As of November 29, two mines at high-elevation have notified us that all field trip participants must have a letter stating that you are good for travel above 4000 m elevation. We cannot enter the mine without the letter.

The letter (note) should be on some kind of official letterhead and can be signed by any medical professional (doctor, nurse, etc.). The letter must contain your 1) your name, 2) your passport number, 3) your country of origin, 4) a statement to the effect that you are in good health and capable of travel / work at elevations above 4000 m.

We suggest you visit your university health center and get a note from an attending nurse. You might type out the note and have the nurse copy it onto official letterhead.

Please fax a copy of the letter to William X. Chavez at 505-835-5252 as soon as possible, before December 10. With the letters in hand and the other information we have requested from you we will be able to streamline our access to the mines.

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As to the health certification here is our experience: During our last field trip in January we were denied entrance to one of the mines at the gate because the field trip participants did not have notes from their doctors. We had not been informed that this would be a criteria for access. Six months later on another field trip to the same mine we all had our doctor's notes and had no problems receiving permission to enter.

These and other safety requirements are becoming more common and often appear with little or no advance warning. All the high elevation mines have very rigorous procedures that must be followed and these include a brief examination (blood pressure, oxygen level) at the mine clinic before entering the mine property. We do not know who sees the note; only that a copy is stamped and kept at the gate (commonly with some form of ID). We are only familiar with the history behind two cases as a guide: one individual simply wrote a statement on the doctor's prescription pad and the secretary had the doctor signed it; another individual simply went to their university health services where they were able to obtain a letter (2 sentences, I believe) on University letter head that seemed to work fine.