| Tucked into the heart of the lower Sonoran desert is the Kofa (King of Arizona) Wildlife Refuge, an area famous for rare wildlife, remote and off-trail travel, and rugged canyons. In this undisturbed desert ecosystem, you'll study natural history and learn the essentials of wilderness travel. This unique NOLS course combines two days of formal natural history training with 18 days of wilderness living and travel for further study of the desert ecosystem. The course begins with a two-day field study at the renowned Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, a zoo, botanical garden and natural history museum. Here you'll learn the basics of desert natural history with a local field biologist before heading into the mountains for a chance to put to use your newly acquired desert natural history skills. Living and traveling in the Sonoran Desert will allow you to connect with the desert environment and learn even more about the plants and animals that have adapted to this unique ecosystem, including desert plants and cacti species, bighorn sheep, mule deer, kit fox, coyote, desert tortoise and nearly 200 species of birds. On your hands and knees with a hand lens, or perched on a peak with binoculars, you’ll investigate and explore. We’ll discuss birds, weather, desert ecology, climatology, geology, animal behavior and the impacts of living in an environment with almost no water. Sonoran Natural History
 | | Duration: | 21 days | | Age: | 18 and Over | | Tuition: | $2,585 | | Dates: | January 6-January 26, 2005 | | College Credit: (Optional) | 4 hours | | Course start/end: | Tucson, Arizona | | Equipment Deposit: | $150 | | Fly in/out: | Tucson, Arizona | | Downloads: | Course Description (pdf)
Equipment List (pdf) | |
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