Desert Course plans: installment 1
DESERT ECOLOGY COURSE INFORMATION (first round)
GROUP MEETING:
It would be good to have a brief group meeting sometime soon so that we can deal with logistics of
camping gear, general questions, etc. efficiently. However, at this point, I think it is reasonable for
you to go ahead and work on travel plans.
Here are times that would work for me for organizational meeting: each of you please get
back to me RIGHT AWAY as to which work/don’t work for you, and we’ll hope for the best.
- Thurs 18 Nov: 4-5 pm
- Mon 22 Nov: 2-4 pm
- Tues 23 Nov: all morning, 2-5 pm
- Wed 24 Nov: anytime before 3 pm
- Thanksgiving dinner
SEND ME A NOTE (or email: kwoods@bennington.edu) on this SOON, AND ALSO GIVE
ME PHONE NUMBER/EMAIL that I can use to contact you.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS:
Make your airline (or whatever) arrangements to arrive in Phoenix on Saturday, 8 Jan (or before,
but you’ll be on your own until we rendezvous on 8th). If flying into Phoenix on the 8th, try to
arrange flights for arrival as early as possible, even if it means getting up really early (so that we’ll
have useful time in the afternoon); it would be great if we could rendezvous by noon or very shortly
thereafter, but we’ll see. We will try to visit the Heard Museum either that afternoon or first thing
next morning.
Get your airline schedule to me as soon as you know it (if you’re traveling earlier or not
flying, let me know details and we’ll work out rendezvous).
We’ll return to Phoenix on 28th, and you should plan on departure on 29th. I will arrange for
people getting to airport on 29th; again, if you stay longer, you’ll be on your own. If you’re traveling
other than by air, let me know plans and we’ll work things out as best we can.
SCHEDULE:
Here is the proposed schedule; the interior parts of it may change, of course, as logistics require. I
will have more details before long, including contact points for emergencies and so forth.
8 Jan
Rendezvous in Phoenix: visit to Heard Museum or Desert Botanical Garden
(or first thing next morning). Motel
9-15 Jan
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: Lower Sonoran natural history;
natural area management; first research project. Camping.
16 Jan
Travel To Tucson: visit Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Motel
17 Jan
Santa Catalina Mountains: gradient study; ‘sky island’ island biogeography.
Continue to Santa Rita Experimental Range bunkhouse.
18-24 Jan
Santa Rita Experimental Range: desert grassland; mesquite; grazing
ecology; day-trip to Patagonia-Sonoita area. Second research project.
Desert Course plans: installment 1
25 Jan
Travel to Joshua Tree National Park. Camp.
(Alternate: travel to Chiricahua National Monument)
26-27 Jan
Joshua Tree National Park. Camp.
(Alternate: explorations of Chihuahuan Desert natural history, NM)
28 Jan
Travel to Phoenix: (Alternate: stop Casa Grande Nat. Mon.)
29 Jan
Departure
BOOKS AND READING:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE, try to find and read a couple of these to begin getting the ‘feel’ of the place
(all are ‘easy reading’).
Nabhan, Gary Paul. Harvesting the Desert. (An ethnobotanical account, mostly about the
Tohono O’odham; or other books by Nabhan.)
Kappel-Smith, Diana. Desert Time. (A naturalist-writer on her travels around the southwest;
well-written and a nice selection of views of the desert.)
Alcock, John. Sonoran Desert Spring. (A field biologist’s essays and observations.)
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you purchase, (either ahead of time, or in AZ – likely available in
bookshops at Museums/Parks):
A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert. Published by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
(edited by Steven Phillips, Patricia Comus)
The Deserts of the Southwest: A Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide is also good, but the first
one is better.
ALSO, take it upon yourself to do some exploring in the journals to start getting ideas about what
interests you, what(those of you with science background, look for some research papers; others
explore natural history and environmental magazines like Natural History, Audubon, etc.). Do
some searches in Infotrak, scientific databases on “Sonoran Desert” or something like that. Or surf
the Web a bit.
You may want to equip yourself with appropriate field guides.
For birds: several choices, some specifically western, some covering the country. I like the
National Geographic guide, Birds of North America; Golden Guide’s Birds of North America works
well, also, and is more compact.
For plants: there are many choices, none perfect. I’ll be bringing some plant references
along. You may just want to wait and see what is available at bookstore at Museum or Visitor
Center at Organ Pipe.
OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD BRING (some can be bought in AZ):
You should have your own sleeping bag and ground pad. We will coordinate tents so as to
have sufficient and not surplus.
Flashlight (headlamps are nice, and a spare wouldn’t hurt) and batteries.
Good hiking shoes (you’ll probably want a pair of comfortable shoes and/or a pair of
sandals as well).
Desert Course plans: installment 1
A pair of small needle-nose pliers and a stiff comb (jumping cholla extraction)
A good pocket knife (but put it in your checked luggage; can’t carry it on plane).
AT LEAST TWO liter water-bottles
SUNSCREEN
A handy day-pack or fanny-pack or some other arrangement for carrying light gear
(including water bottles) on hikes and day-trips away from camp/housing
Clothes for diverse conditions: days may be up to 90s, nights may get close to freezing.
Layers are good. Fleece is great. Good socks to go with hiking shoes. HAT. A light raincoat is a
good idea (there can be rain, and it can also be a good wind-shell).
TWO comfortable NOTEBOOKS/LOGBOOKS (one, easily portable, for field, one for more
formal logbook)
WORK PLANS and ASSIGNMENTS:
The course has two objectives: 1) to learn what you can about the desert – history, natural history,
culture, etc. – , through observation, reading, conversation, asking questions, etc.; 2) to learn to
how to formulate and answer your own questions about the landscape by approaching it as a
scientist. (I do understand that you are coming from different places in this respect; that is not a
problem. Everybody can do this; you just start with different tools in hand.)
I expect you to be engaged in this all the time, regardless of specific assignment. If you’re
not able and anxious to explore and learn through your own initiative, this is NOT the right place for
you! However, there will also be a few formal ‘assignments’. Some new ones may arise, but
here’s how the structure looks at the outset:
1. Each of you will keep a field log – a naturalist’s notebook. This will be a place to record
observations, questions, reflections as they arise. You will work in these every day – often more
than once per day. They may include synthetic, essay-like reflections, simple observations,
transcriptions of field notes, sketches, notes to yourself, and (definitely) questions that you draw
from your observations. You will probably want to make this a 2-stage thing; rough notes and
observations in a comfortable field book, with transcription and ‘neatening’ into a more formal
logbook. Expect 2-3 pages per day for the logbook.
2. There will be two rounds of research projects. Each of you (either individually or in pairs)
will design and execute one original field-research project at Organ Pipe, one at Santa Ritas. You
will define your own research question and research approach, but this will happen with lots of
group discussion before, during, and after. There will be write-ups of these research projects, but
these may be completed after Arizona.
3. A post-course paper that may take any of a number of directions, but should be based
on questions, problems, proposals (environmental, esthetic, scientific,...) That originate with you
and spring from the experience.