Greetings prospective Geography of the West Field Camp participants !
Thanks for your interest in the third Geography of the West Field Camp.
This camp will focus on Oregon's Basin & Range and Cascade Mountains.
I have been busy working out the details of an intensive program that should
be a highlight of your college days! This letter is intended to provide
you with further information regarding the upcoming summer field camp.
The general plan
We will meet in Ellensburg on Monday morning July 16th for introductions
to each other and to the course, gear checks, final library research, course
registration, tuition and fee payment, grocery shopping, and other last
minute logistical issues. On the morning of the 17th, we will pack
the University vans and begin our trip to the Steens Mountain Wilderness
in southeastern Oregon. En route, we will examine a variety of biophysical,
human, and resource geography topics including shrub-steppe ecosystems,
Columbia River Basalts, Oregon Trail, dryland farming, irrigated agriculture,
ranching, urban sprawl, juniper woodlands, recent volcanics, paleolakes,
abandoned homesteads, and basin & range topography. Once at 9700'
Steens Mountain, we will work together for about two weeks on several research
projects (see Detailed Research Project Descriptions below). Midway
through our stay at Steens Mountain we will take a break from the research
to explore the Alvord Desert and its hot springs, ranching, lava tubes,
and arid geomorphology in some of the West's most remote country.
Following the second week at Steens Mountain we will head north to explore
the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, dredge mining impacts on rivers, Blue Mountains,
eastside forests, and the John Day fossil beds. The second half of
the course will focus on the Mount Hood Wilderness (see Detailed Research
Project Descriptions below). Midway through our Mount Hood research
we will break to explore northeast Oregon's Wallowa Mountains. We
will spend the final days of the field camp on campus where each student
will write up the results of one of the research projects worked on during
the summer. The final day together will be capped off by research
project presentations and a BBQ at my house. Throughout the field
camp, students will give field presentations on a variety of physical,
human, and resource issues (see Potential Field Trip Presentation Topics
below). We will camp at undeveloped sites (i.e., backcountry sites
without toilets and running water) and more developed state park and forest
service campgrounds. Students and faculty will share in camp cooking,
cleanup, and maintenance duties.
What you'll learn in the class
The Geography of the West Field Camp: Oregon's Basin & Range and
Cascades will provide you with two very different learning level opportunities.
In the exploration portion of the course (i.e., traveling to and from our
field research sites, Alvord Desert, Blue Mountains/John Day country, and
Wallowas), you will gain a broad, yet solid, understanding of the human,
biophysical, and resource geography of Oregon east of the Cascade crest.
We will emphasize group dynamics, field observation, critical thinking,
discussion, note taking, sketching, photography, and presentation skills
in this portion of the course. In the research portion of the course
(i.e., Steens Mountain and Mount Hood), you will be a part of a team researching
particular topics and we will emphasize the above points plus field map
and airphoto interpretation, hypothesis testing, problem solving, mapping,
data collection and sampling, data analysis, library research, writing,
and presentation. Through the exploration and the research portions
of the trip, you will also learn by comparison and contrast to the various
places we visit. Perhaps most importantly, you will learn throughout
the course to adjust to the various "field realities" we encounter!
A little about me
I am a physical geographer with teaching and research interests in geomorphology,
soils, and climate change, especially related to late Quaternary (i.e.,
last ~50,000 years) arid and mountain environments in western North America.
It is probably because I grew up on late Pleistocene Missoula flood surfaces
near the paleo-margin of the Cordilleran Icesheet that I am a physical
geographer! I earned B.A.'s in Geography and Geology at Central Washington
University, a M.S. in Geography at Portland State University, and a Ph.D.
in Geography at the University of Utah. I spent two years as a faculty
member at Drake University before returning "home" to CWU. Paleolake,
glacial, and general geomorphic research has taken me to the Bolivian Altiplano,
the Juneau Icefield, Mt. St. Helens, and Oregon's Mt. Hood.
