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| Nikumaroro: one of the most remote islands on earth. 2015 image by Janis Carty |
Here’s the plan in a
nutshell. Last year’s Niku VIII expedition (See https://TIGHAR.org),
while it met all but its deep-water objectives, didn’t bring back the “smoking
gun” evidence of Earhart’s plane on the reef that it was mostly designed to
seek. However, the coordinated and cooperative Betchart Expeditions visit (4
days on island) uncovered some provocative possibilities and was thoroughly
enjoyed by its participants. So we’re planning the 2017 visit with about twice
as much time (8 days) on-island as we had this year. Right now the research
agenda is as follows – always, of course, subject to revision as things
develop.
1. Deepwater
search: Despite the
disappointing results of the 2010, 2012, and 2015 deepwater probes, which
resulted substantially from equipment glitches, we want to take another stab at
robotic scans of the deep reef, both adjacent to the hypothesized landing site
off Nutiran and elsewhere, including off the Seven Site (where many have urged
us for years to search). Walt Holm and his colleagues at Open ROV (http://www.openrov.com/) have ROVs that we think will do the job, and
as a bonus be controllable from the expedition ship, where everyone aboard can
see what the ROVs see, in real time on screen. Personally, I continue to be
dubious about whether the plane (which I do think is probably down
there) can be found, at least via imaging in the visible spectrum, but given
the snafus of the last three expeditions, we haven’t given the matter a fair
test. I think that Walt, John Clauss, and Open ROV can give it that test.
2. Diver-depth
search: There’s been a lot of
SCUBA searching on the reef, but there’s also a lot of reef to cover, and
things change all the time. Plus, it’s a helluva nice reef to explore. We’re
planning a substantial program of SCUBA and snorkel diving, and use of a large
glass-bottomed boat to get a serious overview of what may be down there.
3. The
“cairn” on the northwest cape: In 2015, Bob Draper of Cotati, California – on the last day of
the visit, naturally – found an odd concentration of rocks on the northwest
cape, just outside the area that Gary Quigg and his team had searched
intensively a few days before as part of Niku VIII. It’s probably just a
concentration of rocks, but it’s about the right size and shape to mark an
impromptu grave, and it’s close enough to where Art Carty has convincingly
argued that Earhart and Noonan should have camped (“Camp Zero”) and where Noonan
may have died, that it’s worth a close check. Assuming permission by the
Kiribati government and with strict archaeological controls, we figure to
section the cluster and excavate under about half of it to see if it covers a
grave.
4. The
“Big Ren” vicinity: As most faithful
readers of this blog know, in 1940 human bones were found by the Nikumaroro colonists
under a “ren” (Tournefortia sp.) tree
on the southeast end of the island. We think the discovery site was what we now
call the Seven Site, where we’ve found substantial evidence of someone foreign
and probably female having camped. There are several ren trees on the site, one
of which – we call it the Big Ren – appears to have been there in 1940 (to
judge from aerial photos). This year, Dawn Johnson took samples from its
vicinity and – back in California – exposed them to the trained noses of
forensic dogs from the Institute for Canine Forensics (http://www.hhrdd.org/index.htm). The dogs alerted on two of the samples, whose
location coincide with the place where in 2010 we found a “finger” bone[1] that turned out to have
too little DNA to sequence. So we plan to clear the Scaevola off this location
and simply sit a lot of people down to scan the coral rubble that makes up the
site, exposing any suspect object to ultraviolet light (in which bones and
teeth fluoresce) and collecting (with strict controls) any likely bones or
teeth.
5. The
village: The colonial village at
Ritiati has consistently produced fragments of aircraft aluminum, probably
collected by the residents for use in handicrafts. We plan to select one or
more home sites in the village, clear the coconuts and fronds off it, and give
it a good hard look. We’ll also be trying to sort out what some strange
dry-laid coral structures are; we’ve referred to them (based on unsubstantiated
guesswork) as “pigpens,” but Kiribati experts Aana Bureteiti, Nina Jacob, Frank
Thomas, and Jaimie Bach, all on this year’s visit, are sure they’re not – but
couldn’t say what they are.
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| On the beach at "Club Fred." 2015 image by Janis Carty |
The
“Shoe” or “Bivouac” Site:
The site where the late Eric Bevington reported seeing signs of someone’s
“overnight bivouac” in late 1937, and where TIGHAR found the remains of a man’s
and a woman’s shoes in 1991, was more thoroughly investigated in 1997 with few
results, but Kenton Spading insisted that we hadn’t really given it a fair
look, and his criticisms have haunted me ever since. So we’d like to give it a
detailed inspection.
7. Other
places: We’ve learned to
respect serendipity on Nikumaroro; things usually pop up where you don’t expect
them, when you’re not looking for them. So we want to provide as many
opportunities as possible (within limits of safety and respect for the island
environment) for people simply to explore the island on foot and by kayak. You
never know…
I’m responsible for
organizing the necessary fundraising, and for overseeing the operation. Betchart
Expeditions will make and oversee travel/ship charter arrangements. Our team
will train and work with the rest of Betchart’s passengers in carrying out our
research. We'll put on a "field school" for passengers aboard ship en
route to the island, emphasizing ethical treatment of the island and its
resources; those who want to take part in our work on the island will have to
take the field school.
The overall cost to each
passenger for the whole trip, including discounted round-trip airfare between Fiji and Los Angeles, is about $11,000[2]; I should add that
Betchart has moved heaven and earth to get us a good deal, and travel to such a
remote part of the world IS expensive.
If you are able and
willing to pay the above amount, welcome aboard! Please contact Betchart
Expeditions to make arrangements.
But a lot of us can’t
afford that kind of investment, so I’m trying to raise about $200,000[3], to cover the costs of
conveying fifteen (15) experienced TIGHARs and selected specialists to and from
the island. Tax-deductible contributions can be made to TIGHAR, which will hold
the funds separate from its other accounts. I’m soliciting any and all ideas
about fundraising, and am available to deliver an illustrated talk on the
Earhart mystery, the Niku Hypothesis, and the 2017 plans, to any group that
would like to give me the opportunity and let me solicit some support.
Do you have ideas about
fundraising or project planning? Questions? Objections? Please let me know, at tomking106@gmail.com. For information on the cruise, and to make
reservations, visit http://betchartexpeditions.com/.
And of course for information on the overall research program, visit https://tighar.org/.
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| Dolphins off the Seven Site. 2015 image by Janis Carty |
