Above: Richard wearing a prototype Workshop t-shirt
Below: David wearing the final design t-shirt for the Workshop..
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Nudibranch Workshop Newsletter No. 3
Dear participants in the nudibranch workshop,
In just a month we will be converging on Lissenung Island for the start of the nudibranch workshop. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone, as are Dietmar, Angi, Nozaki and the rest of the staff of Lissenung Resort. This third newsletter is essentially a checklist of essential items to remember to bring with you.
All the equipment is now assembled in Cairns (thanks Mark Reilly) ready for Neil, Bard, Ash and I to pick up take up with us. Incidentally we will arrive on Lissenung Island on March 8 a couple of days before the official start of the workshop to set things up. This gear includes the workshop T-shirts which look fantastic. (Left) Here is a photo of me modelling the prototype, and there is a photo of David (or is that his avatar?) modelling the latest version on the Internet site.
Program:
I would like to know from you what you want to get out of the workshop. Obviously a major aim for us all will be to discover and record the biodiversity of the sea slugs of Lissenung, building on the list started by Nozaki and Dietmar. Is there any interest in putting a daily blog of activities up on the web? I know Bard would like some assitants to survey the same site by day and by night to see if there are any diel differences between diversity and abundance nudibranchs. Can you write to me over the next couple of weeks with any particular requests, ideas or projects you would like to undertake.
The days will be your own to dive, explore, photograph specimens, and discuss general nudibranch topics with me and others. In the evenings, after diner (except for March 22) there will be an informal talk on each of two consecutive nights and a night dive on the third night. I will give evening talks on classification and on pronounciation, and Gary, David and Bard have already said they will give talks on nudibranchs of Queensland and Taiwan, respectively. It would be wondeful to have talks by others about nudibranch faunas in really 'remote' destinations (at least remote for us that live under Pacific skies) like France, Scotland and California. So could you please assemble some slides on a CD or PowerPoint – no need to be an accomplished public speaker.
Checklist:
A few partipants have still to send their credit card details to Dietmar;
Please let Dietmar know your date of departure so he can make plans to accommodate other visitors when we leave;
Double check you have a current passport (and Tourist Entry Visa for PNG for those particants that require one);
Diver Alert Network (DAN) insurance;
Completed the Lissenung forms for diving and meals;
Anti-malaria and other medications. You can never have enough antibiotics;
Have 100 Kina in notes to obtain a Tourist Visa to PNG (for most participants this Tourist Visa will be obtained from Pot Moresby Airport on entering the country);
Diving gear in good nick – this includes regulators and BCDs serviced within the last 12 months
Cameras, memory cards, lap tops, batteries, etc all charged up and ready to go;
Torches (both diving torches and a small pocket torch to get around the island at night).
Any participants who will be spending time in transit in Port Moresby should let Dietmar know, and he (or Ange) will tell you whereabouts to go to pass the time comfortably.
Thanks to the Sponsors:
Lissenung Island Resort/Lissenung Diving (thanks Dietmar and Ange);
Nudibase.com (thanks Ash)
Dragon Mosue Diving (thanks Ash)
Marine Images (thanks David and Gary)
Duke Environmental (thanks Julie)
Western Australian Museum (thanks Clay Bryce)
Sponsorship
There will be a three-tier sponsorship program for participants attending the workshop:
For amounts over $(A) 1000.
This level of sponsorship would enable coverage of expenses for one student. So far we have one of these sponsorships.
For amounts between $(A or US) 300 and $600.
This level of sponsorship would be to purchase a significant book on nudibranchs to award in a raffle during the workshop.
For amounts under $(A or US) 300.
This level of sponsorship would be to cover the cost of one free dive for all the workshop participants. So far we have two of these sponsorships.
See you all soon,
Richard |
