Setting: Oregon's Basin & Range and Cascade Volcanic provinces are miles and environments apart.  The Basin & Range fault blocks lie in the semiarid cattle country of sparsely populated southeastern Oregon.  Conversely, the high Cascade volcanoes tower over the humid, coniferous forest-cloaked Cascade Range and are within an hour's drive of much of Oregon's population.  These distinct regions have in common public lands, wilderness designation, and rugged topography shaped by volcanism and extreme weather and climate.

Description:  The field camp involves exploration and research components.  Students  explore the biophysical, human, and resource geography east of the Cascade crest through field observation, discussion, presentations, and readings.  Ultimately, students conduct intensive research at Steens Mountain in the Basin & Range and at Mount Hood in the northern Oregon Cascades.  In the new Steens Mountain Wilderness, students: 1) inventory, map and assess the biophysical condition of backcountry campsites; and 2) create a geomorphic map.  At the Mount Hood Wilderness, students survey and map the current, historic and Little Ice Age glacier termini.  Through intensive research, students enhance critical thinking, field observation, topographic map analysis, airphoto interpretation, data collection, mapping, writing, and presentation skills.

Prerequisites: Instructor's permission.

Course & Credits: GEOG 479--Geography of the West (10 quarter credits). Graduate credit also available.

Class Size: 11 students maximum.

Logistics: Transportation will be provided from Ellensburg to field sites. Students will:
1) travel in CWU vans;
2) van travel and backpack to Steens Mountain sites;
3) backpack to Mount Hood Wilderness sites; and
4) share in cooking & clean-up duties.
Students may stay on-campus while in Ellensburg..

Cost: $1,550. (estimate)  includes undergraduate tuition & fees, field food, camping, and transportation.  Add $380 for CWU graduate credit..

Information & Application: Contact me by U.S. mail, phone, or e-mail. See the departmental web page for more information on Geography at Central Washington University. To apply, submit a: 1) letter of application explaining why you wish to participate; 2) photocopy of college transcripts; and 3) faculty letter of recommendation. All should be received by 1 May 2001 but later applications will be considered on a space available basis.