Notes from the Field

Journey to Galapagos

July 15th, 2009 by Kevin Ward

NASA oceanographer Dr. Gene Carl Feldman is no stranger to the Galapagos Islands, although he has never been there. He has studied these “Enchanted Isles” from the vantage point of space for the last 25 years, but in July 2009 he will set foot on the islands for the first time. 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin as well as the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. In celebration of these two events, the Charles Darwin Foundation is holding an international symposium to assess the current state of knowledge about this remarkable place, and has invited Dr. Feldman to present a paper on his perspective of the Galapagos. In this short film, Dr. Feldman reflects on his unique perspective on this fascinating region and looks ahead to his journey to Galapagos.

6 Responses to “Journey to Galapagos”

  1. Vanessa says:

    Awesome! Looking forward to your pictures Gene!

  2. Irv Diamond says:

    I’m enjoying your blog.

    In the “notebok” picture what camera is in the top-left position?
    How do you use it? It looks like a KODAK DC5000.

    Thanks and best regads.

  3. Ivonne says:

    Great blog! This will save me research time on Galapagos.

  4. Ana María says:

    wow! love it! waiting for more..

  5. Paula Holmes says:

    H’lo. Has anyone explained why the cactus trees (Opuntia sp.) are trees instead of the usual ground-cover habit. Cf. the tortoise shells with the high arch behind the head; the cactus has tried to grow away from the reach of the tortoises and the tortoises have evolved the high arch and longer necks to reach the Opuntia. One can’t see this example of evolution in the crowded ecosystem of the US. Best of luck for the expedition and I hope you get to Hood Island to see the birds. /P. Holmes

  6. gene carl feldman says:

    thanks so much for your words of encouragement and to answer irv’s question about my “backup” camera, it is indeed an old kodak dc5000, all 2 megapixels of it. i have used that camera on all my previous expeditions partly because it is water resistant and pretty much indestructible. however, for this trip, i decided to bring along my nikon d200 with both higher resolution and more importantly, am 18mm – 200mm zoom lens and was very glad that i did as i hope you can appreciate when you see some of the photos, particularly the panorama and wildlife shots.
    regards,
    gene