First Newsletter

Sain bain oo Itgel friends,

    Greetings to all from The Itgel Foundation, across the globe in Mongolia. I want to thank you all for expressing your interest in receiving messages from our field team periodically over the next few months. It means so much to us to have the support and enthusiasm of frineds, sponsors, donors, and benefactors. If you wish to add a friend or remove yourself from this list, simply send a reply to this E-mail.

    So, without further ado...the good stuff that you all (hopefully) have been waiting for...news from our team:

    After our first week in Mongolia I am happy to report, much progress has been made, and lot's of exciting developments have been happening for both of our projects. Over the last five days, Itgel has been an integral part of a small delegation that is working on a multi-faceted project to improve the quality of life and health of reindeer for the Tsaatan (Dukha) reindeer herders of northern Hovsgol. This delegation includes three small US-based NGO's including The Itgel Foundation, and three outstanding reindeer herders who have joined us in the capital all the way from the taiga by the names of Zorigt, Oyunbadam, and J. Bat. Together, we have had the honor of presenting our wishes in front of several government groups, including the Ministry of Agriculture's head Minister, Mr. Nasanjargal, the MInistry of Nature and the Environment, the Mongolian Human Rights Commission, and the President's Economic Council. In addition to these exciting meetings, we have met with several media sources such as "Onodoor" newspaper corporation, and Mongolian National Radio, sharing the reindeer herders' story with the media in hopes that the media will assist them in promoting a positive cultural image of the Tsaatan people to the international community, and join us in a partnership that is working on their behalf.

    But of course our week hasn't only been filled with work. We have also been enjoying getting settled into our new apartment, and relearning all the Mongolian language that we had forgotten since our last time in this great land. Our amazing Mongolian friends Badama, Hos, Tuvshin, and Ariuna have all welcomed us back with lot's of fun-filled nights, and a willingness to help Itgel in any way they can. We do need lot's of help! The minor bumps in the road have included losing hot water for the last three days, having flames shoot out of our electrical outlet once, and a minor leek in our bathroom that deeply annoyed the restaraunt that is just below us.

    A more significant bump was the theft of Lilai, our Program Director's, wallet the first day she arrived while we IN THE BANK! But alas, the whole episode was caught on the bank's security cameras, and the silly guy who snagged the wallet had just finished a transaction with the bank that listed his name, account number, and address! Sounds pretty cut and dry, right? Well, as we speak Lil is visiting the police station for the fifth time trying to retrieve her missing wallet and money. Keep your fingers crossed for Lilai!

    Well, friends, Itgel wishes you all our best and our deepst thanks for your support from afar. Be sure to E mail our team often, because E mail makes everyday like Christmas for us all.

Stay well and stay tuned...

Morgan Keay
Executive Director, The Itgel Foundation
www.itgel.org

Second Newsletter

    Hello all

    First I want to express my truest thanks for all of the newsy E mails and supportive replies I have received from many of you. It is so much fun to hear about what you all are up to back in the States, or for some of you, in Canada, Mongolia, or elswhere.

    I'm sure (some of) you are aching to hear about Itgel's initial field visit to the reindeer herders, which has just come to a close. I could write a novel about what our staff has been up to in the last month, (and that's not just because I'm a talker!). But I will try to par it down to the juicy highlights to hold your interest, but please feel free to drop me a line if you are interested in hearing more about any of the topics I outline below.

    Liliana, our Program Director, and myself, departed Ulaanbaatar on August 1st for Mongolia's northern-most province, Hovsgol. As part of a relatively large international team, including foreign and Mongolian NGOs, and translators, we were quite a force on the go. We headed out of town in two Russian vans and one Russian jeep overland on a 36-hour trek towards the town of Tsaagan Nuur. Jason, our Project Assistant, remained in Ulaanbaatar (UB) to await the arrival of internationally-known Canadian veterinarian, Dr. Jerry Haigh, whose visit was sponsored by The Itgel Foundation. In the two weeks before Jason and Jerry met Lilai and me up in Tsaagan Nuur, we had a lot of wonderful experiences.

