2024-25 On-Ice Conservation Updates
Ross Island
Members of the Trust’s 2024-25 On-Ice Conservation team touched down on Ross Island in late November. Since then, they have undertaken work tasks on historic explorer bases at Scott Base, Hut Point, and most recently, Cape Royds.
For Trust Archaeologists Emma St Pierre and Jeremy Moyle, their first season in Antarctica has begun with a sense of excitement around uncovering more of the rich history of these sites. They have just completed a critical archaeological assessment at the site of Shackleton’s iconic Nimrod hut, building on work undertaken by Trust Heritage Consultant Gord MacDonald last season.
“Our work at Cape Royds involved a thorough documentation of the site conditions and a detailed mapping of artefact distributions,” Emma explained. “By carefully recording the current state of the site and the location of artefacts, we create a baseline record that will serve as a foundation for future conservation efforts and help us better understand how the site was utilised by early explorers.”
Jeremy noted “It’s been great to bring an archaeological lens to the site again. Getting onto the ground at Cape Royds has really got us thinking about the stories that the hut, artefacts, and landscape can tell us about Shackleton’s team and the other layers of history at the site.”
Next stop for the Ross Island conservation team is Cape Evans. There, Emma and Jeremy will continue to work closely with the Trust’s conservators on what may be the most extensive archaeological assessment ever undertaken at the site.
Follow the Trust’s social channels for regular updates from the Ross Island team throughout the season.
Cape Adare
In a significant step towards being able to start the initial conservation of the first dwelling ever constructed on the Antarctic continent, Trust Conservator Nicola Stewart successfully reached Cape Adare in late November in an event led by Antarctica New Zealand. Nicola accompanied experts from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) explosives ordnance squad to conduct a crucial assessment of the area surrounding Carsten Borchgrevink’s British Antarctic Southern Cross Expedition (1898-1900) base.
The team’s primary objective was to identify any historic ammunition, explosives, and flares potentially buried at the hut site. “It’s an honour to be a part of this critical mission,” Nicola remarked. “By addressing these safety concerns, we can pave the way for future conservation of this unparalleled piece of Antarctic heritage.”
The successful deployment to Cape Adare marks a significant milestone in the Trust’s ongoing collaboration with Antarctica New Zealand and NZDF after the team weren’t able to deploy to site last season.
“We are thrilled to have Nicola and the team on-site, taking this essential step towards safeguarding the historic huts,” said Executive Director Francesca Eathorne. “The new information they gathered will now be analysed, and if necessary, plans will be made for the disposal of any concerning historic ordnance. This visit has only been possible because of multi-agency collaboration. A huge thanks to event leader and logistics provider Antarctica New Zealand, NZDF and the Italian National Programme who also provided key logistics support.”
