St. Lawrence University: Desert Ecology
Desert Ecology (Spring 2006) is a course that covers all four SW deserts (Chihuahuan, Sonoran, Mojave, Great Basin) in depth to create a backdrop for the cross-country field excursion at the end of the semester. Topics covered in class were animal and plant adaptation to harsh conditions, geology, micro-organisms, conservation, culture, and climate to name a few. Seven students and I traveled cross-country for 21 days and stopped at numerous locations to observe characteristic desert species. Students spent several days exploring their independent research experiment in the Sonoran Desert near Saguaro National Park as well as at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.