THE LATE 2 CLIFTON CHENT px N @A¥ UOLanatasuog Rg the Field the Bulletin of The Field Museurn A great season of The Field Museum programs for Muse- Exploring um members, The Earth And Its including Members’ People Night on May 3. 10 The Chicago region is home to pockets of astounding bio- diversity, which must be protected. -3 A complete schedule of March/April events, including special programs for Earth Day March/Aprii 1996 CONVERSATIONS ON CULTURE & DIVERSITY The Museum's “Races of Man” sculptures by Malvina Hoffman serve as grist for Nuveen Forum discussions of how we think about race, from perspectives of anthropolo- gy, biology, culture, and art. Article, Page 4 PRE-COLUMBIAN MUMMIES FOUND IN PERUVIAN CAVE By Charles Stanish Department of Anthropology or more than eight years, my col- leagues and I have been conduct- ing archaeological research in the Titicaca Basin in southern Peru and Bolivia. The research program, known as the Lupaga Project, is run by Edmundo de la Vega and Cecilia Chayez, two former students who are now the resident codirectors. “Lupaqa” is the name of the prehispanic ethnic group that lived in the area in the 12th — 15th centuries. The Lupaga Project is a permanent research program that includes a house, laboratory, vehicles, and personnel. Last year, a dry cave was discovered by local landowners about two hours drive from the project house, The cave contained extraordinar- ily well preserved archaeological remains including intact mummy bundles, textiles, bas- ketry, pottery, and other offerings. Artifacts found in this cave indicated that it was at least 500 to 900 years old This cave contained the only preserved organic artifacts from the Lake Titicaca region discovered intact to date. In fact, up to this time, there were virtually no known textiles or bas- ketry from Titicaca basin archaeological sites. Unfortunately, at the time of discovery, the cave was being looted by grave robbers. Approxi- mately one-third of the mummy bundles had been illegally and unscientifically removed over the previous several months. However, there still remained approximate- ly 120 intact mummy bundles. The first notice we had of this discovery was through a televi- sion reporter, who brought the cave to the atten- tion of the local authorities. Given the urgency of the situation, Edmundo, Cecilia, and Kirk Frye, a doctoral student from the University of California at Santa Barbara working with the Lupaga Project, got together to save the remain- ing contents of the cave. ith a grant from the American Museum of Natural History and help from the office of the vice president for Academic Affairs at The Field Museum, the Lupaga Project, the National Institute of Culture, and the National Technical University of the Altiplano agreed to a binational effort to conduct rescue archaeolo- gy on the cave. The University provided a per- manent laboratory and supplies, while the Lupaqa Project and the Institute of Culture pro- vided funds and expertise. Together, more than 50 mummies, hundreds of pottery vessels, tex- Above, one of some fifty mummies recov- ered from the cave, in its burial sack. At left, a team member provides comparison for the size of the mummy, which is curled in the fetal position inside its basketry wrapping. Top left, some of the artifacts associated with the burial. Bot- tom left, local Aymara workers help prepare a dig at the cave site. tiles, leather, wood, and other objects were sci- entifically recovered from the surface of the cave. Our team discovered a new form of burial in which the mummy was wrapped with cane basket cordage. A rope was placed in the top, apparently to carry the mummy from place to place. During this period in the Titicaca Basin, many people were mobile Ilama and alpaca herders, which may explain this practice. After we collected the disturbed objects from the cave floor, we decided to seal the entrance with concrete and iron bars and obtain legal protection for the cave as a national archaeological site. We will study the materials already collected and then look for funds to con- tinue intensive excavations. Specifically, we plan to conduct studies of the DNA in the mum- mies to track ancient migrations. We will also study the bones for evidence of trauma and dis- ease. Specialists in textiles will compare the fragments from this cave with other textiles from the region. The material in this cave promises to be a tremendous resource for under- standing the lifeways of the people of the Titi- caca Basin in the 11th through 15th centuries. Photo by Mation Kaplan from Ancestral Passions: The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankina's Beginnings by V' Morell (Simon & Schuster, 1995) A younger Richard Leakey showed off two of his most important finds at Lake Turkana: Aus- tralopithecus boisei (left) and “Skull 1470,” 2.5 million years old and per- haps in the genus Homo. CONNECTING THE FIELD MUSEUM By Willard L. Boyd President, The Field Museum uring the past decade The Field Museum pursued a strategic plan known as Centennial Directions. That plan was designed to make the Museum more effective in serving its many publics. Now we have a new strategic plan entitled The Field Museum: Con- necting in Its Second Century. It challenges us to be at the forefront in public learning about environmental and cultural change, two of the foremost issues of our times and future times. This new plan recognizes that in a rapidly shrinking world, no species, human or other- wise, can flourish in isolation. In fact no institu- tion — no museum — can exist in isolation either, Culturally, biologically, and institutionally we are all part of larger habitats and communi- ties driven by interrelationships too funda- mental and too fragile to ignore. The guiding principle of our new strategic plan is to increase public understanding of the interconnections across cultures, within nature, and between peo- ple and their environment. To foster this interconnected approach we have created the Center for Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and the Center for Cul- tural Understanding and Change. These themat- ic centers serve as intellecutal rallying points for the entire Museum so that our substantive pur- pose unites us in all that we do. Let me give you an example of the basic challenge facing each center. Currently there is much environmental debate about the Endangered Species Act, and its emphasis on particular animals. The debate that pits spotted owls against loggers is over- simplified. In reality neither of these species functions in isolation, they inhabit a complex interconnected forest habitat. The spotted owl lives in trees which are nourished by an under- “ ground fungus system. | Spotted owls eat flying 7 squirrels which eat that 7 fungus. Without the fun- 7 gus, there will be no trees, 7 no. squirrels, no owls, no # loggers. Accordingly, our biologically oriented staff is examining environmen- tal habitat complexity. They will provide informa- 4 tion to the private and gov- |= ernment sectors so that #3 sustainable development | can take place which makes ; long-term economic and ; environmental sense. Interconnections are also key to the future of anthropol- ogy. Historically, cultural anthropology — ethnography — has been the study of groups of people living separately in isolated societies deemed to be mono-cultural. Today, only a small portion of the world’s pop- RICHARD LEAKEY TO RECEIVE AWARD OF MERIT ichard Leakey, the celebrated discoy- erer of some of our earliest ancestors, will receive the Founders’ Council ward of Merit in ceremonies on April 25. The award is given from time to time in recognition of outstanding achievement in bringing issues of biodiversity to popular atten- tion. Leakey has traveled abroad from his native Kenya annually, lecturing to large audiences on human evolution and wildlife conservation; he will give a public lecture at the Museum on April 27 (see page 7 for details). Leakey and his wife, Maeve, are the second generation of what has been called “the first family of paleoanthropology.” He is the son of Louis and Mary Leakey, who gained worldwide fame with their discoveries of fossil hominids at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. For nearly thirty years Richard Leakey’s fossil hunting has con- centrated on Lake Turkana in Kenya, where he and his team found two- to three-million-year- old fossils which suggest that perhaps three proto-human species lived in the area at the same time. While Richard Leakey has largely given up fossil-hunting in recent years — he lost both legs in an airplane accident — just last summer Maeve Leakey announced the discoy- ery of Australopithecus anamensis, a fout-mil- lion-year old creature that may have been ancestral to A. afarensis, the “Lucy” species of hominids that lived several hundred thousand years later. In 1968, Richard Leakey was named direc- tor of the National Museums of Kenya and over the next two decades developed it into an inter- national research center for prehistory and pale- ontology. In 1989 he was appointed director of the Kenya Wildlife Service and successfully lobbied the interna- tional community to ban the importation of ivory and rhinoc- eros horn as the surest way to save the elephant and rhinoc- in March/April 1996 eros from extinction. Vol. 67, No. 2 In 1994, he left the Wildlife Service Editor: to join other Kenyans Ron Dorfman in forming an opposi- —_Art Director: tion political party, Shi Yung Safina, and became chief coordinator of the Inter-Parties Sec- the Field ulation