David in Chapel Hill,
I forwarded this appeal to the Weekly News Update, which is an excellent
6-page summary of news events in the Americas. Many activists read and
respond with faxes and phone calls. Hope it makes it into the Update.

David in Durham


>>Subject:    National Museum of Natural History (MONTEVIDEO)
>>Author: Fabrizio Scarabino <[log in to unmask]>
>>Date:       05/02/2000 11:51 AM
>>
>>Dear all,
>>
>>As it  happened to other museums of the world, the National Museum of
>>Natural History of Montevideo today confronts a crisis that threatens
>>its disappearance.
>>
>>For more than 5 years the Ministry of Education and Culture has known that
>>the Museum must evict the building it had been using during the last
>>100 years, and it has not foreseen to fit out a new site for the Museum.
>>Now it
>>argues the lack of funds to send "temporarily" the material that the Museum
>>stores to a series of unsuitable locales.
>>
>>All the collections and the exposition of Anthropology have been sent to
>>another two museums, the part of the exposition of fauna was baled in a
>>precarious way and is deteriorating in a deposit with humidity and
>>leaks, the library will be carried to another deposit and the destination of
>>the scientific collections is uncertain, although it is likely that they
>>will be stockpiled with what once was the exposition of fauna.
>>
>>Up to now there has not been concrete proposals of the Ministry for
>>constructing, buying or conditioning in the close future a new site for the
>>Museum so that it can operate correctly, achieving the educational and
>>research tasks this type of institution should fulfill in the present time.
>>We run the risk that this wrong "temporal"solution becomes the definitive
>>one because of the lack of understanding by the Ministry of the importance
>>that the museums of Natural History play at the present time (especially
>>with the potentialities they have to face the current environmental crisis),
>>and that at this time of crisis the Museum ends up by disappearing divided
>>in parts that fade in old deposits in ruin.
>>
>>After patient and vain intents of reasoning and negotiating with the
>>responsible authorities, we have arrived to a point of no return that
>>requires taking desperate measurements. In fact the problems have become
>>dramatically worse last week .
>>
>>In order to accompany our efforts we are requesting you to send fax
>>to Mr. Minister of Education and Culture from Uruguay, Antonio
>>Mercader, expressing that you have been informed that the Uruguayan Museum
>>is beeing disarticulated, that this is a shame, that the scientific and
>>educational values of an institution like this are incalculable and that it
>>deserves efforts by the Uruguayan government for its conservation.
>>FAX: (5982) is Uruguay+Montevideo + 9161048.
>>
>>Fax numbers of some Uruguayan Embassies are:
>>
>>Berlin (004930) 2292839
>>Bogota D. E. (571) 2483734
>>Brasilia (5561) 3226534
>>Bruxelles (322) 6482909
>>Buenos Aires (005411) 48073050
>>Canberra (6126) 2739099
>>Chicago (312) 6423470
>>Stockholm (468) 6653166
>>London (0044207) 5819585
>>Los Angeles (310) 3945140
>>Madrid (003491)
>>Miami (1305) 4437802
>>Moscow (7095) 9382045
>>New York (1718/212/7531603)
>>Paris (33) 0145012517
>>Pretoria (9512) 3626523
>>Roma (3906) 4823695
>>Santiago (562) 2047772
>>Washington D. C. (202) 331-8142
>>Wellington (644) 476 2268
>>
>>Letters to the President of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay, Dr. Jorge L.
>>Batlle, refering the situation of the Museum can be sent to the ennumerated
>>fax numbers.
>>
>>We especially request that you also forward this letter to other e-mail
>>lists, colleagues and institutions of your and foreign countries. This is
>>the best way to inform about the situation here in Uruguay, and to get the
>>support from the international scientific community for our efforts to avoid
>>the disappearance of the National Museum of Natural History of Montevideo.
>>
>>Thanks for your support.
>>
>>Fabrizio Scarabino &
>>Alvaro Soutullo