This fieldcourse emphasizes firsthand observations of desert and forest communities in the southwestern United States. We consider the geological forces that shaped the landscape and the distributions of the native communities. We also explore the ecological relationships of the communities and identify selected species that characterize them. The class is intended for biology majors, but others are welcome to inquire. It is recommended that students complete at least 12 hours of biology courses prior to taking in the fieldcourse. Students must have an appropriate attitude for traveling about 2,500 miles in a university van and camping in primitive campgrounds. Permission of the instructor must be obtained prior to enrollment.

During the initial planning phase, there were 2 versions of the spring fieldcourse in the southwestern United States. The "western" trip in 1999 covered the Sonoran Desert, Grand Canyon, and mountains of northern and southeastern Arizona. The "eastern" trip in 2000 covered the Chihuahuan Desert and mountains of southern New Mexico and West Texas. Subsequent courses have combined elements of these 2 routes and additional sites into a single fieldtrip. A proposed itinerary and description of the next trip are given below. To find out when the course is being offered during an upcoming spring semester, check the itinerary below or contact the instructor: Mark Eberle (meberle@fhsu.edu).

Background information for this course is provided through the various links on this website. The required books for the class are "Desert Ecology" by John Sowell, published in 2001 by the University of Utah Press (ISBN: 0-87480-678-X; paper cover) and "The View from Bald Hill" by Carl and Jane Bock, published in 2000 by the University of California Press (ISBN: 0-520-22184-2; paper cover). Students may also wish to purchase general guidebooks for some of the parks we visit or field guides for taxa in which they have a particular interest. A list of some of these books is available as a pdf file. Most of these books can be purchased through on-line booksellers, the National Park Service (links to parks are provided through this website), or other vendors.

For on-campus students, particularly undergraduate students, discussions may be held during the weeks leading up to the trip. They cover the assigned reading material and provide students with the opportunity to discuss and ask questions about topics covered in the reading assignments. Alternate arrangements can be made with off-campus students. All students must complete the study guide available through a link on the course homepage and submit it electronically (preferably as a Microsoft Word document) to the instructor by the end of February. During the trip, each student must record a thorough journal of their activities and observations in the ecosystems we explore. This journal and the study guide will provide the basis for the final report. Students also should be able to answer questions from the instructor during the trip. The study guide, the quality of the final report, and the level of class participation are used to determine the grades. Graduate students will have an additional task associated with the fieldtrip and should contact the instructor no later than January to make arrangements.

The cost of the van (about $1,000) is paid through the Department of Biological Sciences. Students must provide their own personal gear (a checklist is provided below). Space for gear is limited. Students share the costs of motels and campgrounds. Food costs are the responsibility of individual students, although group meals are likely for "picnic" lunches and meals in the campgrounds. If you have special dietary requirements, please notify the instructor. Estimated cost per person is $150 for room and board for the 7-day trip; souvenirs, film, etc. are extra. Students enroll in Ecological Field Study: Desert Southwest -- BIOL 607 (3 undergraduate hours) or BIOL 830 (3 graduate hours). The only other required cost for students is for the textbooks (about $38 total + tax or shipping). The cost of tuition depends on the residency status of the student. Students from contiguous states (Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma) and those eligible for the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP; residents of Michigan, Minnesota, and North Dakota) might pay reduced nonresident tuition. Students can check all categories of tuition on-line (this is a Microsoft Word document). Tuition is subject to change. Class size is limited to 9 students, so early contact with the instructor is essential.