lives separately. Most people live together in multi-cultural urban environments like Chicago. Nowadays people are inextricably interconnected locally and internationally through overlapping communities of resi- dence, family, work, and ; education. | Increasingly, we must _ recognize heterogeneity and homo-geneity with- ; in and across cultural boundaries. Our ability to live together in , Chicago, trade with the » world, and grasp the | nature of conflicts in ; Yugoslavia and else- i where will be ) enhanced by studying ) cross-cultural con- » nections, differences, and commonalities. ] Like the enyiron- / mental and cultural © habitats we study, , the Museum itself is | part of a larger habi- ™ tat. We must con- nect responsibly with the community we serve. We must build on our tradition of networking in Chicago. For exam- ple, our connection with the University of Chicago through the Committee on Evolution- ary Biology has been responsible for C.E.B. and related programs being ranked, along with Stan- | ford’s, as the very best graduate programs in the nation. More recently, the Illinois Board of Higher Education granted the University of Ili- nois at Chicago authority to award the Ph.D in anthropology because of its connection with The Field Museum. Weare working with Chica- go State University to identify young Chicagoans with scientific potential. For over one hundred years we have set the national example for museum collaboration with schools. More recently we have developed extensive programs in Chicago’s parks and communities. We believe that we can be at the forefront of our kind of museum by taking an intercon- nected approach to the issues of the environ- ment and culture. To do so we must be connected closely to our community. Through you, our members, we can connect successfully with our community in advancing public under- standing of environmental and cultural change. If you would like a copy of the new strategic plan, please call Carolyn Klyce at (312) 322- 8876. In the Field (ISSN #1051-4546) is published bimonthly by The Field Museum, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago IL 60605-2496. Copyright © 1996 The Field Museum. Subscriptions $6.00 annually, $3.00 for schools. Muse- um membership includes In the Field subscription, Opinions expressed by authors are their own and do not neces- sarily reflect policy of The Field Museum. Museum phone (312) 922-9410, Notification of address change should include address label and should be sent to Membership Department. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to In the Field, The Field Museum, Roosevelt Rd. at Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, |L 60605-2496. Second class postage paid at Chicago, Illinois. retariat. UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS Diane Alexander White / A000000, Cat. No. 242779 GIFTS TO THE COLLECTIONS eborah Stokes Hammer and her hus- band, Dr. Jeffrey Hammer, traveled extensively throughout Southwest Nigeria during the late 1970s and early 1980s, compiling a comprehensive photo- graphic mdex of Yoruba artists and artistic styles. The Yoruba are a unique society in that they MEMBERS’ WINE TASTING SERIES: THE GREAT REDS nhance your enjoyment of wine when you join us for the second in a series of wine tastings led by Mary Ross, director of The Wine Academy of the North Shore and a nationally recognized authority on wine and food. On Wednesday, March 27, we'll taste three wines made from the world’s greatest red grape varieties — silky Pinot Noir, muscular Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah you can cut not only have the highest twin birth rate in the world but they have also developed a cultural tradition to honor twins, or /beji. The twin fig- ure, ere ibeji, is carved from wood upon the death of a twin and is kept by the mother in a shrine as a repository for the deceased twin’s spirit, The Hammers’ study of thousands of ere tbedi reveals critical information about the Yoruba culture and belief system, and their diversity and individuality. A very fine collec- tion of iheji from the Hammers’ collection was donated to The Field Museum. Last year, along with collectors Drs. James and Gladys Strain of New York and Ron Ziskin and Diane Wedner of California, the Hammers donated a group of magnificent Yoruba bead- work to The Field Museum, Bead embroidery in Yorubaland was exclusively created for the chiefs and kings, often by the same renowned carving families. The Hammers’ donation of Yoruba and other West African art and ethnographic objects span two decades, making them the largest benefactors to the Museum’s African collection since the donation of the Fuller Collection of Benin and other African material by Captain A. W. F. Fuller’s widow, Estelle, in the 1960s. é nother magnificent object, a roof finial from the Middle Sepik River of Papua New Guinea, was recently donated to the Museum in memory of Muriel Savage by her son, Robert. Mrs. Savage, a long-time mem- ber of the Museum’s Women’s Board, acquired the piece around 1980 in the village of Yenchen. She died in May 1992; her bequests included the donation of an important collection of New Guinea materials to The Field Museum. John Weinstein / GN87649.7c from its classic homeland. Left, a roof finial from Papua-New Guinea donated in memory of Muriel Savage. Center, Deb- orah Stokes Hammer views the collection of Yoruba beadwork she and her husband donated to the Muse- um. With her are curator Chap Kusim- ba (left) and curator emeritus Phillip Lewis. with a knife, one example produced in America and the other Paid reservations are required. Tickets are $20 for mem- bers and $25 for guests. Charge by phone at (312) 922-9410, ext. 453. or mail checks to: Membership Department, The Field Museum, Roosevelt Rd. at Lake Shore Dr., Chicago IL 60605. UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS SECOND ASIAN CERAMICS CONFERENCE A private collection of Chinese wares in Manila he relationships between the forms of Asian ceramics and their functions in different Asian cultures will be explored during the Museum’s sec- ond Asian Ceramics Conference May 24-26, co-sponsored with the Asian Ceramics Research Organization (ACRO). Lecturers include schol- ars and collectors from China, Thailand, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, the Philippines, the Netherlands, and the U.S. Shinichi Fukagawa of the Koransha Corp. will give an informal Jun- cheon talk on modern Japanese ceramic design. Ceramics, because they are more durable than most other objects of daily life, are crucial to the study of both historic and prehistoric cul- tures. The conference will address three themes relating to the uses of ceramic objects and the effect these activities had on ceramic design. “The Importance of Food and Drink” will explore how betel-nut chewing in Thailand, the preparation of Korean food staples, and similar- ly mundane activities in other cultures influ- enced design. “The Effect of Religion and Ritual” will include discussions of Chinese, Japanese, Philippine, Okinawan, Thai, and Indi- an ceremonial use of ceramics. “The Influence of Collecting and Connoisseurship” will review the development of ceramic design in objects, principally Japanese and Chinese, considered works of art by collectors and scholars. “Asian Ceramics: Functions and Forms” is open to the public and includes a reception and viewing of Asian ceramics in The Field Muse- um collections. Registration for the three days of conference sessions is $80 for members of The Field Museum and ACRO, $60 for students, and $125 for others. Registration for a single day is $60, and for the May 26 luncheon lecture, $25. For further information, contact the Department of Anthropology; write, or call (312) 922-9410, ext. 832 Or 444. NUVEEN FORUM FOCUSES ON ‘RACES OF MAN’ SCULPTURES he March and April sessions of the Nuveen Forum, a series of conversa- tions among anthropologists and a cross-section of Chicagoans, will use the Malvina Hoffman “Races of Man” sculptures to anchor discussions of scientific notions of race and Hoffman’s artistic vision, and of the relation- ship between the biological facts and the cultural assumptions that have made race such a dominant and divisive issue in American history. Hoffman, a protégé of Rodin, was commis- sioned by The Field Museum in 1929 to find rep- resentative “types” of the world’s peoples, perform anthropometric measurements of their ~. bodies, and sculpt their likenesses for a perma- » nent exhibit at the Museum. Anthropologists of the time commonly delineated “race” by such measurements as skin color, hair texture, the volume of the brain cavity, and other physi- cal characteristics. The Hall of the Races of Man opened in 1933, the year of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. In the next two decades, Hitler’s use of such data in claiming supremacy for the “Aryan,” or “Nordic,” race made urgent the re-examination of anthro- j pology’s assumptions. Today, =’ genetic studies have exploded the very idea of race; there is far more genetic variation within any identifiable population than Three of the more than 100 sculptures by Malvina Hoffman in the Field Museum collection. The drummer is from Senegal in West Africa; the woman is from Jaipur in north- west India; and the figure at right is a Blackfoot from North America. Diane Alexander White / MH37.2c March/April 1996 there is between that population and any other. The Museum’s original intention was to have a set of painted plaster mannequins of the kind often found in