    Needless to say, reuniting with all the reindeer-herding Tsaatan/Dukha people was like seeing old friends for me. Their hospitality was wonderful, and they opened up their tee-pees to me and Lil as though we were family. We always enjoyed being tucked in at night with reindeer pelts and big canvas blankets by our protective hostess, Ohtonbayar, but when the mornings came, it was time for lots to be done.

    Working alongside State Veterinarian, Dr. Nansalmaa, the leading Mongolian reindeer expert, Lilai and I helped treat over 2 dozen reindeer with ailments ranging the full-spectrum in severity. The supplies Itgel provided for this work were a welcome treat for Nansalmaa, and we are pleased to announce that under her supervision, we administered the first-ever injection of the broad-spectrum antibiotic "NuFlor" to the Mongolian reindeer herd. The contribution of this drug came from our supportive sponsor, Schering-Plough Animal Health, based in New Jersey, whose multi-year commitment to our project will truly help ensure that the herd's strength and health is restored.

    Although it's tough to slow her down once she has gotten started for the day, we managed to pull Nansalmaa away for some interviews with herders with our excellent translator, Bindi. In these interviews, we collected the latest population statistics on the herd, and discussed in more detail the advancement of an Artificial Insemination (AI) program. The herders couldn't have been more excited. When Jerry arrived, the buzz only heightened, as eager herders engaged in tutorials and clinics with Jerry on what preparations will be necessary for an AI program to progress.

    Jerry's experience with AI in cervids (deer) is perhaps second to none in the world. Since his ground-breaking success at the first-ever AI in Red Deer twenty years ago, his research and personal interests have led him towards developing similar techniques in related species. Some of his impressive collection of publications can be found on the web for those of you who are interested, and his new book "Wrestling with Rhinos," is a fun read available in many bookstores. Furthermore, as a top professor at the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary medicine, the contacts he has secured back in North America in support of our research endeavors will no doubt prove invaluable.

    Under the leadership of Nansalmaa and Jerry, our staff also conducted a mass test for the disease Brucellosis in the reindeer herd by collecting over 100 serum samples during Jerry's 10 days in the field. Such a test has been direly needed for some time, and when we returned to UB, Jason, Jerry, Nansalmaa, and Lilai spent three days in the State Vet Lab tediously running the samples and collecting results. The data yielded from this effort mark a significant accomplishment for our team, and steps are already being taken to move forward with a management and vaccination program for the disease Brucellosis.

    Of course we didn't work ALL the time, and many fun evenings were spent singing with familes in the countryside, teaching Jason how to wash dishes "Mongol-style," and of course, lots and lots of horseback riding. I probably rode more than 100 miles in the last few weeks reaching each and every one of the 35 reindeer herding families in Mongolia.

    The taiga terrain of the herders is even more splendid than I had remembered it. Dense forests and trecherous swamps make riding tough, but the breathtaking vistas revealed at the top of high mountain passes, peering towards the peaks of Siberia just a few miles off, made the long days truly beautiful. So did the supply of Snickers we had in our saddle bags.

    Towards the end of our field visit, Lilai departed the taiga of Hovsgol province early, for the distant province of Dordgov, in Mongolia's Gobi desert. It was there that she reunited with her dear former music teacher, Dadsuren, and initiated work on Itgel's partner project, the Dadsuren Traditional Music Fund. Joining her on her trip to the Gobi was an independent radio producer from the US, who was eager to chronicle her reunion with Dadsuren, and the beginning stages of Itgel's project to construct a traditional music school in the master's name. We hear that there was much music to be heard, both from Dadsuren and Lilai, who were even invited to perform at a traditional wedding in the Gobi together. The night sounds like one more suited for television than radio, with plentiful drinking of fermented horse milk, and a ger packed full of 70 plus people in their best attire. Lil was even "forced" to drink, or attempt to drink, a 13 LITER bowl full of the sour beverage when the whole wedding party decided to tease her a bit. (Lilai, and our bathroom, are still recovering days later!)

