated or indefinitely postponed. It
is possible that expeditions to Ischigualasto would stop.

Oscar Alcober (Curator), Ricardo Martinez and the small staff of
enthusiastic students and technicians have had astonishing success
overthe past years in turning the empty shell of an old railway station
into a real museum and in expanding its scientific mission ? all on shoe
string budgets. Witness the fact that the Museum?s new, modern
preparation lab, which opened last Fail, was built by the unpaid labor
of the students and technicians, who had funds only for materials. They
now have a web site to promote their activities and obtain help, mainly
by volunteers interested in participate in future expeditions. This work
is world class stuff. The Museum?s intrepid staff need support from
outside sources to guarantee the continuing operation of this worthy
institution.

I have been a volunteer in Ischiguaiasto in the past and hope will be
again in the future .The field experience has made me appreciate both
the important scientific work of "El Museo de Ciencias Naturales de San
Juan" and the worthy contributions of the troops of volunteers, among
whom I value many friends. 

Perhaps as a former Ischigualasto volunteer I think of myself as
alumni/alumnae of lschigualasto and the Museum, a place and an
institution that taught us much and enriched our lives with memorable
experiences and to which we owe an allegiance. 

In the past months we have been developing the UNSJ Ischigualasto
website (http://www.ischigualasto.org), always under the guidance of
Oscar Alcober and Ricardo Martinez.

At this moment the spanish website is almost done and we are working on
the english translation of the site. 

Even if the site has information about "Triassic Paleontology" the final
objective is to capture more volunteers and sponsors exposing the site
to as many people as we can.
It is important to notice that volunteers contributed to the most
important findings in the last years and provide funds for field work.

The only we ask you to do to support our initiative is to add a link
from your website or webpage, if you have one, to our new website
(spanish/english) http://www.ischigualasto.org and our banner that you
can locate at 

www.ischigualasto.org/spanish/defaultayudenos.htm. 

You can also find there a description the scientific activities
developped at the museum and the field.

I do hope you will help in this important and worthy effort visiting our
site and helping us give it visibility.

Sincerely,

Rodolfo Lomascolo Szittyay

Ischigualasto volunteer and webmaster of www.ischigualasto.org

P.S. Questions and comments can be addressed to me:
r.lomascolo@mail.ips.es. If you have any other supporting idea, you can
share it with me or the members of the Museum of San Juan.

Sorry if this message is off-topic, but I think that many of us can
contribute to this important job.

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* Rodolfo Lomascolo Szittyay                        *
* mailto: r.lomascolo@mail.ips.es                   *
* IPS http://www.ips.es                             *
* ipsCA http://www.ipsca.com                        *
* Madrid-Spain                                      *
* Teléfono: 91.640.20.52 / 609.30.25.13             *
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