Tracing DarwinÕs Path
ÒField Course in Sub-Antarctic
Conservation: Terrestrial and Marine Biocultural EcosystemsÓ
University
of North Texas – University of Magallanes
Dr. Christopher Anderson (UMAG) Dr.
J. Britt Holbrook (UNT)
Dr. James Kennedy (UNT-UMAG) Dr.
AndrŽs Mansilla (UMAG)
Dr. Ricardo Rozzi (UNT-UMAG)
Course Description
The course will provide students
with a hands-on, interdisciplinary research, conservation and education
experience in one of the worldÕs most pristine remaining
wilderness areas. The course
will focus on the watershed unit of the landscape, including
its ecology, conservation, and use, as well as philosophical issues associated
with the watershed.
The class time and field work will
expose students to both the practical and theoretical aspects of biocultural
conservation, including its interdisciplinary character. We all
bring different disciplinary skills and mindsets to this course. Together, as a
group and individually, we will broaden and integrate our approaches to biocultural
conservation both by doing
interdisciplinary field work and by self-consciously reflecting on our interdisciplinary interactions as they take place
in the field.
Course Goals
Through readings and field activities, to develop:
á
an understanding of the
importance of continental-to-global-scale connectivity among terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems and the relation of humans to
those ecosystems
á
a comprehension of what a
watershed is and how it relates to other ecological
and cultural units of the landscape
á
an awareness of the role of streams as sentinels and
integrators of terrestrial and atmospheric processes,
and a comparison to human-environment interactions
á a
distinctive interdisciplinary approach to biocultural conservation
Readings
Most readings (unless a url is
provided on the syllabus) can be found in PDF here: http://www.osara.org/darwin where the
articles have been prioritized as ÒrequiredÓ or ÒsuggestedÓ. Students are
strongly encouraged to prepare themselves fully before the event, as time in
Chile will be very intense with little time to read. Therefore, it is
imperative to prepare yourself before hand to be active participants in the
course.
Course Requirements
1) Essays (10%)
Each
student will, in consultation with course instructors, select a relevant topic that
will be complemented by the literature required for the class and develop a 2-3
page essay summarizing that theme before the course. Essays will
be collected upon arrival in Chile.
2) Natural History Journal (30%)
When reading Charles DarwinÕs
journal Voyage of the Beagle about his 5 year trip around the world, it
is striking the way he blends scientific observation with reflections about the
broader implications, context and surroundings (including cultures) he was
encountering. Other examples include Lewis and ClarkÕs writings about the
American West. We would like to Òtrace DarwinÕs pathÓ and ask each student to
keep a journal of the dayÕs reading, reflections, activities and achievements.
Entries should consist
of reflections on the assigned readings and/or activities and
observations made during field activities. Field entries will follow a format developed by Joseph
Grinnell. These guidelines along with examples will be available as a PDF on
the website with the readings. Ideally field notes will be made using a
waterproof pen (or pencil) in a journal with waterproof paper (such as Rite in
the Rain, All-Weather Journal).
However, other notebooks can be used but they must be bound and should
be protected in a sealable plastic bag.
Maximum size for the field notebook should be approximately 8.5" x
11" when two pages are open.
This will enable the journal to be xeroxed conveniently. This size will also be convenient to
carry in the field, which will be necessary, since recordings in journals are
meant to be done on the day of the activities.
Student journals will be checked
randomly throughout the course.
Suggestions will be made on improving the quality of the journal
format. It will be expected that
journal entries are, as reasonably as possible, kept up to date. On occasion students will be selected
to read sections of their journals to the class for discussion. At
the end of the class journals will be collected, and may be copied before being
returned to the student.
3) Presentations (30%)
The course participants will be
divided into three work groups for the purpose of developing a final
presentation. The presentation will be given near the conclusion of the course
and should be approximately 20 minutes in length. As much as possible, the work groups will be
structured to represent a cross section of academic interests of the course
participants (i.e., groups will be as interdisciplinary as possible). The goal
of each group will be to develop a presentation that highlights and synthesizes
each student's perceptions and interpretations of courses activities.
4) Participation (30%)
Student responsibilities are to
prepare ahead of time, attend all the discussion sessions, field exercises, ask
questions, and express yourself creatively and concisely in your work. Ways of earning points for class
participation include being prepared to contribute positively to class
discussion of the assigned readings and participate in field exercises.
Contributing positively requires having read, and as thoroughly as possible
understood, the assigned readings and at least being able to raise important
questions if not providing definitive answers.
Tentative Class Schedule:
TDP Winter
2008: Schedule of Activities
Saturday- December 27
18:00: Arrive
in Punta Arenas
o Check in Hostal Hain
o Inaugural
Dinner
o Start
Journal
o Sleep!