    More updates will soon follow about the progress of the Dadsuren music school for the preservation of the Long Song trdaition, as we will all be heading down to the Gobi again during the month of September.

    In other news (literally), I am happy to report that Itgel is not only gaining the media's attention in North America, but in the land of our work as well We were featured in a two-page spread in Mongolia's "Onoodor" newspaper, a premiere periodical of the capital city. We were also cited during a radio interview on Mongolian National Radio with the three-person reindeer herder delegation that joined us in UB for our series of government meetings. That 20-minute program has since been broadcast several times throughout Mongolia.

    Although the work steadily progresses, and spirits are all high, there are many challenges to this work that surely make things "interesting." Financial, logistical, and beauracratic obstacles have not been few, but motivate us to stay on our toes at all times. Our staff has proven to be more devoted than I ever could have imagined, and plans seem to be falling into place for Itgel's projects in the coming years. With that, I appeal to all our friends and donors (you all) to pass on news of our efforts, and help us in expanding our donor base, and our contact list. In order to be successful, our fundraising must of course continue, and with that, we need everyone's help. If you can think of anyone who might be interested in the work that Itgel performs, or in learning more about our organization and its steady growth and many successes, please pass on their names to us, or simply forward this newsletter to them.

    In closing, for now, may I add a sincere thanks to all of you who have contributed generously to our Foundation, and to those whose emotional and in-kind support has propeled our projects, our organization, and our spirits in ways that I can only dream of articulating. None of this would be possible without the concerns, words, and actions of all of Itgel's friends!

For now, all our best, and many thanks!

~Morgan and the Itgel team

P.S. As an incentive for not overlooking Itgel's E-newsletter in your inbox, and as a special thanks to those whose enthusiasm for our cause goes into the "fan club" realm of support, we will periodically offer a "POP QUIZ" over E mail for those interested. The quiz will be on random details of our field season, and relevant Mongolian tidbits, so read and listen carefully! For those who reply with all correct answers, you will receive a special gift, straight from the land of Chinggis Haan, upon Itgel's return to the U.S.!

Fourth Newsletter

Dear Friends of Itgel,

Since we can't seem to help the ever-growing length of our newsletters, we hope you'll bear with us as we share with you our latest project updates, and notes from the field, in Itgel's fourth newsletter for our 2004 season.

But in case you don't make it all the way thru, please visit the following links for new and exciting surprises:

For new field photos, visit: www.itgel.org

For a recent National Geographic News article highlighting the research of The Itgel Foundation, visit:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1012_041012_mongolia_reindeer.html

"All in a Day's Work"

By Morgan Keay, Executive Director

     It was one of those moments, staring down at the tops of snow-covered 4000 meter peaks from the summit of a rugged pass in northern Mongolia, that amused me to be just another day at the office.?With the wind and snow slapping the Itgel staff, our two horse guides, and trusted translator, Badama, in the face, it seemed more like a scene from an adventure book than a work day. But alas, here we were, half way through our second field season in Hovsgol's taiga, headed west towards the winter camps of four Tsaatan reindeer herding families, in order to complete our field-season objectives.

     First and foremost, we were there to inject the entire reindeer herd with the anti-parasite drug, Ivomec, which was generously donated by the American-based Reindeer Owners and Breeders Association (ROBA), and corporate sponsors Merial Pharmaceuticals, and Exel International. In addition, we were excited to distribute herd record-keeping books that had been requested by Tsaatan families and were prepared by Itgel staff throughout September. It was these two tasks that filled the bulk of our three week excursion north, but I am happy to report on these and many other satellite projects, in this, our fourth newsletter.

