Biodiversity and Animal Behavior of the Chiricahua Mountains: a Fall Field Camp
Offered exclusively for Museum members! Membership information can be found in FEE section below.
ITINERARY
The itinerary shown below will be very flexible so that we can take advantage of opportunities that arise, related to the work of visiting researchers. In addition, the weather will dictate what is optimal to do on certain days. We will include stops in the field for geology and the identification of trees, shrubs, and flowers. By week's end we will cover all the topics listed.
Day 1 LEAVE TUCSON
Depart Tucson and arrive in Portal, AZ at the Southwestern Research Station of the American Museum of Natural History in late afternoon, check in and have dinner.
Day 2 TOUR OF THE LIFE ZONES.
After breakfast - drive down mountain to high desert. After lunch - drive up to coniferous forest (8,500 feet) then a short, but vigorous hike up to Barfoot lookout. After dinner - multimedia presentation: Biodiversity of the Chiricahua Mountains.
Day 3 BIRDS
After breakfast – observation, identification, and possibly learning in hummingbirds. Determine whether hummingbirds learn to visit a particular color or a particular location. After lunch - observation of feeding behavior of Mexican jays. After dinner - multimedia presentation: Biology and Behavior of Hummingbirds.
Day 4 REPTILES
After breakfast - visit to the Chiricahua Desert Museum Rattlesnake Collection. After lunch - field studies on territorial behavior of lizards. After dinner - multimedia presentation: The Evolution of Animal Communication.
Day 5 ANTS AND ANT LIONS
After breakfast - mapping territories of harvester ants. After lunch - collection of ant lions and studies of their orientation behavior. After dinner - multimedia presentation: The Evolution of Slave Making Ants. After presentation - take field trip to the desert at night.
Day 6 CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT
An all-day field trip to the Chiricahua National Monument. After dinner - multimedia presentation: The Study of Animal Behavior.
Day 7 RETURN TO TUCSON
Leave after breakfast with a possible stop at Granite Gap to look for Gila monsters.
YOUR LEADER
Howard Topoff is a scientist retired from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and Hunter College of the City University of New York. He has been conducting field research and teaching in the Chiricahuas for almost 50 years, and now lives permanently in Portal, Arizona. His biological specialties are animal behavior, ecology and evolutionary biology. His research interests have been evolution of social behavior in animals, animal communication, and evolutionary origins of human behavior. He has over 80 publications in scientific journals and over 10 in popular magazines.
INCLUDED SERVICES
Lodging for 6 nights, 3 meals per day, instruction, plus roundtrip transportation from the Desert Museum in vans or similar vehicles is covered.
LODGING
The base price accommodations are for dorm rooms with 2 single beds, closet space, and common-use bathrooms with showers. Buy-ups for rooms with private baths, or single rooms are also available and are mentioned in FEE section. All linens are supplied as well as soap and towels. Dorm rooms do not have televisions nor telephones, but wireless internet is available. A coin-operated washing machine and clothesline are also available. The Research Station gift shop sells books, soft drinks and snacks.
WHAT TO BRING
Items required for fieldwork: a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, wristwatch (preferably with second hand), whistle (if you have one), flashlight, field notebook and pen, field pack, rain parka or poncho, canteen or large water bottle, and binoculars. A good pair will be of great value. If you don't own good binoculars, perhaps you could borrow a pair for the course.
Optional items to maximize your experience at the field station: hand lens (10x), camera, and field guides (Peterson series: birds, mammals, insects, wild flowers, reptiles). Call Sonya Norman for loaners.
MEETING PLACE
We will meet and leave cars at the Museum.
GROUP SIZE
Tour is limited to 17 guests.
FEES
This special travel opportunity is offered exclusively to Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum members. If you currently are not a member, but would like to join us, you may do so by following this link. The price for the shared dorm room is $1370; a private dorm is $100 additional; a shared room with private bathroom is $200 additional; a private room with private bathroom is $450 additional.
ROOMING
Unless you paid for one of the private room supplements, you will be sharing a room. For those with no traveling companion, we will attempt to make a roommate match. However, if one cannot be found, then the supplement fee will need to be paid.
TOUR ITINERARY IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
We reserve the right to change tour components, substitute hotels, or alter the itinerary and make any other changes deemed necessary to carry out and maintain the quality and safety of the tour in good faith to the participants. In the case of civil unrest, acts of God, force majeure we may cancel or postpone a trip.
CANCELLATION POLICY
All cancellations must be in writing or email. Our policy is as follows:
Cancellations made 45 days prior to departure will result in refunded payments, less a $100 per person handling fee. Cancellations made 44-31 days prior to departure will result in a 50% refund of payment. Cancellations made 30 days or less prior to departure are non-refundable.
QUESTIONS
Should you have any questions about the itinerary or logistics, please contact Sonya Norman, Public Programs Coordinator at snorman@desertmuseum.org. For questions about payment please contact the Reservations Coordinator at 520-883-3025 or at education@desertmuseum.org.