museum dioramas. Hoffman, how- ever, convinced Stanley Field that the work should be done in bronze, and over four years she circled the globe, consulting physicians, anthro- pologists, and other “experts” for recommenda- tions of potential subjects. In the end, she seems to have chosen beautiful people who inspired her muse, She produced 104 bronzes — life-size full figures and groups, heads, and busts, all in cultur- al context — and five in stone, including the haunting “Jaipur Woman” shown below. The exhibit opened to huge crowds during the city’s Century of Progress exposition and continued to be among the Museum’s most popular until it was dismantled in the 1960s, after the deaths of Hoff- man and Field. Museum anthropologists of the period argued that while the exhibit might be high art, it was not good science, and The Field Muse- um, as a scientific institution, had no business misinforming its public in this way. Most of the full figures and some of the heads and busts are spaced around the second-floor mezzanine and the West Entrance, but the bulk of the collection is in the Museum’s research collection. “Is It Art or Science?” is the topic for the March 5 session. The April 9 forum takes off from the statement “You Don’t Look Like Me.” Both foundation relations. GN87674.4A MetLife representatives Douglas E. Hadin (left) and Tom Blake (far right) made a personal visit to the Museum in December to present the compa- ny’s contribution for 1995 to Willard E. White, Vice President for Institu- tional Advancement, and Madelyn Thompson, director of corporate and programs are from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Lecture Hall 1 near the West Entrance. Admission is free but tickets are required; requests for tickets should be sent to The Nuveen Forum at The Field Muse- um, c/o Center for Cultural Understanding and Change, Roosevelt Rd. at Lake Shore Dr., Chica- go, IL 60605. The Nuveen Forum is part of the National Endowment for the Humanities initiative “A National Conversation on American Pluralism and Identity.” — Ron Dorfman CALENDAR OF EVENTS. CAJUN MUSIC AND ZYDECO ydeco is black people’s music and Cajun music is white people’s music, but both share diverse cultural influ- ences from polyglot Louisiana of the 19th century, and each has helped shape the other, An exhibit of 30 stunning photographs of Cajun and zydeco musicians, fans, festivals, and clubs by Philip Gould opens April 27 and runs through August 4. “Cajun” was originally a term of opprobri- um, like “nigger,’ but the white Creoles of Louisiana appropriated it in the 1970s as a sign of pride. “Zydeco” is believed to be a corruption from the phrase /es haricots sont pas sales (the snap beans are not salty) that was part of the lyrics of many early songs in this tradition. The Cajuns are descended from thousands of Acadian French who were exiled from what PLANET PERU lanet Peru: An Aerial Journey through a Timeless Land” consists of 70 photographs based on pho- tographer Marilyn Bridges’s exploration of the Peruvian landscape begun in 1976 when she first pho- tographed the Nazca Lines. A fascinating anthropological look at the land, these aerial photographs capture the remains of past civilizations and their juxtaposition against the modern land- scape. Ruins of the past clash with ruins of the present: Hillocks that once were used to buttress sacred pyramids are now seized by squatters and turned into housing developments. “Planet Peru” also offers clear views of ancient structures such as Machu Pic- chu, an Inca religious center located atop a ridge among endless mountain peaks. The exhibit looks extensively at religious sym- bols and lines in the terrain, to be seen — at the time of their creation — only from the sky. Bridges uses her airplanes to take her slightly above the common view. The Wall Street Journal describes her as a “combi- nation of Ansel Adams and Indiana Jones — artist and adventurer.” She stays close enough to the ground so as not to lose important details, and takes her pho- tographs while the airplane is at an alarm- ing angle “somewhere between vertical and low oblique,” as she describes it. The exhibit runs through May 5. is now Nova Scotia in 1755. In Acadia, they had absorbed elements of the music of the Micmac Indians and the English and Scottish settlers; when they got to Louisiana they joined the Spanish colonials, Germans, Native Americans, Anglo-Americans, and free black Creoles and slaves already resident in the former French colony. The blacks added influences from all these communities and from the Acadians in their own African-derived music. With the importation of the German diatonic accordion in the 19th century (which could be heard over the noise in dance clubs), the basic sound of both Cajun and zydeco music was in place. In the 1950s, Clifton Chenier, “the king of zydeco,” moved the music out of its folkloric ghetto by introducing the chromatic piano accordion and elements of blues, jazz, and rock. “Today,” writes Bar- ry Jean Ancelet in the introduction to the book from which these photos are excerpted, “Cajun music and zydeco continue to be close- ly related, sharing many stylistic ele- ments and much of their repertoire, but they are also distinct, each the pride and joy of its cultural par- ents. Both are bluesy, improvisational dance music. Cajun music tends to be smoother and more lilting than zydeco, which leans toward a highly percussive and syncopated sound. There seems to be a tule among Cajun musicians that the real stuff must be in French; zydeco sing- ers do not hesitate to use English lyrics, although they rarely fail to include a few French songs in each performance. The fact that these two musical cousins are still around and determin- ing their own way is somewhat remarkable, considering that both supposedly have been ‘dying’ for at least fifty years.” Philip Gould has been documenting the Cajun and zydeco scenes since their revival in the mid-1970s. FEELING THE SPIRIT: SEARCHING THE WORLD FOR THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA hester Higgins Jr., a photographer for The New York Times, compares his movements to water passing from one place to another without notice. “Water becomes my agent of transmission,” he says. “It comes, it visits, it moves constantly, departing as quickly as it arrives on its way to the next moment, the next discovery.” Indeed Higgins moves like liquid, for the images he takes of the world appear as though no photographer could have been present to shoot them. But for 25 years, Higgins has been carefully standing behind a camera studying African identity in more than 30 countries in Europe, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and North America. The Field Museum pre- sents his work in the exhibit “Feeling the Spirit: Searching the World for the People of Africa,” which runs through April 7. These 96 pho- tographs come from Higgins’s critically acclaimed book of the same title. The photos capture the fierce dignity, endur- ing traditions, and empowering spiritu- ality of men and women of African descent throughout the world. Traversing cultural and geo- graphic boundaries, “Feeling the Spint” pre- sents a unique and celebratory collective por- trait of the people of Africa. The collection represents not a political view of Africans throughout the world, but rather a simple representation of how African culture is not bound by lines on a map. His pho- tographs not only deny the fixations of cartogra- phy, but portray an unembellished humanity. His seaside photographs best parallel his theo- ries of photographic style; Higgins seems to have flown in with the ocean mist, taken a photo, and returned on the outbound tide. Above, Jeffrey Brous- sard of Zydeco Force and his father, Del- ton Broussard of the Lawtell Playboys. Left, fiddler Michael Doucet. MARCH/APRIL HIGHLIGHTS ip ie Bird Sounds 9 a.m.—noon. Many times the sound of a bird is the only indication of its pres- ence. This workshop for adults will help you start birding by ear and increase your general awareness of all sounds around you. After a general introduction to bird sounds, individual songs and calls will be studied from audio tapes and sonograms (sound pic- tures). Prepare for the coming spring migration with the Muse- um’s Nature Network Coor- dinator, Paul Baker. $24 ($21 members). Call (312) 322- 8854 for more information or to register. s 3 =] ” ie ig s = & 5 Tuesday Art or Science? The Nuveen Forum conversations this month and next (see 4/9 entry) focus on the Museum’s collection of sculptures by Malv- ina Hoffman from the former Hall of the Races of Man. Participation is free but tick- ets are required; write to Nuveen Forum c/o Center for Cultural Understanding and Change, The Field Museum Roosevelt Rd. at Lake Shore Dr., Chicago IL 60605. Saturday The Emerald Isle 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Follow the wail of bag- pipes to Stanley Field Hall where the Uni- versity of Chicago Alumni Pipe band presents Irish and other Celtic music at 1 p.m.. Learn about the Irish Potato Famine from Tom Lammers, Assistant Curator in Botany. See Celtic objects and make Celtic design shields. These programs are free with Museum admission. es 9 Saturday Children’s Workshop: Horns or Antlers? 10 a.m.—noon, children grades K-2. What's the difference between a horn and an antler? Why do antlers fall off and grow back every year, but horns just keep getting bigger? Learn to spot animals with horns and antlers in the Museum’s exhibits and learn how to tell the difference between a horn and an antler. Later, make your own set of horns or antlers that you can wear. $14 ($12 members). Call (312) 322-8854 for more information or to register. 