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Education Home | Education News | Workshops | Institute of Desert Ecology | Teacher Resources |
Tucson Audubon Society
2007 Institute of Desert Ecology Report
The Institute of Desert Ecology sails bravely through wind, rain, and sun
By Matt Brooks
Tucson Audubon Society's Institute of Desert Ecology (IDE) sailed through its 37 th incarnation this past April. Catalina State Park once again provided a spectacular setting in which to learn about the Sonoran Desert and the ecology surrounding the interactions of its denizens. Every year seems to bring new surprises and experiences, and this year's was no exception. Weather was very much a part of this year's event, with a forecast of high winds and possible rain. The high winds passed us by, but the rain did grace us with its presence. An early morning, hour-long shower forced everyone to be creative and modify plans. It went off without a hitch! Ronnie Sidner's mammalogy class spent a good 2 hours in the women's restroom in an effort to keep her animals dry. Carl Tomoff waxed poetic about desert-adapted plants from the shelter of a ramada rather than along the trails. Cecil Schwalbe had no trouble at all in handling his reptiles, all of whom were slow moving due to the chill.
The day before the rain, Linwood Smith predicted the upcoming precipitation with these fortuitous words: “I've been saying it for years; between late April and early May, whenever there's a cold front coming through, the Gila monsters come outta the woodwork.” He was responding to a participant's Gila monster sighting along one of the trails in the state park. The next morning, the chilly temperatures and rain came.
Overall though, the temperatures were exceedingly pleasant, which added to the enjoyment of all who participated. An average temperature swing of over 50 degrees created cool nights and pleasant days in which to learn about the myriad aspects of life in the Sonoran Desert. As usual, the Institute attracted participants from all over the West, and included professors, teachers, a doctor, a paint salesman, a geophysicist, an astrophysicist, a writer, several college and grad students, and even an Everglades boat captain!
The six core faculty felt that participants got a lot out of the Institute. A large part of everyone's experience was witnessing the friendships among the faculty members. Their camaraderie created a comfortable place in which to learn, and their cooperation created a link between each of the main fields of study; herpetology, mammalogy, geology, ornithology, entomology, and botany. Optional workshops on hummingbirds, environmental education, archeology, tracking, Important Bird Areas, conservation ecology, and chemical defenses of plants and animals rounded out the topics and provided new material for every participant. One long-time resident of the Sonoran desert who participated summed it up nicely, “I had no idea that the Institute would provide me with so much new information and experiences. I thought everything was great.”
Something new this year was an official IDE Birdathon team. The team was loosely composed of the volunteers and staff of the Institute. The “IDE Hawk-eyes” tallied 41 species over the course of the day; quite a high number considering at least 2 people had to see each bird, and were limited to walking distance from the campsite. What a great way to raise funds for the education, restoration, and recreation programs of Tucson Audubon – at one of our own events! The species list for the entire 4-day Institute included 90 species of birds, a Gila monster, a hooded skunk, Mexican free-tailed bats, coyotes, tree lizards, and more.
The Institute of Desert Ecology seems likely to continue its tradition of academic excellence into a 4 th decade. The fact that this program continues to fill up so many years after it started confirms just how valuable it is as a program and speaks to the quality of the teaching. And with a little weather thrown in to spice things up, who knows what kind of adventures are in store for next year?
Next year's Institute of Desert Ecology is set for April 17-20, 2008 . It's shaping up to be a good one, with a lot of early interest and a good number of people already registered. If you'd like to reserve a space or spaces in the 2008 IDE, please contact Matt Brooks at 520-622-2230.
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This page was updated on 12/28/05