Human Origins at Olduvai Gorge

  Tanzania

Arusha

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: 2008: May 30 - Jun 12, Aug 29 - Sep 11, Sep 12 - Sep 25

Description: Research Mission
Unearth the origins of humans at this world-renowned site.

Situation Report
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania - Our modern understanding of human evolution began with finds by Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey in this rugged gorge, where faulting and erosion have laid bare 100 meters of sediment spanning two million years. Now, however, the erosion that led to the Leakeys' brilliant discoveries threatens to obliterate the remaining record of hominid prehistory. Exacerbated by El Niño conditions, seasonal rains are washing emerging fossils into the river so fast that archaeologists cannot keep pace. To meet the challenge, you can help Dr. Fidelis Masao, Dr. Jackson Njau (National Natural History Museum), and Chediel Msuya (Tanzania Department of Antiquities) recover as much as possible from the 1.75-million-year-old "DK" site, which yields choppers and scrapers from humankind's oldest stone technology.

Meals and Accommodations
You will stay in the same camp that Louis and Mary Leakey used when making their discoveries, sleeping in your own sleeping bag and tent. You will quite likely see giraffes and elephants near the camp, which provides an outhouse and cold bucket baths or solar showers for your basic comforts. You will enjoy tasty meals prepared by an experienced cook whose father cooked for the Leakeys, including homemade bread, chapatis, rice, ugali (maize porridge), and pasta with various meats and vegetables and plentiful tropical fruits. The soups alone are worth the trip to Olduvai!

Highlights: On the Expedition
Following in the Leakeys' footsteps to work in this legendary, arid gorge, you will help survey for evidence of hominid activity and dig 4 x 2 meter trenches and sieve dirt for smaller artifacts and fossils. You may work where earlier Earthwatch teams found two hominid teeth and a skull fragment, or excavate and conserve a complete, million-year-old elephant fossil. You will wash, sort, record, and carefully wrap your finds for the bone-jarring drive back to the National Natural History Museum in Arusha. You will work alongside local Maasai field assistants, and have opportunities to visit their bomas (villages). At the southern end of the Serengeti Plain, Olduvai is less than an hour away from the Ngorongoro Crater and harbors abundant wildlife as well, including giraffes, elephants, antelopes, hyenas, and more.

Qualifications: Earthwatch volunteers are enthusiastic to learn about the research topic and are willing to contribute their time and energy to support leading scientists in conducting field research. Volunteers will be trained upon arrival at the research site. Teams have a minimum age of 18, unless accompanied by parent or legal guardian, in which case the minimum age is 16.

Cost in US$: 2,846

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Earthwatch expeditions appeal to a variety of people: educators gain new knowledge and develop exciting lesson plans; students explore career options and build research skills; writers, photographers and artists contribute their skills and share their experiences through a variety of media; businessmen and women, doctors and nurses, engineers, homemakers, retirees . . . people from all walks of life choose to volunteer on research expeditions each year. Volunteers are actively engaged on a daily basis with the research project, develop global perspectives, and explore new cultures and environments.

Age Range: 18 - 90

This Program is open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Tanzania Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 8-14

Application Process Involves:

• Other
• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Written Application

Earthwatch Institute's Mission Statement: Earthwatch Institute engages people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Through a unique method of funding, the volunteers Share of Cost contributes directly to the support of the research projects. Earthwatch enables scientists to pursue research goals and members of the public to gain hands-on experience with science. Each year, over 4,000 people from 46 countries directly contribute to scientific research by working alongside scientists, local community members and other volunteers. Earthwatch volunteers can track sea turtles; join archaeological digs; observe animal behavior; collect rare plants, study dolphin behavior and more. Hundreds of expedition teams can use your help in 48 countries and 16 U.S. states this year.

Year Founded: 1971