Valley of Fires Lava Flows, White Sands National Monument, Chiricahua Mountains, Appleton-Whittell (Audubon) Research Ranch, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and Santa Catalina Mountains (Mount Lemmon)

On day 1, the trip to Alamogordo, New Mexico is about 650 miles, so we get an early start. Near the end of our journey on the first day, we take a short hike through the lava beds (el malpais = "badlands") in the Valley of Fires National Recreation Area, operated by the Bureau of Land Management near Carrizozo, New Mexico. Throughout the western United States, volcanism has played an important role in the creation of landscapes. These include mountainous composite volcanoes, such as the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona. Smaller cinder cones can be seen at Sunset Crater National Monument (also near Flagstaff) and Capulin Volcano National Monument in northeastern New Mexico. As with cinder cones, the lava flows at Valley of Fires emanated from the base of a small mound, called Little Black Peak, and flowed southward through the Tularosa Basin toward the gypsum dunes of White Sands National Monument

On day 2, we hike through the dunes of White Sands National Monument and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert. There are other gypsum sand dunes in the region, but these are the largest and most accessible. The shifting white sands and the contorted sheets of black lava in the Valley of Fires to the north each present unique challenges for organisms that inhabit them. Continuing on our second day, we travel west from White Sands for 2 nights at a campground in southeastern Arizona.

On day 3, we enjoy the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. These peaks are one of many isolated mountain ranges in the Southwest referred to as sky islands, which support "islands" of coniferous forest communities separated from each other by a "sea" of desert-scrub and desert-grassland communities. In the Chiricahua Mountains, montane species from the Southern Rocky Mountains mix with those from the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. The Chiricahua Mountains also are located between the Sonoran Desert to the west and the Chihuahuan Desert to the east. Streams in this area are renowned as bird-watching hot-spots.

On day 4, we again travel to the west to the National Audubon Society's Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch near Elgin, Arizona. Here, we spend the afternoon learning about the desert grassland ecosystem and the problems posed by introduced species. Research at the ranch is the focus of one of the required texts ("The View from Bald Hill").

On day 5, we make a daytrip to Tucson to visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum within the Arizona Upland portion of the Sonoran Desert. This 21-acre complex has 2 miles of paths through recreations of natural biological and geological features of the Sonoran Desert. The living displays include 2 aviaries (one devoted to hummingbirds), mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fishes, and invertebrates, as well as many species of plants.

On day 6, we leave the ranch and start the trip back to Kansas, but not before driving up Mount Lemmon (2,791 m = 9,157 feet) in the nearby Santa Catalina Mountains east of Tucson. Through a series of pre-planned stops, we will examine the differences in plant communities related to variations in precipitation, temperature, and solar radiation at several elevations and on different exposures.

On day 7, after spending another night in Alamogordo, New Mexico, our first overnight stop of the trip, we drive back to Hays, with 2 days left in the weekend to rest before returning to school on Monday.

     STUDENT GEAR
          "Desert Ecology" and "The View from Bald Hill" books
          3-ring notebook & clipboard
          1 sleeping bag
          1 sleeping pad
          1 pillow
          1 backpack or similarly-sized suitcase/dufflebag
          1 daypack/fannypack with water bottle(s)
              ALL ITEMS LISTED BELOW MUST FIT IN YOUR SUITCASE AND DAYPACK — VAN SPACE IS LIMITED
             clothing for 7 days
             sweatshirt or sweater
             light raincoat
             hat (for protection from sun and rain)
             comfortable walking shoes (preferably waterproof) — break-in new shoes BEFORE the trip
             one extra pair of shoes/sandals
             toiletries/medicines
             bath towel
             sunglasses
             sunscreen
             insect repellent
             pen (RECOMMENDED: Uni-ball Vision Micro (waterproof/fade-proof ink) available at Wal-Mart)
             camera
             flashlight
             binoculars
             driver's license
             proof of health insurance
             credit card/cash (for food, plus whatever souvenirs, books, etc. that you may want to purchase)
             class materials provided by instructor
     ITEMS PROVIDED BY THE UNIVERSITY / INSTRUCTOR
          van and gas
          camp stove and cooking utensils
          tents
          ice chests & coolers
          admission fees
          field guides (a collection of field guides will be provided by the instructor; you may wish to bring your own bird guide)

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