A trust funding the biography of teacher and scientist Dr Lance Richdale, well known for his work on yellow-eyed penguins and albatrosses, is facing a $20,000 shortfall for the project.
As nothing had been written about Dr Richdale, who had a worldwide reputation in his field, the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust and Otago Peninsula Trust joined forces to set up the Lance Richdale Trust Inc in 2009 to fund the publishing of the biography.
Dr Richdale oversaw the first hatching of a royal albatross at Taiaroa Head, camping beside the nest to protect the egg and, later, the chick from predators, as part of his research into yellow-eyed penguins on Otago Peninsula, and published several ground-breaking papers on the species.
Trust chairman Bill Dawson said a budget of $65,000 had been set for the project, with the majority of funds expected to come from grant applications to various trusts.
Few trusts considered a biography met their objectives, so many applications were unsuccessful, he said.
The project was halfway through and needed to be completed in time for a November release, so the trust planned to continue to fundraise for the next two to three months.
"We need more 'popular support'," Mr Dawson said.
The biography was authored by Dunedin writer Neville Peat, with assistance from seabird scientist Christopher Robertson, who had worked with Dr Richdale.
Much of the cost had been incurred researching the book as it had required travelling to visit relatives to confirm information, he said.