3 2eus Time Travel: Geology John Weinstein / GN85822c 6 - 8 p.m. A family behind-the-scenes pro- gram with the Department of Geology for adults and children grades 3 and up. Jour- ney back in time to the Mesozoic (225 mil- lion years ago) and Cenozoic (from 70 million years ago) eras to discover the vari- ety of reptiles and early mammals that once inhabited the Earth. Find out how fos- sils are collected in the field and prepared for display. Learn about the work of fossil preparators and collection managers and investigate what fossils tell us about life on Earth millions of years ago. $10 per partici- pant ($8 per member participant). Call (312) 322-8854 for more information or to register. 3/258 The Great Reds This session of the Members’ Wine Tasting Series compares three of the world’s great- est red grape varietals: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. Your guide is Mary Ross, director of the Wine Academy of the North Shore. $20 (members) and $25 (guests). Call (312) 922-9410, ext. 453 for more information. 3/30 suis Taxonomy for Dummies 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Actually, “Classification for Beginners.” Examine the general concept of classification as it relates to the living world during this adult course with Thomas Lam- mers, Department of Botany. Through an illustrated lecture and simple exercises, learn how Field Museum scientists piece together diverse kinds of information in order to create a classification that reflects nature’s relationships. Follow our curator into the field to gather new specimens, and into our encyclopedic collections to extract new information from old specimens. Learn why making sense of the world around us is the first step in conserving biodiversity. $40 ($35 members). Call (312) 322-8854 for information or to register. 4/9 Biology & Culture Tuesday Taking off from the statement “You Don’t Look Like Me,” the Nuveen Forum discuss- es issues of race from both biological and cultural perspectives. See the 3/9 entry for ticket information. 4/ 10 Wednesday Ancient Peru 6:30 p.m., Lecture Hall 1. Curator Charles Stanish reports on his archaeologi- cal research into the ancient cultures of the Lake Titicaca basin of Peru, culminating with the Inca. Tickets $3 (members); $5 (guests), available starting at 6 p.m. at the West Door, or call the Membership Depart- ment at (312) 922-9410, ext. 453 for advance purchase. 4/ 2 ' Saturday Nature Net Recent dinosaur finds in Madagas- car are the topic for this meeting of. the Museum’s Nature Network sup- port group. Participants will help clean the actual bones of the crea- tures. For information about mem- bership, call (312) 322-8881. 4/25 nnn Award of Merit The Founders’ Council presents its Award of Merit to paleoanthropologist and conserva- tionist Richard Leakey of Kenya. For more information about the Founders’ Council, call (312) 322-8868. Leakey will give a public lecture at the Museum Saturday, April 27 at 2 p.m.; see the opposite page for details. 4/27-28 Saturday & Sunday It’s Wild in Chicago! 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Celebrate Earth Month — discover more about Chicago’s environmen- tal resources. At noon host Paul Baker will interview Field Museum scientists about their local research. At 1 p.m. GAIA Theater presents an eco-mystery about the Chicago River. Field museum scientists will make presentations about their research on local flora and fauna. On Sunday local environ- mental groups will be on hand to share with visitors information about the exciting envi- ronmental projects right in our own backyard. Free with Museum admission. RICHARD LEAKEY AND OTHER AUTHORS IN SPRING LECTURE SERIES n exciting array of speakers will be visiting The Field Museum this spring. Refer to the listing below to discover which lectures you won't want to miss. For more information on the following lectures call (312) 322-8854. Tickets are $10 ($8 members) for each lecture. Feeling the Spirit: Searching the World for the People of Africa Lecture and booksigning with Chester Higgins Jr. Saturday, March 23, 2 p.m. In conjunction with the traveling exhibit “Feel- ing the Spirit’ (Feb. 6 - April 7, 1996), The Field Museum is honored to host Chester Hig- gins Jr., author and photographer, for a slide- illustrated lecture and booksigning. His photographs of the African Diaspora offer a new and global approach to understanding the col- lective African heritage. In Feeling the Spirit, Mr. Higgins takes readers on a journey spanning 26 years of work— telling the story of a people by capturing the dignity, traditions and spiritual- ity that live in all men and women of African descent throughout the world. Higgins’ work helps redefine early African history and shows a vibrant portrait of the African identity often unseen in the mass media. Copies of Feeling the Spirit: Searching the World for the People of Africa will be available for purchase and sign- ing after the lecture. Tangible Visions: Northwest Coast Indian Art Made for Shamanic Use Allen Wardwell, Author and Art Historian Saturday, April 6, 2 p.m. Fifteen years in the making, the recently pub- lished book by Allen Wardwell, Tangible Visions, is a comprehensive study of the spec- tacular ritual objects created for Northwest Coast Indian shamans. For a slide lecture based on the research for his book, Mr. Wardwell will illustrate and describe masks, amulets, rattles, staffs, guardian figures and clothing. The mean- ing of the imagery and its representation of spir- it helpers and trance experiences will be discussed. References to objects in the collec- tions of The Field Museum will be made. Copies of Tangible Visions will be available for purchase and signing after the lecture. The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Mankind Roger Lewin, Author Saturday, April 13, 2 p.m. Roger Lewin, co-author with Richard Leakey of their new book, The Sixth Extinction will visit The Field Museum to share his most recent work. Told in Leakey’s voice, this informative, lyrical work about the evolution of the natural world, and the future of humanity within it, is the latest collaboration from the authors of Ori- gins and Origins Reconsidered. Mr. Lewin will lead us from the myriad scientific and philo- sophical debates about life, evolution, and extinction to a discussion of our obligation to the environment that sustains us. Copies of The Sixth Extinction will be available for purchase and signing after the lecture. An Afternoon with Dr. Richard Leakey Saturday, April 27, 2:00 p.m. Dr. Richard Leakey, recipient of the 1996 Award of Merit by The Field Museum’s Founders’ Council, will share his life’s work and current directions in this special afternoon lecture. Dr. Leakey is a member of the first family of pale- oanthropology whose spectacular hominid fos- sil discoveries in East Africa have shaped our understanding of hu- man origins. After more than two decades as Director of the National Museums of Kenya, he served as director of the Kenya Wildlife Service where he successfully lob- bied the world com- munity to ban the importation and sale of ivory and rhinoceros horn to save these ani- mals from extinction. Two years ago he left the Wildlife Service; and, currently, he has joined other Kenyans in forming the Safina political party. Betsy Kissam The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions David Quammen, Author Saturday, May 18, 2 p.m. David Quammen spent a decade traveling the world and researching island biogeography, the science of the geographic distribution of life on islands, first hand. Mr. Quammen will discuss island biogeography using a unique combina- tion of science, historical narrative and trayel commentary. E.O. Wilson, the nation’s premier naturalist, said of Quammen that he‘is “a bril- liant young star of nature writing, itself justly recognized as an American specialty.” The Song of the Dodo, Wilson wrote, “is an important example of the genre, written in an enchanting style. His knowledge, based on years of research and adventure around the world, is truly impressive. Every page held my atten- tion.” E. Annie Proulx, another fan of Quam- men, said “the writing is muscular and playful, imaginative and analytical, wrenching and san- guine. Every jargon-bound scientist should sleep with a copy under the pillow.” The Song of the Dodo will be available for purchase and signing after the lecture. Chester Higgins Become a Member of The Field Museum and receive these benefits: Free general admission Free priority admission to “Life Over Time” Priority admission to special exhibits Free coat checking and strollers Invitation to Members’ Night Free subscription to In the Field 10% discount at all Museum stores 10% discount at Picnic in the Field 13-month wall calendar featuring exhibit photographs Reduced subscription prices on selected magazines Opportunity to receive the Museum's annual report Use of our 250,000-volume natural history library Discount on classes, field trips, and seminars for adults and children Members-only tour program Opportunity to attend the annual children’s Holiday Tea Children’s “dinosaur” birthday card ¥Y¥Y ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ YYYWYYY¥YY¥ MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION New Members only, This is not a renewal form. % Please enroll me as a Member of Ns The Field Museum Name Address City State __ Zip Home phone Business phone GIFT APPLICATION FOR Name Address City State___ Zip Home phone Business phone GIFT FROM Name Address City State ___ Zip Home phone Business phone MEMBERSHIP CATRGORIES C) Individual — one year $35 / two years $65 QO Family — one year $45 / two years $85 (Includes two adults, children and grand- children 18 and under.) Student/Senior — one year $25 (Individual only, Copy of I.D. required.) CE Field Contributor — $100 - $249 C) Field Adventurer — $250 - $499 C) Field Naturalist — $500 - $999 Field Explorer — $1,000 - $1,499 All benefits of a family membership — and more Cc) Founders’ Council — $1,500 Send form to: The Field Museum, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois G0605 VISITOR PROGRAMS See “WILDlife!” on Saturday, March 30 as part of special programming for The World of Animals. SATURDAY, MARCH 2 Tlam Stories from Around the World. Travel to distant lands through the magic of storytelling. 