A Natural History of the Desert

Floatin’ the River with CMC

CMC Steamboat student Ben Saheb shares thoughts from a class trip down the Colorado. Read more of his insightful words at http://cmcben.wordpress.com/.

CMC students study the local ecology during CMC's "Natural History of the Desert" class river trip down the Colorado River.

With 28% of the earth covered in an environment that experiences chronic aridity, it is evident that desert climates are amongst us. Because desert climates are abundant on earth, I decided to enroll in a class called Natural History of the Desert because I wanted to learn everything about the desert and how life can flourish in such a harsh place. Taught by the infamous John Saunders and Sam Rush, this is a two credit Biology class that offers a hands on look at the ecology, biology and history of the desert atmosphere. For five days, our class used the Colorado River to travel to some of the best classrooms in the world. After being subjected to the desert for over 100 hours for this class, this is my story.

We left Steamboat Springs early Thursday morning so we could arrive in Fruita Colorado and get on the river. Although we spent two days in an actual classroom getting the logistics figured out, the class didn’t officially start until we began floating down the Colorado River. Immediately after departing, our first lesson on desert ecology began. FYI, class on a river raft is quite the experience. Being able to listen to Saunders and Rush give a lesson and physically point to things that were actually there truly enhanced the learning experience for me.

When we arrived at our first campsite, we set up our tents while kitchen crew prepared the dinner. Sheppard’s Pie was on the menu and it smelled fantastic. Once the sun went down, we ate dinner as a group next to the campfire while Saunders and Rush gave another lesson. Sitting under the magnificent view of our milky way galaxy, I used my headlamp for light to take notes on the things we would be studying the next day. I was extremely excited.

That following morning consisted of a hearty breakfast with a day hike up into rattlesnake canyon. We stopped somewhere in the shade to eat lunch and get a lesson on the importance of cryptobiotic soil and how it is the building block for all life in the desert. After the lesson/lunch break, we continued deeper into the canyon to a watering hole which flourished with life. In the midst of it all, a classmate caught a Tiger Salamander and right there on the spot we were given a lesson on the Tiger Salamander species. The class content we were learning was so dynamic and spur of the moment it turned learning into fun; something that I hardly occurs in a regular classroom.

Day 3 consisted of packing up camp and continuing down the river. We had 13 miles to go that day so we had a lot of time to review the adaptations we studied many organisms developed to survive in the desert. We studied the adaptations of Bull Frogs, Catisflies, Mayflies, Bighorn Sheep, Caterpillars, Ducks, Geese, Crickets to many more. We also studied plant adaptations of Yucca, Sagebrush, Skunk Brush, Prickly Pear, Thistle, Princess Plume, Juniper, Cottonwood, Coyote Willow, Fungi, Mormon Tea, Indian Rice Gras, and Mullen to the Buffalo Berry. It may seem like a lot to learn but when I was physically there at the site, learning about the biology of these organisms and their habitat was luxurious.

Day 4 consisted of rolling into Black Rock canyon. This place was home of the notorious black rocks which are the basement rock layer of our very continent. These rocks are older than any piece of geology in the canyon and it was eerie standing on their presence. We traveled in around the black rock area to learn more about these rocks and how they formed. We also dived into a secluded section of the canyon to learn about ancient cultures and tribes that lived in that area thousands of years ago.

Floatin' the Colorado during the "Natural History of the Desert" course field trip.

On the 5^th and final day of the trip, Saunders and Rush required everyone to take an hour of complete silence while floating down the river. As soon we shut our mouths, the magnificence of nature appeared in its purest form. All of a sudden without our notebooks, the different fragments of information we were learning for the past five days all came together simultaneously in the most magnificent way. All of a sudden, we experienced the happenings of this place with all five senses firsthand. The things we were hearing, smelling, seeing, feeling and tasting couldn’t be replicated inside ANY classroom. Sitting there in complete silence from my classmates, the genuine purpose of this class came into clarity. That purpose cannot be expressed through words nor can it be replicated in a classroom. The only way to truly understand the purpose of Natural History of the Desert is to enroll in it yourself and experience one of the best kept secrets Colorado Mountain College has to offer.