Travel to Ellensburg and Central Washington University
Ellensburg is located in central Washington about 100 miles east of
Seattle, 30 miles north of Yakima, 180 miles west of Spokane, and 70 miles
south of Wenatchee. It is directly accessible by automobile and by
Greyhound bus. If you are traveling here from outside the region,
commercial air service is available to the Seattle-Tacoma, Yakima, and
Spokane areas. Bus service is available from those cities to Ellensburg.
If you fly into Yakima, I can transport you to and from Ellensburg.
If you drive to Ellensburg, free parking is available on campus.
While in Ellensburg, participants may wish to stay in university conference
center housing, local motels, or local campgrounds. University conference
center housing costs about $15/night (1-800-752-4379).
A detailed, tentative itinerary
Monday 16 July - CWU: Introductions, Gear Checks, Library Research,
Registration, Grocery Shopping
Tuesday 17 July - Depart CWU: Explore Central Washington to Central
Oregon
Wednesday 18 July - Explore Central Oregon to Steens Mountain;
Setup Base Camp
Thursday 19 July - Research Steens MountainReconnaissance
Friday 20 July - Research Steens Mountain
Saturday 21 July - Research Steens Mountain
Sunday 22 July - Research Steens Mountain
Monday 23 July - Research Steens Mountain
Tuesday24 July - Explore Alvord Desert
Wednesday 25 July - Explore Alvord Desert
Thursday 26 July - Research Steens Mountain
Friday 27 July - Research Steens Mountain
Saturday 28 July - Research Steens Mountain
Sunday 29 July - Research Steens Mountain
Monday 30 July - Research Steens Mountain
Tuesday 31 July - Explore Blue Mountains/John Day Country
Wednesday 1 Aug - Explore Blue Mountains/John Day Country
Thursday 2 Aug - Research Mt. Hood
Friday 3 Aug - Research Mt. Hood
Saturday 4 Aug - Research Mt. Hood
Sunday 5 Aug - Research Mt. Hood
Monday 6 Aug - Research Mt. Hood
Tuesday 7 Aug - Explore Wallowa Mountains
Wednesday 8 Aug - Explore Wallowa Mountains
Thursday 9 Aug - Research Mt. Hood
Friday 10 Aug - Research Mt. Hood
Saturday 11 Aug - Research Mt. Hood
Sunday 12 Aug - Research Mt. Hood
Monday 13 Aug - Research Mt. Hood; Depart for CWU
Tuesday 14 Aug - CWU - Research & Writeup
Wednesday 15 Aug - CWU - Research & Writeup
Thursday 16 Aug - CWU - Research & Writeup
Friday 17 Aug - CWU - Research & Writeup
Saturday 18 Aug - CWU - Research & Writeup
Sunday 19 Aug - CWU - Present Results of Research & Hand-in
Paper; Wrapup BBQ
Potential field trip presentation topics
Field trip presentation topics are intended to give you experience researching a topic of interest and presenting that topic in an interesting and informative way to our group. Presenters will research their topics before going to the field. Field presentations will commonly occur "on site" where the presenter and the group can see first-hand the topic. Each student will give two field trip presentations over the course of the field camp. Examine the topics listed below and, when you apply, provide me with those topics which you would like to research and present. If you have a topic in mind that is not on the list, run it by me first. After pinning down your topics, use the Bibliographic Introduction to Oregon's Basin & Range and Cascades (see below) for possible presentation topic references. The following is a list of potential presentation topics:
- Columbia River Basalts
- Hydropower in the Pacific Northwest
- Missoula Floods and the Columbia River Gorge
- Shrub-steppe vegetation
- Oregon's Native Americans & their reservations
- Basque heritage and legacy
- Recent Hispanic immigrants
- Forestry and logging issues
- Basin & Range sand dunes
- Shaniko as a sheep town
- Historic & modern cattle industry
- Arroyos of the arid west
- Oregon's High Lava Plains
- Public lands of the West
- Eastside Forests
- Paleolakes of the Basin & Range
- Endangered Species Act
- Hot springs of the Basin & Range
- Weather & climate of the Cascades
- Climate of Eastern Oregon
- Salmon of the Columbia River drainage basin
- Recreation in the Columbia Gorge
- Dryland wheat farming
- Rodeos
- Eastern Oregon's soils
- John Day Fossil Beds
- Dredge mining in the John Day Country
- Oregon's railroads
- Eastern Oregon archaeology
- Newberry Crater and recent volcanism
- Wildlife regufes
- Sagebrush subdivisions and rural land use planning
- Bend, Oregon and the New West
- Mount Mazama's explosion
- Wilderness
- Rise & fall of southeast Oregon farming
- Conservation Reserve Program
- Coyotes in the West
- Geologic origin of the Basin & Range
Detailed research project descriptions
We will collectively focus on three research topics. Each of these projects is described below:
Backcountry Campsite Inventory, Mapping and Assessment.