11am & 2pm Highlights of the Field Museum tour. 11am - 3pm Island Worlds of the Pacif- ic festival. On-going interactive activi- ties and demonstrations. Take a tour of the Museum’s Pacific halls and learn about today’s Maori peoples at the Maori Meeting House, Ruatepupuke II. Learn the motions of the poi perfor- mance and play the Maori stick game. SUNDAY MARCH 3 Tlam & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 11:30am & 2:30pm The Aztec Empire and Their Predecessors tour. Find out about the diversity of languages and cultures from this region and how these cultures built a mighty empire founded 3,000 years ago. TUESDAY, MARCH 5 9am - 12 noon Owl Pellets activity. Learn about the dissection process that scientists use to discover the contents of a predatory bird's diet. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 9am - 12 noon Arthro-Cart activity. Discover arachnids, bugs and other arthropods during a visit to the Arthro- Cart. THURSDAY, MARCH 7 12:15pm The Aztec, The Maya and Their Predecessors tour. Learn about the diverse and complex Pre-Columbian cultures of Mexico and Central America that built impressive cities, shared a world view, sophisticated calendar sys- tems, and well developed trade net- works throughout the area. Find out how Mesoamerican languages, tradi- tions, technologies, and world views continue to be part of the present day cultural identity of the peoples of this region. SATURDAY, MARCH 9 10am - 1 pm Human Origins activity. Participate in a game to discover the theories and traces of our human ances- tors in Africa. 11am - 3pm Ireland, the Emerald Isle Festival. On-going interactive activities, demonstrations and performances. Find out about the history of the Irish potato from Dr. Tom Lammers, Associate Cura- tor of the Department of Botany. Rarely seen Celtic artifacts from the Museum’s anthropology collections will be dis- played by Lanet Jarrett. Children will have the opportunity to make necklaces and shields of Celtic design. Performance: 1pm The University of Chicago Alumni Pipe Band World-Champion pipers play traditional music of the Irish and other Celtic peoples. llam & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 11:30 & 2:30 The Early Maya Civiliza- tion tour. Explore the Maya’s ancestors’ art, architecture, technical innovations, math and writing systems, and find aut more about the two million people in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras who still speak the Mayan language and maintain Maya traditions. 1:30pm Tibet Today and A Faith in Exile lecture. Learn about Tibetan refugees in India, Nepal and elsewhere. Witness the dedication ceremony of a Himalayan Buddhist choten in Indiana by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. SUNDAY, MARCH 10 10am - 1pm Maya Math activity. Learn a new counting system - the Maya sys- tem of numbers. Figure out your age using “Maya Math.” 11:30 & 2:30 The Aztec, The Maya and Their Predecessors tour. Learn about the diverse and complex Pre-Columbian culture of Mexico and Central America. Find out how Mesoamerican languages, traditions, technologies and world views continue to be part of the present day cultural identity of people of this region. TUESDAY, MARCH 72 9am - 12 noon Owl Pellets activity. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13 9am - 12noon Arthro-Cart activity. THURSDAY, MARCH 14 12:15 pm The Aztec, The Maya, and Their Predecessors tour. SATURDAY, MARCH 16 11am Stories From Around the World story- telling. 11:30 & 2:30 The Aztec Empire and Their Prede- cessors tour. (English) 1pm El Imperio Azteca y Sus Predecesores (en espanol). SUNDAY, MARCH 17 T1am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 11:30am & 2:30pm The Aztec Empire and Their Predecessors tour. TUESDAY, MARCH 19 9am - 12 noon Owl Pel- lets activity. WEBDNESBAY, MARCH 28 9am - 12 noon Arthro- Cart activity. THURSDAY, MARCH 27 12:15 pm The Aztec, The Maya and Their Predecessors tour. FRIDAY, MARCH 22 10am - 1pm Rock and Mineral Match activity. Try and match minerals with the familiar products they produce. SATURDAY, MARCH 23 10am - 1pm Human Origins activity. 11:30am & 2:30pm The Aztec Empire and Their Predecessors tour. 11:30am Inside Ancient Egypt tour. Explore the mysterious empire of Ancient Egypt that has fascinated the world for hundreds of years. 1:30pm Tibet Today and a Faith in Exile lecture. 2:30pm Into the Wild tour. Visit classic dioramas of animals. Learn their history and the techniques of mounting by the great Carl Akeley, and consider what message this legacy of natural history has for us. SUNBAY, MAROH 24 10am - 1pm Maya Math activity. 11:30am & 2:30pm The Aztec Empire and Their Predecessors tour (English.) 1pm El Imperio Azteca y Sus Predece- sores (en espafiol). THURSBAY, MARCH 28 12:15pm The Aztec, The Maya and Their Predecessors tour. FRIDAY, MARCH 29 10am - 1pm Pareus activity. Try out a Pacific Island style as you wrap a pareu-style dress. SATURDAY, MARCH 30 11am Stories from Around the World storytelling. 11am - 3pm World of Animals festival. On-going interactive activities, perfor- mances and demonstrations. Find out about “Horns and Antlers” and who wears them. Hunt wild animals in the exhibit “What is an Animal?” Field Museum scientists will show you some of the techniques they use to explore the animal kingdom. Performances: 12:30 & 2 pm “WILDlife,” a mime pre- sentation, brings to life many of the ani- mals that inhabit Field Museum’s halls through children’s poetry, music and body movement. 11:30am & 2:30 pm The Aztec Empire and Their Predecessors tour. SUNDAY, MARCH 31 1lam & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 11:30am & 2:30pm The Aztec, The Maya and Their Predecessors tour. THURSDAY, APRH. 4 12:15pm The Aztec, The Maya and Their Predecessors tour. FRIDAY, APRIL S 10am - 1pm Lava activity. Now that they’re cool, touch some of the sub- stances produced by a volcano. SATURDAY, APRIL 6 11:30 and 2:30 pm The Aztec Empire and Their Predecessors tour. SUNDAY, APRIL 7 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. MONDAY, APREL 8 9am - 12 noon Owl Pellets activity. TUESDAY, APRIL 9 9am - 12 noon Arthro-Cart activity. THURSDAY, APREL 17 12:15 The Aztec, The Maya and Their Predecessors tour. FRIDAY, APRIL 12 10am - 1pm Native American Tools activity. Discover how bone, stone and shells were used by Native Americans. SATURDAY, APREL 73 10am - 1pm Human Origins activity. 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 11:30 am & 2:30 pm The Aztec Empire and Their Predecessors tour. 1:30 pm Tibet Today and A Faith in Exile lecture. SUNDAY, APRIL 74 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour, 11:30 & 2:30 The Aztec Empire and Their Predecessors tour (English.) 12 noon & 1pm Fireballs and Shooting Stars tour. Explore the secrets locked in meteorites. 1pm El Imperio Azteca y Sus Predece- sores (en espanol). _ TQESBAY, APRIL 16 9am - 12 noon Owl Pellets activity. WEDNESDAY, APRHL 17 Jam - 12 noon Arthro-Cart activity. THURSDAY, APREL #8 12:15 pm The Aztec, The Maya and Their Predecessors tour. FRIDAY, APRIL 79 10am - 1pm Terrific Teeth activity. Can teeth tell you what an animal eats? 11am & 2pm The Aztec Empire and Their Predecessors tour. SUNDAY, APRIL 27 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 12 noon & 1pm Fireballs and Shooting Stars tour. ~ 11:30 & 2:30 The Aztec, The Maya and Their Predecessors tour. TUESDAY, APRIL 23 9am - 12 noon Owl Pellets activity. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24 9am - 12 noon Arthro-Cart activity. THURSDAY, APRIL 25 10am - 1pm It’s Wild in Chicago! festi- val. On-going demonstrations, activities and performances. Let Field Museum scientists tell you about their research on the flora and fauna of the Chicago area. Enjoy the many hands-on activi- ties and tours highlighting the local wilderness. Performances: 11am GAIA Theater. “One Fish, Two Fish, Dead Fish, Blue Fish.” Music and mime to explore the restoration and biodiversity of the Chicago River. 