Texas 2010

fortmain3The next Summer Science Institute in Field Ecology will take place from July 5 – 12, 2010. We will be focused again on western desert and mountain ecology (our previous work in southeastern Arizona is featured here: Arizona 2008). We will be traveling to the Trans Pecos region of Texas to explore and observe the unique ecology of the mountains and canyons in a pristine and fairly undisturbed area of the Chihuahan desert ecosystem. Our principal field site will be the Indio Mountains Research Station, or Indio Ranch, at an elevation of about 4,500 feet southwest of Van Horn, TX. We may also visit the nearby Davis Mountains and/or Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
GuMo See a recent NYT article on the Guadalupe Mtns. NP here: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/travel/13Explorer.html
As we have in recent years, we will give considerable time to the study and collection of endemic species of insects across all major groups, running collecting trips during daytime hours and setting up light sheets late into the night hours. We will also take an active interest in field botany, observing and documenting species in the southwestern flora and working with checklists and field guides to identify species of interest. Our research and collecting work will again take place in association with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where collected material will be deposited for curation and further study upon our return.

Arizona and New Mexico leps from Friends' Central expeditions newly deposited at the Academy of Natural Sciences

Arizona and New Mexico leps from Friends’ Central expeditions newly deposited at the Academy of Natural Sciences

Our study sites are also well known for their exceptional bird and reptile fauna, and students with a particular interest in ornithology and herpetology will have the chance to observe species seldom seen elsewhere in the United States.

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