We will work with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to inventory,
map and assess the biophysical condition of backcountry campsites in several
of the glacial valleys emanating from the summit of Steens Mountain.
We will: 1) inventory these campsites through walking transects in the
valleys; 2) map the general locations of the campsites using GPS units
and map the precise boundaries of the sites using Brunton Pocket Transits
and measuring tapes; and 3) assess various biophysical indicators of disturbance
including soil infiltration and compaction, vegetation composition and
vigor, and soil erosion in each of the sites. This assessment is
significant to long term monitoring efforts and ultimately to the development
of a Steens Mountain management plan.
Geomorphic Mapping.
We will map the varied geomorphology of one of the large canyons emanating
from the summit of Steens Mountain. This area is characterized by
glacial, fluvial, periglacial, mass wasting, weathering, and eolian processes.
This exercise will provide students with an opportunity to learn, in detail,
how to interpret gemorphology in the field, on airphotos and on topographic
maps.
Historic and Little Ice Age Glacier fluctuations.
Eleven glaciers have their origins on Mount Hood. The characteristics
of several of these glaciers were described in the late 1800's by several
researchers. H.F. Reid subsequently photographed and described the
termini of the Coe, Eliot, Newton Clark, and White River glaciers in 1901.
We will document, survey and map the Summer 2001 terminus position of these
glaciers plus the Ladd and the Sandy glaciers. Surveying will be
accomplished using a geodetic total station and Brunton pocket transits.
Mapping will incorporate Summer 2001 survey data and historic survey notes,
ground photos and airphotos. We will also attempt to identify, map,
and date the Little Ice Age (i.e., ~1500 AD to ~1850 AD) moraines adjacent
to several of these glaciers using tree ring dating (i.e., dendrochronology),
volcanic ash deposits (i.e., tephrochronology), and soil development.
As we proceed with our research at Steens Mountain and at Mount Hood,
we will discuss the various aspects of research projects including the
identification of research questions, research objectives, and research
significance, development of research methodology, analysis of data, and
write up of research results. During this time, I will encourage
and aim students toward one of the above research topics. By the
time we depart for Ellensburg, each student will have a topic on which
to: 1) conduct follow-up library research; subsequently write up the library
and field results; and 3) present to the class during our last week together.
A bibliographic introduction to Oregon's Basin & Range and Cascades
Allen, B. 1987. Homesteading the High Desert. University of Utah Press. Salt Lake City. 183 p.
Alt, D.D. and D.W. Hyndman. 1978. Roadside Geology of Oregon. Mountain Press. Missoula, MT. 272 p.
Bentley, E.B. 1970. The Glacial Geomorphology of Steens Mountain, Oregon. M.A. Thesis. University of Oregon. Eugene. 98 p.
Brogan, P.F. 1971. East of the Cascades. Binfords and Mort. Portland. 304 p.
Dart, J.O. and D.M. Johnson. 1981. Oregon Wet, High and Dry. Hapi Press. Portland.