Sunday- December 28: Introduction
to the topics of the course
á Morning:
9-12:00:
Tour of Punta Arenas ÒHabitats-Habits-InhabitantsÓ
Readings: Rozzi
et al. 2008 (special edition Environmental
Ethics) and Holbrook, ÒBatailleÕs
Mystifying CommunicationÓ
12-14:00:
Lunch
á Afternoon:
14-16:00:
Class – Introduction to interdisciplinarity and aquatic ecology
Readings:
Hargrove (ÒWhatÕs Wrong?Ó), Kuhn, Lyotard, Kennedy ppt
16:00:
Field trip – ÒEthical BirdwatchingÓ
– Visit to penguin colony
Readings: www.americanbirding.org/abaethics.htm,
Levinas
20:00:
Supper
á Update
Journal
Monday-December 29: What
(pristine) wilderness?
á
Morning:
9-11:00:
Field trip– Sampling in Punta Arenas: Bioassessment
Readings: Ruth
Patrick..
12-13:00:
Lunch in casino
á Afternoon:
13-20:00:
Field trip – Urban-pristine stream gradient: Visit to Reserva Nacional Laguna
Parrillar
Readings:
Callicot 2008 (in English and Spanish), May 2006
21-22:00:
Supper
á
Update Journal
Tuesday- December 30: Hidden
diversity and the notion of Òseeing asÓ
á
Morning:
9-12:00:
Laboratory (analyze samples from the day before)
Readings: Cairns,
J.C. and Dickson, K.L. 1971
12-13:00:
Lunch in casino
á
Afternoon:
15-17:00:
Class
Readings:
Kihlstrom, Wilson ÒLittle Things,Ó Rozzi (Changing Lenses)
17-20:00:
Lab
á
Update Journal
Wednesday- December 31: Ecosystem = more than the sum of its parts (and
more than ecology)
á
Morning:
9:00:
Those not on the ferry leave for airport
10:00:
Flight to PW
14-16:00:
Class –
12-14:00:
Lunch in casino
á Afternoon:
14-16:00:
Class – ÒEcosystems – dynamic
socio-ecological systemsÓ
Readings: Golley
1993 and ISSE model
17:00
– Ferry to Puerto Williams (12 people)
Thursday- January 1: Tracing
DarwinÕs Path: Navigating the Archipelago
Readings:
On ferry – Darwin (Voyage of the Beagle) and Martinic
Those
NOT on ferry will pursue ethical birdwatching activities in Omora Park
Friday- January 2: Introduction
to Omora
á
Morning:
8:00:
Ferry arrives Puerto Williams
9-11:00:
Settle in
11:00:
Visit Omora Park
Readings: Rozzi
et al. 2006 (Ecology and Society)
á
Afternoon:
17:00:
Class – ÒThe value of subantarctic
watershedsÓ
Readings: Moorman
et al. 2006, Intrinsic & Instrumental Values, Costanza, Schuster, Rolston,
Hargrove
20:00:
Supper
á
Update Journal
Saturday- January 3: The
stream and its valley
á
Morning:
8:00:
Breakfast: Hostel
9:00:
Begin hike to upper R—balo Watershed
o Establish
Camp
Readings: Leopold 1949
á Evening:
Discuss sampling
á Night:
Dinner at campsite, update journal & discussion
Sunday- January 4: The
stream and its inhabitants
á
Morning:
8:00:
breakfast
9:00:
Hike to Headwaters of R—balo River: Sample
physico-chemical and biological
parameters at stations I and II
Reading: Suzuki
on Zen, Steinbeck ÒSea of CortezÓ
á
Update Journal
Monday- January 5: The
stream and its neighbors
á
All day: Sample Station III and IV
o Sample
physico-chemical and biological parameters at stations III and IV
Reading: Arango
et al. 2007 (English version is Dietz something or another)
o
á
Update Journal
Tuesday- January 6:
á
Morning: Hike down to PW
á
Sample Station V: Sample physico-chemical and
biological parameters at stations V
á
Early evening: Discussion and divide into groups
(Experience in R—balo) and
á
Update Journal
Wednesday, Thursday - January
7 & 8: ÒField ethicsÓapplied to biocultural conservation
á
Field Activity: Work in Miniature Forest Garden
Reading:
Rozzi et al. 2008 (Frontiers)
á
Update Journal
Friday – January 9: Synthesis
á Morning:
8:00:
Breakfast in Hostal
9-12:00:
Sample in Robalo Bay with AndrŽs Mansilla
12-13:00:
Lunch
13-19:00:
work in groups to prepare final presentations
19-20:00:
Do final presentations
Saturday, January 10
á
11:30 – Flight to Punta Arenas (various
UMAG students, Emily Vail, and Crist—bal stay in PW)
á Lunch and
dinner: Punta Arenas
á Free afternoon:
o
Suggestions:
¤ Visit Sara
BraunÕs Museum
¤ Visit Cemetery
¤ Buy
presents
Sunday, January 11: Biocultural
conservation and socio-ecology
á Morning:
9-12:00:
Class – ÒBreaking ParadigmsÓ
Readings:
Anderson et al. (2008 É English and Spanish)
á Afternoon:
12-14:00:
Lunch
15-17:00:
Prepare final bug reference collections
20-22:00:
Final supper
Monday, January 12
á Flight to
SCL
o Depart PUQ
LAN 292, 12:05 PM
o Depart SCL
AA940, 23:05 hrs
Tuesday, January 13
á Arrive at DFW, 6:00 AM