12 noon “Science Talk Show” 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. FRIDAY, APRIL 26 10am - 1pm Earth Month Celebrations: It’s Wild in Chicago! See Thursday, April 25 11am & 2pm Highlights of the Field Museum tour. SATURDAY, APRIL 27 j1am Stories Around The World 11am - 3pm Earth Month Celebrations: It’s Wild in Chicago! On-going demonstrations, activities, and performances. Let Field Museum scientists tell you about their research on the flora and fauna of the Chicago area. Enjoy the many hands-on activi- ties and tours highlighting the local wilderness. Performances: : 12 noon “Science Talk Show” with host Paul Baker 1pm GAIA Theater. “One Fish, Two Fish, Dead Fish, Blue fish” SUNDAY, APREL 28 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 11am - 3pm Earth Month Celebrations at The Field Museum: It is Wild in Chicago! See Saturday, April 27 TUESDAY, APRIL 20 9am - 12 noon Owl Pellets activity. DANIEL F & ADA L, RICE WILDLIFE RESEARCH STATION Learn more about the animal kingdom through videos, computer programs books and activity boxes. Open daily 10am-4:30pm WEBBER RESQURCE CENTER Use books, videos, tribal newspapers to learn more about native peoples. Open daily 10am-4:30pm PLACE FOR WONDER Touchable objects let you investigate fossils, shells, rocks, plants, and items of daily life in Mexico. Weekdays: 1pm-4:30pm Weekends: 10am-4:30pm PAWNEE EARTH LODGE Visit a home of mid-19th century Pawnee people. Learn about these Native Americans and their traditional life on the Plains. Weekdays: Program at 1pm Weekends: 10am-4:30pm RUATEPUPURE A MAQRI MEETING HOUSE Discover the world of the Maori people of New Zealand at the treasured Maori Meeting House. Daily 10am-4:30pm UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS BROOKFIELD ZOO’S GEORGE RABB IS HONORED BY ALMA MATER eorge B. Rabb, Director of the Brook- field Zoo and Research Associate of the Museum’s Department of Zoology, has been awarded an honorary doctor of humane let- ters degree by his undergraduate alma mater, the College of Charleston in South Carolina, from which he was graduated in 1951. Rabb has been associated with The Field Museum’s Division of Amphibians and Reptiles ever since his arrival at the Zoo in the early 1960s, and has been a Research Associate of the Department of Zool- ogy since 1965. He was the first staff member that Brookfield Zoo hired for a research position. Karl P. Schmidt, a distinguished herpetologist and The Field Museum’s chief curator of Zoolo- gy at the time, had urged the trustees of the Zoo to add a research component to its program. During his tenure at the Zoo, Rabb has been a leader in developing a central role for research in zoos. He also introduced a new, and now widely accepted paradigm for zoos as primary conservation centers. Most North American, European, and Australian zoos now play a major role not only in educating the public about con- servation and biodiversity, but also as genetic refuges and reservoirs for some endangered species. Under Rabb’s leadership, Brookfield Zoo launched key investigations about small populations and their vulnerabilities, including simulation models that help predict and increase the viability of small populations in captivity and in the wild. Rabb’s strong interest in bio- logical conservation led him to involvement with the International Union for the Conserva- tion of Nature (IUCN) and he has been a dynamic Chairman of the Species Survival Commission of the ‘ a Cross Drop Earrings Designed by noted eee designer Joryel Vera, these ~ vermeil and sterling earrings are representative of the six pieces in our collection. - - Included in the semi-pre- _ €fous stones are garnets, blue topaz, citrine and _ amethyst. Exlusiye in Chicago in our Main Store, prices for these unusual-design ear- _ fings range from $120.00 to $185.00. priced from graduation gift. all [pur chases from oh conine for ihe sinesual, the ¢ one of a kind ad jewelry : pout won't find elsewhere? The Shops of - The Field Museum | Ofer a lar ‘ge selection of new v pieces such as those illustrated ae This hand-cast and hand-set sterling, “amethyst, pink and blue topaz, and — turquoise pendant is representative of ‘our new native American gallery collec -tion,All pieces are one-of-a-kind and are -from various Native American nations. “Prices range from $125.00 to $400.00. Ammonite Earrings — Another exclusive Field Museum offering, these earrings pro- duced from fossil pieces mil- lions of years old, are hand set in. Sterling silver... / Representative of our Royal. Creations collection, all are hand - erafted in the United States, and are Any selection from this fresh array of jewelry will make a beautiful and valued Mother's Day or high school/college = As always, Museum members receive a 10% discount on The Shops of : "The Field Museum > - Open 1 10 a m. to 5 P m. Dale IUCN for several years. Rabb’s associ- ation with the Muse- um’s Division of Amphibians and Reptiles has taken many forms, includ- ing sharing informa- tion and _ sharing responsibility _‘ for professional visitors from overseas. Dr. Rabb and Hymen Marx (curator of Amphibians and Reptiles until his retirement) had a my experiences . . human relations... . $50.00 to $400.00, profitable joint research venture that led to pub- lication of seyeral seminal papers on the classi- fication and evolution of snakes. Rabb and Marx also published an important paper on procedures in systematics with Harold Voris and one on the classification of vipers with Dr. Karel Liem, now at Harvard and formerly Curator of Anato- my in the Department of Zoology. We all congratulate Dr. Rabb on the honor given him by his college. — Peter R. Crane Vice President, Academic Affairs and Director EE BOYD RECEIVES HUMAN RELATIONS AWARD ield Museum President Willard L. Boyd received the Thomas and K Eleanor Wright Award of the Chicago Commission on Human Rela- tions at the agency’s 51st annual luncheon held at the Palmer House Hilton January 24. The award was given to recognize that the Museum “has become one of the significant places where Chicagoans can learn about, interact with, and develop a better understanding and respect for people from different backgrounds.” turning point in his view of human relations was his service as head of a University of lowa committee formed to address campus and community civil rights issues. The committee “concluded that reaction [to protests] in the short run was not enough. So we developed an agenda for inclusive- ness which to this day guides University policies and actions. Since then, . have proven the validity of a positive attitude toward At The Field Museum, we seek to be affirmative in reaching out to serve all the citizens of this community.” In accepting the award, Boyd said the Mike Greer President Boyd (cen- ter) accepts the award trom (left to right) Anita Green, chair of the Awards Selection Committee; Human Relations Commissioner Clarence N. Wood; Ald. Ray Suarez, chair of the City Council’s Human Relations Committee; and Roger J. Kiley, Jr., Mayor Daley’s chief of staff. March/April 1996 Javel Kimble FROM THE FIELD William Burger BIODIVERSITY IN METRO CHICAGO By Peter R. Crane Vice President and Director The Field Museum wo years ago The Field Museum cele- brated its centenary. In the sixty years before the Museum was founded Chica- go grew from a settlement of 50 people toa city of 1.5 million, and in the next 100 years that number almost doubled. We now stand at the center of a vast conurbation that is home to more than 8 million people. As William Cronon docu- ments in Nature ’s Metropolis, Chicago's boom was made possible by the vast natural resources of the mid-continent — the deep fertile soils of the prairies and the dense forests of Michigan, Wiscon- sin, and Minnesota. The ecological consequences of the plough and the “‘cutover” were felt throughout the mid- continent, but paradoxically some of the best prairies and other natural communities persisted in the Chicago area itself. In part, this was exception- al foresight by planners including Frederick Law Olmsted, Dwight Perkins, and Jens Jensen,. but it was also simple good fortune related to property speculation and other causes. Together these fac- tors have given the citizens of our modern metrop- olis an extraordinary legacy in one of the most biologically diverse areas of North America an area of lakeside wetlands, where the western prairies meet the feather-edge of the eastern decid- uous woodland, and where southernmost elements of boreal forests meet the hardiest elements ‘of southern swamps. In the greater Chicago area, perhaps more than anywhere else in the nation, we have the jar- ring juxtaposition of massive heavy industry and urban sprawl with astounding biological diversity, albeit now distributed among a patchwork of frag- mentary prairie, woodland, dune and wetland sys- tems. This juxtaposition raises many questions as to the long term stability and conservation of these communities and the organisms that comprise them. But it also presents extraordinary opportunities to show how this archipelago of remnant natural ecosystems can enrich the lives of us all. In a global context, Chicago’s biological heritage also presents a straightforward challenge: How can we urge the people of Sao Paulo or other tropi- cal cities to conserve their natural resources unless we commit to do likewise? The term biodiversity was introduced by E.O. Wilson in his book of that name in 1986, and in the minds of many is virtually synonymous with the destruction and con- servation of tropical rain forests. What is less clearly appreciated is that North Amer- ica itself is a substantial reservoir of biolog- ical diversity, and in some respects we are as ignorant of biological diversity in our own backyard as we are of biological diversity in the tropics. There is no acre on the planet for which a complete biodiversity inventory exists, and even in Illinois, while we have guides and identification manuals for many of the most conspicuous native organisms (e.g. plants and birds), we have no com- parable treatments for fungi and most groups of insects — let alone soil microorganisms such as mites and other arthropods, protozoans, bacteria, and