Florin, L. 1970. Oregon Ghost Towns. Superior Publishing Company. Seattle. 96 p.
French, G. 1964. The Cattle Country of Peter French. Binfords and Mort. Portland, Oregon. 167 p.
Hart, J. 1991. Hiking the Great Basin: The High Desert Country of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah (Revised and Updated). Sierra Club Books. San Francisco. 406 p.
Jackman, E.R. and R.A. Long. 1973. The Oregon Desert. The Caxton Printers, Ltd. Caldwell, ID. 407 p.
Johnson, D.M., R.R. Petersen, D.R. Lycan, J.W. Sweet, M.E. Neuhaus, A.L. Schaedel. 1985. Atlas of Oregon Lakes. Oregon State University Press. Corvallis. 317 p.
McArthur, L.A. 1952. Oregon Geographic Names (3rd edition). Binfords and Mort. Portland. 686 p.
Mueller, Marge and Ted Mueller. 19997. Fire, Faults and Floods: A Road and Trail Guide to Exploring the Origins of the Columbia River Basin. University of Idaho Press. Moscow. 288 p.
Taylor, R. 1992. Sagebrush Country. Mountain Press. Missoula. 211 p.
Taylor, R.J. and G.W. Douglas. 1995. Mountain Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Mountain Press. Missoula. 436 p.
Wilkinson, Charles. 1992. Crossing the Next Meridian: Land, Water,
and the Future of the West. Island Press. Washington, D.C. 376 p.
What you will need
We will be field tripping, doing intensive field research, camping, and backpacking in generally remote places. As such, you will need to have personal gear that will serve you well and that is sufficiently compact that you can fit it all in a daypack, and a large backpack. We will provide the necessary field research gear. We may only have the opportunity to do laundry once or twice while we are in the field. There will be very limited opportunities to purchase field gear once you arrive in Ellensburg; therefore, I suggest that you purchase these items beforehand. If money is an issue, I suggest that you shop yard sales, second hand stores, etc. for these items. I may also be able to loan you gear for the summer. The following list is intended to guide your selection of personal gear:
Health issues
We will be living and working in conditions that may experience diurnal
temperature ranges of 60 degrees F. (i.e., 80 degrees F. in the day to
20 degrees F. at night). Conditions may range from dry and dusty
to wet. We will work at elevations ranging from ~500 ft to 9,000
ft. Because of these issues, you will need to be in good physical
condition. I strongly suggest that you get a thorough physical examination
before joining the field camp.
Estimated costs
Undergraduate tuition and fees (including on-campus computer access for your paper writeup) is $1010. Add ~$380 for graduate credit. Transportation will cost $345/student. Food and camping fees will cost about $195 for our 28 days in the field. We will pool these resources, plan menus, and cook and camp as a group. Plan on ~$18/night if you are staying at the CWU Conference Center (potentially nine nights) plus money for your meals while in Ellensburg. Other possible costs for the field session include laundry, telephone calls, snacks, and gear repair/replacement.
By June 1st, I need to receive a $150 non-refundable check (made out
to "Central Washington University") from each accepted applicant.
This deposit will be credited toward your total tuition and fees.
The remaining tuition and fees are due on the first day of class.
Grades
Your grade will be based on your field notebook (including field notes
and sketches), field presentations, final research presentation, and final
research project paper (including field data, maps, etc.).
Course application & registration
To apply, submit: 1) brief application letter explaining why you wish to participate in the field camp; 2) photocopy of college transcripts; and 3) faculty letter of recommendation. All application materials should be received by 1 May 2001 but later applications will be considered on a space available basis. Selection of field camp applicants will occur by 15 May 2001.
Again, thanks for your interest in the Summer 2001 Geography of the West Field Camp: Oregon's Basin & Range and Cascades
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me via
email (lillquis@cwu.edu) or via "snail"
mail:
Department of Geography and Land Studies
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7420
USA
I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Karl Lillquist
Assistant Professor