NOVEMBER 2007 E-NEWS
WMF on the Web

WMF in the News

BBC News: Public to view 'unseen' at St. Paul's with photo gallery

 

Travel + LeisureBoomtown Beijing with slideshow

 

Smithsonian Magazine: Unearthing Egypt's Greatest Temple

 
The Moscow Times: Building on the Past
 
Building Design:
2007 Hadrian Award Luncheon
Ambassador Balki Ilkin, Semahat Arsel, Rahmi Koc, and WMF Chairman Ambassador W.L. Lyons Brown 
On October 19, we celebrated our 20th annual Hadrian Award Luncheon at the Pierre Hotel in New York City--our most successful yet.  Read more about our honorees, the
Koç family; watch this year's award video; and view a slideshow of WMF's preservation work in Turkey.
 
Photo: Ambassador Baki Ilkin, Semahat Arsel, Rahmi M. Koc, and WMF Chairman Ambassador W.L. Lyons Brown.  Photo by Mary Hilliard.
Global Climate Change Threatens Historic Sites

KilwaWith increasing momentum, our changing environment is jeopardizing the world's heritage. The 2008 World Monuments Watch List highlighted the dangers of climate change to historic sites. 

 

Read more about sites endangered by the effects of climate change like Scott's Hut in Antarctica, Canada's Herschel Island, and the Kilwa Historic Sites in Tanzania (above).

 
Sustainable Tourism Grants Program

Increases in tourism can impose additional pressures on historic sites and local communities.  Earlier this month, WMF and our longtime corporate partner American Express announced the Sustainable Tourism Program with $4 million in grants over four years to address issues relating to tourism and cultural heritage site around the world.

 

Read more about the initiative and view a slideshow of the initial four projects.

WMF Members Return from China
Last month, 27 WMF members joined staff and tour guides on an excursion to China, where travelers were given exclusive access to WMF sites and projects.  Ragan Rhyne, our Membership Manager, recounts the journey.
 
I've just returned from our ten-day trip to China, and what an amazing journey it was!  We began in Beijing with a behind-the-scenes tour of WMF's project at Emperor Qianlong's Garden in the Forbidden City.  Next was an architectural tour, including the Olympic stadium, and a trip to the Great Wall with expert David Spindler. 
 
Then it was off to Xi'an to visit the Terracotta Warriors.  Troops of lifesized statues lined excavation pits, ready to guard the Emperor in the afterlife.  We even got special access to walk out onto the floor with the warriors!  We finished our trip in cosmopolitan Shanghai where we learned about preservation initiatives in the French Concession, and visited the Shanghai Museum.  We bid farewell on our last evening with dinner and drinks overlooking the city.
 
I hope you'll join us for the next WMF trip as we head off to the Himalayan region of Ladakh in India.  Email me at membership@wmf.org for more information about participating in our travel program.
 
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