     On October 8th, the Itgel team piled into the familiar Russian van, and endured the 36-hour drive over steppe, frozen rivers, and snow from Ulaanbaatar to the remote village of Tsaagan Nuur. We are happy to report that this time our van did not collapse through any bridges or get disastrously stuck in the mud, which was a novel experience for us. This was to be the second and final part of our 2004 field work on the Reindeer Life Project, and there was much to be done in the 18 days ahead. And so, after only one wretched day of motion sickness-induced rest in Tsaagan Nuur, we saddled up and rode off to visit the eighteen families of the East Taiga. Our four days amongst the East camps unfolded under perfect blue skies, and could not have gone more smoothly. Local Tsaatan vet tech, Ganba, worked alongside our team, making injections of Ivomec, collecting sera samples for disease research, and distributing vet supplies to herders with ill reindeer. Unbeknownst to us at the time, only a few days later we would be wading through waist-deep snow in 40 below zero temperatures, towing our horses behind us towards the more remote families of the notoriously rugged West Taiga.

     While the road to the West Taiga families was indeed grueling, our efforts had only just begun upon our arrival. While Jason was busy collecting fresh fecal samples (eeww) from reindeer for parasite analysis in the lab, Krista began a photo survey of each reindeer in order to initiate a digital record of the herd. Lilai kept busy playing her flute for curious families and recording data on blood samples. But perhaps our most significant work was the continuation of dialogues about our reindeer Artificial Insemination program for 2005. The overwhelming enthusiasm from families in both taigas reconfirmed our commitment to this project, and with our logistical and technical preparations continuing smoothly, it seems it will be this time next year that the genetic benefits of AI will become a reality for this population. Therefore, our staff is gearing up to put our fundraising hats back on and work towards meeting our financial needs for this important upcoming work.

     And to get us especially fueled up for this pursuit was some very exciting news that welcomed us back from our field season last week. On October 12th, while we were off in Hovsgol, an article was released in National Geographic News highlighting our current research and the Itgel-sponsored visit of Canadian veterinarian, Jerry Haigh. And so, we are proud to share with you, the following link to this story, which reflects our achievements and reiterates the need for our sustained efforts:

    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1012_041012_mongolia_reindeer.html

     In light of this article, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation has picked up the story and conducted on-air interviews with Jerry Haigh in the days following its release. We are also keeping our fingers crossed that the thirty-five New York Times periodicals around the world that requested syndication of the piece will come through. Itgel is always looking for new friends and supporters, and hopefully this surge of media attention will be just the thing to kick off 2005.

"The Road Home"

By Liliana Goldman, Program Director

    Coming back to Ulaanbaatar after a trip in the Mongolian countryside is always an experience in true culture shock, if not body shock. In addition to regaining all the weight we tend to lose during field excursions, our staff seems to find ourselves immediately immersed in a city-world, characterized by fast cars, ATMs, and business meetings. Not to mention, manure-covered work boots just don't fly in this cosmopolitan city! So once again, we were not surprised to find that our happiness at returning to Ulaanbaatar last week was simultaneously accompanied with the strangest feeling that we had indeed stepped onto the soil of an entirely different planet. But there was no time for contemplation, as we hit the ground running on the home stretch of our 2004 field season in Mongolia. Our hectic schedule has been chock-full of things like giving lectures, attending a multitude of scheduled meetings, hearing all about the World Series and even watching the United States Presidential Election at the U.S. Embassy.

    Of course the Internet cafe (Itgel's make-shift office) tends to swallow up the bulk of our time, but we are happy to share that we have something to show for all those hours behind the monitor: Itgel photographer, Krista Johns, has posted her latest photos on our recently-updated website, www.itgel.org, which we hope you all have been frequenting. Click on the links under Current Field Season to see shots of the gang in action, and to remind yourselves how nice it is to be in a warm house in the States (or Canada)!

    From out here in the cold, we send a warm hello, and early holiday greetings to all of you who are still happy to receive these newsletters and updates. We hope you have all been well and safe during these eventful days, and we look forward to seeing many of you upon our approaching return to the United States.

BEST TO ALL!

~The Itgel Team

    Morgan Keay, Liliana Goldman, Jason Johns, Krista Johns