so on, We simply do not know, even within an order of magnitude, how many species exist on this plan- et; estimates range from 10 million to more than 100 million. Against this background, the task facing sys- tematic biologists such as those at The Field Muse- um is vast and well beyond the scope of personnel and other resources that are currently devoted to it both nationally and internationally. The reasons to preserve biodiversity are ethical, aesthetic, and perhaps even emotional but they are also readily framed in economic terms around issues such as | March/April ; human health, plant breeding, fisheries resources, and ecotourism. At a deeper level, the value of biological diversity may also reside in its contribution to eco- logical stability. Much, perhaps most, of the undocumented biological diversity of the globe is among the small organisms that inhabit the soil — precisely the environment in which many of the Earth’s basic recycling processes and geochemical cycles take place. These processes are crucial to maintaining the Earth’s life support systems — they affect the composition of our atmosphere and they clean our water. There is also increasing experimental evidence that complex ecosystems are generally more stable than simpler systems. In other words, the more species an ecosystem has, the better it is able to withstand the stress of exter- nal perturbations. The relation between biological diversity and ecological stability highlights the linkages that occur among the organisms in an ecosystem, and this leads inevitably to conservation efforts focused on natural communities rather than on individual species. The Endangered Species Act and other early approaches have placed in the spot- light last-ditch efforts to save single, and often charismatic species, but the interconnectedness of ecosystems requires a more holistic approach. The spotted owl is merely the icon for a broader issue — the preservation of old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. n the Chicago area, the patchwork of local ecosystems owes its existence to a particular combination of existing climatic conditions, together with the late glacial history of the region over the last 14,000 years. The result is an extraor- dinarily diverse biota. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, for example, is home to about 1,400 native plant species and ranks third on the list of botanically most diverse national parks behind the Great Smoky Mountains and the Grand Canyon, despite the fact that it has less than three percent of the acreage of either of these parks. Birds, amphibians, and reptiles also show impressively high levels of diversity in northeastern Illinois, while the native flora of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is about the same size as the native flora of the entire British Isles. Tn the wetlands of northeastern Illinois, the Illinois plant information network records 500 to 600 native species, while in Illinois forests there are about 700 forest-associated species and about 100 species of native trees. By comparison, the number of species of trees in the British flora even at a generous estimate is about 30. The Chicago region is also richly endowed with an exceptional variety of globally endangered prairie types that are home to 400-500 native plant species. With the information currently available we have to accept that the high diversity of plants, birds and other vertebrate animals provides a good indication of the diversity of other organisms in the region. This is probably a safe working assumption but it is nevertheless illustrative of our ignorance. Even for Illinois — one of the most intensively surveyed states in the nation —compa- rable data for organisms such as insects and fungi are simply not available. Ironically, many of these groups may in fact be more sensitive indicators of environmental health than the larger and more conspicuous plants and birds. For example, one of the projects currently underway at The Field Museum is an intensive effort to develop a computerized data base and check list of Illinois macrofungi — based on the extensive collections at the Museum and else- where. Because fungi are crucial to many vital processes in the soil they provide a useful index of ecosystem health, and in Europe there is a recent well-documented decline in fungal populations. No comparable data exist in North America despite the fact that fungi through their mycor- rhizal associations with root systems are critical to the health and survival of many Illinois tree species. Increased knowledge of trends in the fungal flora will be useful for monitoring trends in airborne, soil, and groundwater pollu- tants. Given this diversity of habitats and organisms, what then is the current sta- tus of biological diversity in northeast- ern Illinois? The State of Illi- nois offered its own analysis of trends in the Illi- nois environment with the publication in 1994 of The Changing Illinois Environment: Critical Trends. This report is an outcome of Governor Edgar’s Critical Trends Assessment Project under- taken by the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources and the Nature of Illinois Foun- dation. It drew three conclusions: * the amount of regulated pollutants dispersed into the Illinois environment, particularly from point sources, has declined over the past 20 years. ° the condition of natural ecosystems in Illi- nois is rapidly declining as a result of fragmenta- tion and ongoing stress. * data designed to monitor compliance with environmental regulations, or to assess the status of specific species are insufficient to assess ecosys- tem health statewide. In terms of ecological systems and biological diversity the report concludes that “Illinois is mov- ing from complex natural systems toward simple ones, from stable systems toward unstable ones, from native species toward non-native ones, from integrated systems toward fragmented ones, and from self-sustaining systems toward managed ones.” In terms of overall land use, the predominant historical pattern in Illinois is from unmanaged complex systems to managed simpler systems. Instead of rich woodlands, prairies, and wetlands we have agricultural monocultures that are ecolog- ical deserts, and instead of the complexity of nat- ural rivers and streams we have the simplicity of canalized, leveed and dammed watercourses. With increasing simplicity of habitats, animals and plants that are ecological specialists have disap- peared, and over most of the state we have the — development of a “generic” Hlinois biota dominat- ed by carp, starlings, deer and generalist weeds. or those natural habitats that do remain in northeastern Illinois the greatest threat is further habitat fragmentation, as urbaniza- tion increasingly competes with agriculture for available land. In northeastern Illinois these prob- lems are particularly acute. In the two decades 1970 to 1990, the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission estimates that the combined popula- tion of Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry, and LIBRARY FRIENDS’ ACQUISITIONS ach year the Field Museum Library makes significant additions to the col- lections held in the Mary W. Runnells “ are Book Room through acquisition funds provided by the Friends of Field Museum Library. During 1995 the Friends acquired a print lacking from an important ornithological book, two important early works on economic and medical botany, and a copy of Charles Dar- win’s first published book. Christian Ludwig Brehm’s Monographie der Papageien (Jena, 1842-1855) is a work of taxonomic importance on the systematics of parrots. The Library’s copy — part of the Edward E. Ayer Ornithological Collection — was lacking plate number 66, illustrating Psitta- cus erithacus, the common gray parrot. The Friends were able to acquire a copy of this print, which has now been inserted in its place, com- pleting the volume. Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654) and John Hill (17072-1775) each produced popular and informative herbals which appeared in many editions during their lives, and were expanded and updated afterwards by numerous authors well into the nineteenth century. The Friends acquired very fine copies of these two works, in undated editions published circa 1800. Our copy of Culpeper’s English Physician; and Complete Herbal was published in London by E. Sibly, who contributed considerable additional materi- al to this edition. Hill’s Family Herbal, or an account of all those English Plants, which are Remarkable for their Virtues, was published in Bungay, Suffolk. Both books contain numerous hand-colored engravings of plants. Charles Darwin’s first published book was his Journal of Researches into the Geology and Natural History of the Varibus Countries Visited” by H.M.S. Beagle . . . from 1832 to 1836. This work first appeared as part of the official narra- tive of the Beagle voyages, published in three volumes in London in 1839. Darwin’s Journal occupies more than half of the third volume of this set. Eight separately published maps accompanied the three volumes of the Narra- tive. The maps with our set — folded and con- tained in a small linen portfolio — were in need of restoration. Thanks to the Samuel and Marie- Louise Rosenthal Conservation Fund, these have received a full conservation treatment. Cleaned, deacidified and repaired, the maps have been individually matted and are now housed in an artfully constructed clamshell box designed by conservator Ralph MacGuinness. ca Rew