Purposes of Wilderness Research,Inc.

Roy Chapman Andrews of the American Museum of Natural History led five expeditions to the Gobi Desert in the 1920s and 1930s in search of the fossilized remains of  ancient life.

Andrews was both Indiana Jones and Steven Spielberg. By producing newsreel footage of his exploits, he was able to attract a national audience and secure financial support.

The American press and public are no longer excited by expeditions to the ends of the earth. In today’s tabloid culture, even space flight generates little enthusiasm.

Contemporary scientists must depend on research grants, and these tend to be allocated to large-scale, high-priority projects or to field work in areas that continue to resonate with the public, such as global warming.

Meanwhile, researchers seeking answers to other intellectual riddles posed by an ever-changing earth can only dream of findings they may never have a chance to make.

There simply isn’t enough grant money available for many independent researchers to mount a fully-equipped expedition on their own.

The purpose of Wilderness Research Foundation, Inc. is to create a mechanism within the private sector to further modern scientific exploration. Wilderness Research will do as an organization what Roy Chapman Andrews, Richard Byrd and their contemporaries did as individuals. It will raise the funds and mount the expeditions.