To Search The Wilds Of Fiordland

Chronicle (Levin), 7 January 1949, Page 7

To Search The Wilds Of Fiordland

Press Associatton)

(Per

INVERCARGILL,' Jan. 6. An. Anierican Legation Douglas Dakota touehed down, on Invercargill airport at midday today. It brought . Colonel John K. Howard, of tiie Museum of Comparative Zoologv, Harvard University, and some equipnient for the best equipped, best manned and best planned expedition of its kind in the Dominion's history. -The project is for extensive field researches by experts in various branehes of science in the unpo'pulated, ,'sketchily surveyed terrain between Caswell and George Sounds in South Westland. It is expected an advanee party will leave Bluff 'in the Alert on' Saturday and most of its members will remain iu Fiordiand for several months. There will be two other Americaris in the party — Dr. Olus Murie, of the Anierican Wilderness Society and his son, Douglas Murie. Dr. Murie, who probably knows xnore about' American wapiti than any other living scientisl, will be scientiiic leader of the expedition while he is in the field. He will coine south acconipanied by his son, who is also a keen zoologist, immedratelv after the Pan-Paeific science onference in Auckland and Christchurch ends late in February. Advanee parties will establish canips this niontli. The deputy-seientific eader will be Mr. A. L. Poole, of tho iiotany division of the New Zealand Jepartment of Scientific and Industrial Research. Originally planned to have 15 members, the party has now grown to about 33. It will include, in addi.ion to the scientists, camp leader li. V. McKane whose 29 ye&rs with the State r'orest Service on timber appraisals aml other field work, fit him well for the .ougli assignment of organising busli •amps, cutting tracks vvhere necessary .nd organising supplies, transport anu iinilar requirements for the whole unit. .ie will have the assistance of about i dozen service personnel who will •arry out this side of the work, leavng the scientists as free as possible lo oncentrate 011 their own tasks. The zoologieal survey will be direet■d by Dr. Murie and others active iu a will include Dr. R. A. Falla, Dr. It. K. Dell and Dr. J. T. Salmon of the Doiuiiiion Museuin; Mr. R. I. Keen and \lr. B. Wisely, of the Wild Life branch jf the Departmerit of Internal Affairs; Mr. lv. R. Foster. Canterbury Museum; Mr. J. J. Dnmbleton and Mr. P. Bull, Jepartment of Scientific and Industrial Researclf. Related botanical surveys will be the' -qieeial province of ' Deputv-Leader t'oole. Scientists concentrating on other aspeets of Fiordiand will include Mr. B. T. ('unuinghani and Mr. D'. J. Amlerson. of the Marine DepartmLit, who will examine iish life in the lakes, streams and sounds of the area. A geologist will be included but'. the Geological Survey has not yet selected its riqiresentative. A Lands and Survey party, three or four in number, will mahe detailed surveys in the country vyhere triangulation and subdivision have never beeu carried out though'the vvatftrs. svei;e accurately charted during Caplaiu Cobk's second voya'ge. Toward the end of the trip-.a.Tourist Depannient representative will go in to see vvhat tourist potentialities exist and ^uggest vvhat tracks and camp estabiislniieiits his department vvould like to retain. The State Forest Service, vvhich has a unit on national forest survey work novv active in Southland, will be represeuted by Messrs. J. Holloway, J. Ilenry aud J. Everett. Iians for the . expedition are based iargelv on the lindings of a small reconnaissance party which went into the area in April and May of last year, consi'Ming of Colonel Howard and a few .\evv Zealanders from various department s. The Alert will sail from Bluff vvith imlk stores and a few members of the party but it has been decided to use Milford. Hostel as the main jumping off point. From there the Alert will take personnel and supplies in several trips to the head of Caswell Sound. Supplies will go overland to Milford througlx the Ilomer Tunnel, Colonel Howard has made availabie 9oUU l'eet of colour filni to be used on the expedition. A full-time photourapher, Mr. Jim Ollernshavv, of tlie Wild Life branch of the Department of Internal Affairs, will also be .witli tlie parties in the field and a national fili|i unit intends to record the main features of the trip.