acquired rare books on mycology — the study of mushrooms and related fungi — were the subject of a talk by curator GN87666.24A Greg Mueller before 46 members and guests of Friends of the Field Museum Library, held in the Library Reading Room on December 7. Ten of these books (ordinarily kept in the Library’s Mary W. Runnells Rare Book Room) were on dis- play for close-up viewing, Mueller talked about the authors of the 16th-, 17th-, and 18th- century works and their discoy- erles. For more information about the Friends of Field Museum Library, call (312) 322-8874. NATURE NETWORK LOOKS AT BUGS = embers of the Museum’s Nature Network support group toured the insect collections and the Molecu- : “ lar Systematics — Biochemistry Laboratory for their December meeting, and returned the favor by sorting and organizing hun- dreds of reprints from scientific journals. Margaret Thayer, adjunct curator, described the Museum’s collection — some 10 million specimens — and led the group through aisles of cases containing both familiar and exotic species. Examples of insect collection techniques and sorting systems were on display, and Nature Network members all tried their skill at distinguishing species under the microscope. The Nature Network, chaired by Bill Kurtis and Donna LaPietra, meets at least five times a year for discussions and field trips with Museum curators, visiting scholars, and other scientists. The next Nature Network program will take place on April 20 and will highlight the recent discoveries of dinosaur bones and other fossils in Madagascar. There will also be an opportunity to take part in the cleaning of these 80-million-year-old bones. For further information, call (312) 322-8881. BIODIVERSITY ... Will counties grew by 4 percent. while the area of urbanized land expanded by 51 percent — a net land consumption of more than 360,000 acres. These patterns of land use are merely the con- tinuing manifestation of a long-established trend of large-scale natural habitat reduction and frag- mentation in the mid-continent. In 1820, at least 60 percent of Illinois land area was grassland — now, barely 2,400 acres remain and the parcels of land are generally small, Eighty percent of the State’s 253 prairie remnants are smaller than 10 acres, and 30 percent are smaller than one acre. The pattern is similar with woodlands. Less than one percent of the pre-settlement forests are left; again, those that survive are typically in small lots — on average around 20 acres or less. In wetlands, it is estimat- ed that about one tenth of the original Illinois land area remains. The consequences of such reductions in nat- ural habitats have been severe. Of the 497 plant species considered endangered or threatened in Illinois, 117 occur on prairies. Sixty percent of IIli- nois birds and 80 percent of Illinois mammals and amphibians need forested land for at least part of their life cycles. Twenty-eight of the 37 species of snakes in Ilinois occur in wetlands. Overall, the effect of fragmenting natural ecosystems has negative implications for biologi- cal diversity at many levels. Perhaps most signifi- cantly, reduction in size increases the ratio of community edge to community area. Increased edge effects make ecosystems more vulnerable to invasion by exotic species, especially non-native plants and animals. They also increase the vulner- ability of conserved areas to non-biotic factors such as agricultural run-off, dumping of waste, and changes in drainage patterns. Non-native species, like the alewives and sea lampreys introduced into Lake Michigan with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, may also produce devastating ecological effects; the combined effect of these exotic species was to devastate the indigenous fish fauna. I the context of this brief review it seems impor tant to keep im mind three basic ecological prin- ciples: ty tiinking about local conservation efforts. 1. The future emphasis of conservation efforts needs to be on ecosystems rather than individual species, and as we adopt this approach we need to keep in mind several basic ecological principles. Natural systems are open and continuously chang- ing — they never reach equilibrium as organisms themselves unwittingly modify their own environ- ment. Therefore. approaches to conservation that are intolerant of change are doomed to failure, and knowledge of the history of a site will contribute immeasurably to understanding the current status. Tf the aim of a conservation strategy is to hold an ecosystem in a more or less constant state for any length of time it will require a continuous, ongoing management effort. 2. Linkages are extensive in ecological land- scapes and do not respect administrative bound- aries that we construct for our own convenience. No ecosystem is an island and interconnectedness occurs at a variety of scales ranging from organ- isms to ecosystems. Because of these linkages indirect effects can be as significant as direct effects in the functioning of ecosystems — and thus perturbations at one level can frequently have unforeseen consequences through a cascade of intermediate effects. 3. Decisions on conseryation priorities and strategies need to be made on better data that is systematically collected and that provides clear insights into the status and trends of the biota. In particular, because the first signs of environmental stress are frequently detectable at the level of pop- ulations, acquiring quantifiable, standardized pop- ulation data should be an important priority. Unfortunately such data are so far largely unavail- able even for those groups of organisms that have been studied most intensively. Above all else however, I want to emphasize that the City of Chicago, and ultimately the sur- rounding areas, were built on the biological wealth of the Midwest — especially its fertile soils and its extensive forests. Over the past 170 years most of the natural environments in the metropolitan area have been taken — but there is still much that is worth conserving within 50 miles of the Loop. The pressures that threaten destruction are still there, but there are still many ways the modern metrop- olis can give something back. 11 Mare GNB7606.24A At left, curator Greg Mueller and Joel Oppenheimer, chair- man of Friends of the Field Museum Library, examine some of the rare books on fungi from the Library collec- tion. Center, an illus- tration of Broad Agaric, plate 2 from Volume 1 of James Bolton’s An History of Fungusses, Grow- ing About Halifax (1788-89). Above, Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria), plate 54 from Volume 1 of Robert Kaye Gre- ville’s Scottish Cryp- togamic Flora, published in Edin- burgh in six volumes between 1823 and 1828. h/April 1996 fabulous journey from Bergen to the north- ernmost tip of Europe aboard the MS Kong Harald. Along the way, we'll visit both medieval cities and the Art Nouveau town of Alesund, ancient Viking sites and vast herds of reindeer, dramatic fjords and a sanctuary for puffins, We'll spend four days in Bergen, mostly at leisure, during the annual International Music Festival. Those who elect the optional excursion to Trolls’ Hill, site of the Victorian summer villa of Edvard Grieg (now a museum dedicated to the composer) will be entertained at a pri- vate concert, Another optional day trip will take you to Sogne Fjord, the world’s longest and deepest, and Aurland Fjord, where from the village of Flam you'll travel to Myrdal on the amazing Flam Railway, which ascends 2,845 feet in less than an hour past thundering waterfalls. Our six-day coastal journey begins May 30 with stops at Alesund, Molde, the important university city of Trondheim, Bodo near the Arctic Circle, Tromsg, and, finally, Honningsyag — from which we'll travel overland past reindeer-filled tundra to North Cape, a rocky plateau that gazes over the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole. 312 / 322-8862 - Norwegian Landscapes: | Cruising Viking Waters | May 26 ~- June 7, 1996 Then it’s back to civilization in Oslo, a modern metropolis with roots in the 11th century. The Viking Ship Museum with its three 1,000-year-old burial vessels pro- vides an interesting counterpoint to the Kon Tiki Museum, dedicated to Thor Heyerdahl’s efforts to test hypotheses about the long-distance voyages of ancient peoples. Our guide and lecturer throughout will be Sherrod McCall, former Deputy Ambassador to Stockholm and Moscow and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Policy toward Europe and the Soviet Union. Since his retirement from the Senior Foreign Service, Mr. McCall has lectured widely on Scandinavian affairs. His topics on this tour include Viking history and mythology, Norway's resistance movement in World War II, the Hanseatic League and the European Union — and the importance of trolls in Norwegian culture. There is an optional three-night stay in Stockholm, prior to the beginning of our tour in Bergen. Price of the tour is $3,995 — $4,195 depending on accommodations. The Stockholm option is an addi- tional $950. National Parks of the West September 29 - October 8, 1996 Rocky Mountain National Park, the Golden Spike National Historical Site near Salt Lake City, Bryce Canyon, Zion T ravel from Denver to Santa Fe aboard the private luxury train American Orient Express, We'll visit Estes Park and National Park, the Grand Canyon, and the Zufii Pueblo and El Morro National Monument in New Mexico, and on to beautiful Santa Fe and the nearby 13th-century Anasazi ruins. The fare is $3,990 —$6,450, depending on accommodations.