June 8, 2001
In Memory of a Friend of Galapagos
Gayle lived a simple, dedicated, and utterly loyal life. Her energy was directed toward the conservation of the Enchanted Islands with a consistency that is hard to equal. She truly loved the animals and plants and even when she left the islands for the last time she wanted to be sure that the little Scalesia plant in the garden would be watered and cared for, even before her own health.
She was not a great swimmer but cared as much for the sharks and fish as for the finches and her beloved "iggies". She had a deep awareness for the well-being of all animals and had a special rapport with those she tended. These included blue-footed boobies, shearwaters, and the wonderful Fred, a swallow tailed gull. And who can forget Whish? Gayle spent hours in the sun and rain gathering Whish berries and caterpillars from the saltbushes. Whish changed from a bedraggled infant to a sleek, sharp-eyed, tool-using finch. She was thrilled that this bird sought the shelter of her body when the rain beat down, clutching her fingers and gently snoozing until the storm had passed. She would be aghast and furious at the news that another longliner from Costa Rica had been released with 1000 shark fins aboard.
Many people have already pointed out her untiring work in the library and the unstinted help offered to all who approached her for assistance. But Gayle was much more than this and I think we should use the example of her life to promote a better future for the Galapagos
A few weeks before her death I drove her to the sink holes, known as the Gemelos, for this was one of the places we loved most on Santa Cruz. The green canopy of Scalesia trees with their nodding daisy flowers and the staccato call of the carpenter finches was a delight to her senses. At her feet doves wandered and in the nearby trees finches and vermillion flycatchers busied themselves, far from the rattle and concussive racket of the town, which she hated. She lay down and dozed surrounded by this tiny heaven on earth. Gayle truly lived Galapagos. She knew its beauty and sorrow, the conservation efforts to save it and the dark forces of destruction that threaten to destroy it.
If there is one thing we can do in her memory and to calm her agitated dreams it is to redouble the conservation efforts to preserve the one place on earth to which she gave her life and untiring energy. I do not throw this out as a platitude. She showed that we can live in a gentle harmony with nature through a deep appreciation of what nature really is. That it will only survive if we love it as part of our lives, both in a physical and spiritual sense. That greed and aggression are the enemies of peace and fulfilllment.
Godfrey Merlen,
Husband to Gayle, Conservationist
Gayle Davis was this "gringo's" guide as I learned to become a Galapagos Naturalist. She encouraged me in my first faltering attempts at interpreting wildlife. As I struggled to combine in a coherent speech my appreciation of the beauty of the swallow tailed gull and the red-billed tropicbird on the cliffs at South Plaza with my new-found scientific knowledge of these creatures, her support made all the difference.
It was Gayle who, in 1987, pulled the anarchic pool of knowledge from among resident and visitng scientists, park wardens, residents, old guides, and officials from the National Park Service and the Research Station, and molded it into probably the best naturalist guide-training course in the world. It was not the best just because it changed my life and opened me up to a new appreciation of Earth's beauty, although that would have been enough. But also because in my subsequent experience as a naturalist guide trainer and eco-tourism specialist around the world, I have found that my standards were set higher than most as a result of that course.
No one who ever saw the data books that Gayle maintained on guides' observations on frigate, booby, and flamingo nesting behavior and a range of other data could fail to have been amazed by her dedication and thoroghness in the cause of conservation. This, in reality, was the first program monitoring tourism's impacts in the Islands.
Whenever I visited Puerto Ayora, I looked forward most to seeing Gayle and to hearing her thoughts on developments in the Islands. Gayle's commitment and lifelong dedication to conservation in the Galapagos was and continues to be an inspiration to me. She played her part in making the world a better place. Her smile, and her love of nature's beauty will be a lasting memory for those of us lucky enough to have known her.
Andrew Drumm,
Naturalist Guide
When I first came to the Charles Darwin Research Station in 1991, the first person I met was Gayle. Back then, I wanted more than anything to become a marine biologist here in Galapagos. I met Gayle in "her space", the library, where despite the sign to promote silence, she was very keen to listen to my dreams and gave me ideas of how I could be part of the Station.
She sent me to talk to then-sub-director, Pablo Larrea, who told me, much to my despair, that there was no marine biology department...yet. In that month I spent in 1991, Gayle was always willing to talk with me, to point out documents I should read, people I should contact, all of these with a big smile. But more than anything, she was willing to share her love for the islands and her passion for their conservation.
I guess my time spent with Gayle took root in me, as I can hardly imagine myself outside of these islands. I learned from her to respect and love the islands, and to work for their conservation. Thank you, Gayle, for everything. I'll miss you.
Veronica Toral,
CDRS Coordinator for the Marine Species Research Program
I remember knowing Gayle first at the CDRS when she was in charge of the Van Straelen Interpretation Center project. I used to stop there every time to say hello. I was a young "green" naturalist then and always looked up at these "giants" of science and conservation.
We were merely "communicators" while scientists "emitted" the information and that was awesome to us youngsters. Yet Gayle, even though she lectured at the most famous courses the Park and Station ever gave, was always accessible, open, and available. She had it in her to care about nature, including human nature.
When I think of her the word "genuine" leaps to my mind. She was, is, and always will be genuine. She was what she believed in: a staunch conservationist and humanist the same.
And when one lives life in such a straightforward manner, however brief the passage, no matter how unfair, one can never die. As with her steadfastness, her deeds live on in the minds and hearts of those she touched.
Felipe Degel,
Naturalist Guide, Guide Relations Officer for the Galapagos National Park Service
Press Contact:
Charles Darwin Research Station
Galapagos-Ecuador
E-mail: cdrs@fcdarwin.org.ec
Visit: www.darwinfoundation.org
Phone/Fax: 593-5-526-147/146