furman’s environmental semester: the wild semester ladder ranch, new mexico portion ladder ranch,...
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Furman’s Environmental Furman’s Environmental Semester: Semester:
The The WildWild Semester Semester Ladder Ranch, New Mexico PortionLadder Ranch, New Mexico Portion
OverviewOverview• Cost• Time Period• Location• Logistics• Academics• Syllabus• Guest Speakers• Engaged Learning/Cooperative Studies• Post-program opportunities
CostCost• Normal Furman fall term tuition, room, and
board
• This includes room, board, tuition for 4 courses, travel AAANND all the cool stuff we do in New Mexico AAANND South Africa!
Time PeriodTime Period• 12 Week Program
• Arrive Furman 21 August for pre-program preparation
• Depart Furman 19 August
• Arrive Hermosa 21 August
• Depart Hermosa 17 November
• Arrive Furman 19 November
LocationLocation• South Central New Mexico• Truth or Consequences• Gila National Forest• Border of Aldo Leopold Wilderness • Ladder Ranch
– Working bison ranch– Total acreage 289,236– 157,041 acres deeded– 132,195 acres leased
• 100,636 Forest Service• 11,480 BLM• 20,079 State
Ladder Ranch encompasses a broad range of elevationsand habitat types
LocationLocation• Ladder Ranch
– Managed and monitored game species
Elk
Photo by Furman student, Hermosa 2005 alum Alicia Rowe
Mule Deer
Photo by Furman student, Hermosa 2005 alum Chris Jones
White-tailed Deer
Pronghorn
Black Bear
Black Bear
Mountain LionMountain Lions!
Gray Fox
Photo taken with remote infrared camera set near Hermosa during the 2005 semester
Bobcat
Javelina
Wild Turkey
Gambel’s Quail
LocationLocation• Ladder Ranch
– Endangered/threatened and Species of Concern
Mexican Wolf
Allen’s Big-Eared Bat
Prairie Dogs
Chiricahua Leopard Frog
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle
Mexican Spotted Owl
Goshawk
Peregrine Falcon
Gila Trout
Rio Grande Cutthroat
LocationLocation• Hermosa
• Proximity to diversity of habitats
Chihuahuan Desert Scrub
Chihuahuan Desert Scrub
Chihuahuan Desert Grassland
Juniper Savanna
Juniper Savannah
Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
Riparian Gallery Forest
Photo by Mike Evette, Hermosa 2005 TA
Ponderosa Pine Forest
Transition Zones
Mixed Coniferous ForestSubalpine Meadow
Hermosa
Hotel
Mercantile
Storage
Cabin
House 1
Hermosa
Mercantile
Mercantile: One of four bedrooms
LogisticsLogistics• Staffing
– Instructors• Travis Perry, Ph.D. in Ecology• Megan Pitman, M.S. in Wildlife Ecology
– Teaching Assistant for labs and field trips• Angel Cruz
– 2006 Furman Graduate– Alumna of Hermosa 2005
– Assistants • Various Forest Service, USFWS, Ladder Ranch
staff
LogisticsLogistics• Transportation
– 12 passenger van• Trailer, if necessary
– 6 passenger 4W drive vehicle
• Housing– Weekly and some weekends at Hermosa– Other weekends camping field trips
LogisticsLogistics• Food
– Weekly grocery shopping– Student cooking and cleaning crews
LogisticsLogistics• Field Trips
– Tents and camp cooking– 3 large 6 person tents provided– Students need: sleeping bag, large
backpacking pack, hiking boots, water bottles, etc. (see packing list for complete list); personal tents optional
– In wilderness area:• Horse pack train to carry research
equipment, cooking equipment, and food
Wild Semester students setting out into the Aldo Leopold Wilderness about an hour behind the pack train
LogisticsLogistics• Academics
– Classroom• Main hall at Hermosa, equipped with
powerpoint projector– Labs
• Ladder Ranch• Gila National Forest• Aldo Leopold Wilderness• Field trips
LogisticsLogistics• Safety
– Radio for emergency contact 7am to 5pm through forest service dispatch
– Satellite phone 24-7– Dr. Perry has wilderness emergency medical
first-responder certification– Hermosa IS the medi-vac landing site for this
region
AcademicsAcademics• Courses
– Ecology• Environmental studies concentration course• Meets Ecology requirement for major• Humans and the Natural Environment GER
– Field Zoology• Biology elective
– Natural Resource Management• Environmental studies concentration course• Humans and the Natural Environment GER
• Lecture – One hour per course per day– Ad lib during field trips, dinner, driving, etc.
• Labs– Two labs per week– Weekend field trips will replace weekday lab for a given course
during that week
AcademicsAcademics• Potential Field Trips
• Emphasize a particular course, but much overlap
– Ladder Ranch – Aldo Leopold Wilderness– Portal, Arizona: Long-term ecological research
on small mammal communities– Wheeler Peak– Wolf Tracking in Gila National Forest– Organ Pipe National Monument– Mountain Lion tracking/remote camera study– Etcetera!!
