Vanessa's Journal

Dec. 3

Breakfast- instant oatmeal. Its importance can never be underestimated
9 am meeting with reserve director Hemin Zhang, just to say “Hi, I’m here.” He was supportive and welcoming as usual.

Errands: phone card, trip to police station to fill out “temporary resident” form, walk around town and take pictures, say hi to people.

Phone call with my direct boss in Wolong, Yan Huang (director of ecology lab), he regrets being out of town and says “I owe you a dinner.” He is very supportive and basically says, “Let me know what you need.”

Meeting with Ecology Lab at Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS) to discuss my needs.  They want my advice on their panda reintroduction program so we talk for three hours on that (and some on my project).  They ask me to give a talk to them on animal reintroductions in the near future…something to add to the to-do list.  Good to see them again, all good friends who are very supportive. 

Dinner with Wei and my field assistants Lao Yang and Lao Fan- the local farmer geniuses behind panda trapping for my project.  They are excited to see me.  I deliver them their winter coats and pants and they seem eager to start trapping…in their words “When are we going up to Wuyipeng (the field station)?”