May 21, 2004
"Journey to the Island"
by Haley Houghton

Six months ago I got it in my head that I wanted to go to Madagascar to do field work. Where this idea came from, I have no idea. With my advisor and parents supporting the idea, I decided to go for it. I sent out resumes and cover letters to everyone I could find who was doing research in Madagascar. Most people responded with a polite e-mail stating that they didn't need anymore help, and some helpful people even gave me the names and contact information of other researchers who might need help. It was in this way in January that I first heard of Luke's research. The fossa project was exactly what I was looking for, so I contacted Luke right away. By February plans were finalized. I was going to be part of Team Fossa. Once I'd found a researcher and a project, I needed to find funding. Luckily, I got plenty of financial assistance from my college. I applied for a Marlboro College Town Meeting Scholarship and was granted funds to cover my MICET fees (research permits, etc.), some camping gear, and tent fees at Ankarafantsika for part of the summer. Marlboro College also awarded me a Summer Internship Grant to cover the time I'm spending working and not getting paid. With my parents agreeing to pay for the plane ticket and other family members making generous contributions, I was able to scrape together the remaining funds myself. It took a lot of time and energy to find a suitable project, get funding, and prepare for the trip, but I got a lot of support from my family, friends, and advisors. Without their help, I might not be here sitting under a mango tree in between fossa trap checks watching a gecko devour spider.