Ladder Ranch
Ladder Ranch
Ladder Ranch
Aldo Leopold WildernessDiamond Creek
Portal, ArizonaLong-term Ecological ResearchSmall Mammal Communities
Portal, Arizona
Wheeler Peak Wilderness (13,161 ft)
Gila National ForestWolf Reintroduction Program
Gila National ForestWolf Reintroduction Program
Acclimation pens onLadder Ranch
Gila National ForestWolf Reintroduction Program
Wolf transportpen
Gila National ForestWolf Reintroduction Program
Organ Pipe National Monument
Organ Pipe National Monument
Ladder Ranch:Mountain Lion Study
AcademicsAcademics• Grading
– Exams• Standard lecture exams will be given four times for each
course during the term
– Assignments: (dove-tailed with cooperative studies)• Ecology
– mini paper from lab/field study
• Field Zoology– Specimens
– Field Notebook
• Natural Resource Management– Management plan for local resource
Time Activity6:30-7:30 Breakfast7:30-8:00 Break8:00-9:00 Field Zoology9:00-9:30 Break9:30-10:30 Natural Resource Management10:30-11:30 Break11:30-12:30 Lunch12:30-1:00 Break1:00-2:00 Ecology2:00-2:30 Break2:30-5:30 Mon & Wed Free; Tue & Thur Lab5:30-6:30 Break6:30-7:30 Dinner and occasional guest speakers
Date Weekday Activity
21 Sunday Unpacking and dinner
22 Monday Orientation to Hermosa and Ladder Ranch
23 Tuesday First day of class. Ecology Lab
24 Wednesday Class
August
Tentative Schedule
MonAugust/
September
Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
22 23Eco lab
24 25NRM lab
26T or C
27 NRMLadder
Ranch
28 NRMLadder
Ranch
29 30FZ lab
31 1NRM lab
2 EcoAldo Leopold
3 EcoAldo Leopold
4 EcoAldo Leopold
5 EcoAldo Leopold
6FZ lab
7 8NRM lab
9 10Las Cruces
11Las Cruces
12 13 Eco lab
14 15NRM lab
16FZ/Eco
Wheeler Peak
17 FZ/Eco
Wheeler Peak
18FZ/Eco
Wheeler Peak
19 20NRM lab
21 22FZ lab
23 24Las Cruces
25Las Cruces
MonSeptember October
Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
26 27FZ lab
28 29Eco lab
30 1 FZ/Eco
White Sands
2 FZ/EcoWhite Sands/
Las Cruces
3 4NRM lab
5 6FZ lab
7 8 NRMWolf Tracking
9 NRMWolf Tracking
10 11Eco lab
12 13FZ lab
14 15Las Cruces
16Las Cruces
17 18NRM lab
19 20Eco lab
21FZ/Eco
Portal AZ
22FZ/Eco
Portal AZ
23FZ/Eco
Portal AZ
24 25FZ lab
26 27 NRM lab
28 29 Las Cruces
30 Las Cruces
MonOctober November
Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
31 1FZ lab
2 3Eco lab
4 Eco NRM
Organ Pipe
Nat Mon
5 Eco NRM
Organ Pipe
Nat Mon
6 Eco NRM
Organ Pipe
Nat Mon
7 8FZ lab
9 10Eco lab
11 12 13
14 15 16 17Depart Hermosa
18 19
Arrive Furman
20
21 22 23 24 25 26
Haloween!
Guest SpeakersGuest Speakers• Steve Dobrott, Wildlife Biologist/Ranch
Manager
• Forest Service Biologists
• BLM Biologists
• Range Manager
• USFWS Biologist for wolf reintroduction
• USFWS Biologist for Bosque del Apache Refuge - waterfowl
• New Mexico Department of Game and Fish – Large Carnivore Biologist
Guest SpeakersGuest Speakers
• Forest Service Wilderness Ranger
• USFWS Fisheries Biologist
• Mammalogist/Museum Curator
• Ornithologist/Contract Biologists
Guest SpeakersGuest Speakers• Environmental Activist Organization
– Gila Watch– Center for Biodiversity
• Lawyer for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Forest Service District Ranger
Engaged LearningEngaged Learning throughthroughCooperative StudiesCooperative Studies
• Ladder Ranch is a working ranch with stated conservation priorities– Labs and projects have potential to have real
conservation or management impact
Engaged LearningEngaged Learning throughthroughCooperative StudiesCooperative Studies
Examples:– Small mammal survey on the continental
divide in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness– Aquatic invertebrate survey of Animas Creek– Fuel load estimates for timber stands– Effects of bison grazing on plant and animal
communities in riparian habitats– Forage availability across grazing allotments– Public opinion surveys on wolf reintroduction
Post-program OpportunitiesPost-program Opportunities
• Internships and research projects with– U.S. Forest Service– U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service– Bureau of Land Management– Portal, AZ Research Site– Ladder Ranch
Post-program Opportunities:Post-program Opportunities:Examples from Hermosa AlumniExamples from Hermosa Alumni
• Chris Jones: Internship with Lincoln National Forest, NM
• Sarah Galloway: Research assistant on cougar project on Turner’s Armendaris Ranch, NM
• Megan Pitman: Research assistant on desert bighorn sheep project on Turner’s Armendaris Ranch, NM, Summer 2006– NOW a graduate student working on
mountain lions on Ladder Ranch