CAU > Seminars and Study Tours > Southeastern Utah: Moab, Bluff, and the San Juan River

Southeastern Utah: Moab, Bluff, and the San Juan River

May 1-8, 2009

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Overview

The late Edward Abbey described the starkly beautiful environment of southeastern Utah as "the least inhabited, least developed, least civilized, most arid, most hostile, most lonesome, most grim bleak barren desolate and savage quarter of the state of Utah--the best part by far."

It is, to be sure, one of the most challenging regions on Earth. The plants, animals, and human cultures that have survived there for centuries have done so by adapting to an unforgiving landscape. The struggle for existence has led to a fascinating array of plants and animals found nowhere else. Walking among the red rocks of southeastern Utah, one is likely to observe plants that can go without water for months and animals that routinely experience temperatures of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mountain men like Jedediah Smith, the outlaw Butch Cassidy, the Navajo, and the ancient Anasazi have lived in and appreciated this remarkable landscape. The history and spirit of the place is palpable, and it is intriguing to consider what these earlier observers might have thought of it. Did they marvel at plants that grow directly out of cliff faces or wonder how the kangaroo rat lives without liquid water? On this study tour, which focuses on the natural wonders of this less-traveled region of the Southwest and on its Native American culture, we too will be repeatedly struck by wonder.

Faculty

Jed Sparks, an associate professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell and a highly informed and engaging teacher, will lead our explorations. Born in Moab, Jed spent his childhood in the red rock country of southern Utah. His early fascination with how plants and animals survive in the desert became the subject of lifelong study. Though he and his lab group at Cornell study the ecology of deserts worldwide, his heart is always in southeastern Utah.

Itinerary

In lectures and informal discussions as we walk, he will introduce us to this extraordinary landscape. From Moab, our first hub, we will bus to Arches National Park and watch the sun rise at Delicate Arch. We'll take a five-mile hike through the northern end of Arches. Riding by bus and hiking, we will visit Dead Horse Point in Canyonlands National Park as well as Newspaper Rock at the Needles entrance to Canyonlands, where we'll enjoy the company of the park's archeologist. Also, Jayne Belnap, director of the U.S. Geological Survey in Moab, will talk with us about the area's crystobiotic crust of soil, four to six inches thick, alive with organisms.

Next, we'll move on to Bluff, from where we'll visit Natural Bridges and Hovenweep, the remains of a community dwelling more than ten thousand years old. Also, in the company of Navaho guides, we'll take a twenty-seven-mile, daylong boat trip down the San Juan River to Mexican Hat. We'll encounter only mild rapids on this stunning voyage, during which we'll learn about the flora and fauna of the river and view petroglyphs and Anasazi dwellings. The temperatures in May should be delightful, ranging from the 60s into the 80s during the day. Our tour will be moderately strenuous, and you should feel comfortable hiking for fairly long stretches over terrain of varying elevations.

Program Cost and Travel Arrangements

The program fee of $2,980 (per person, double occupancy) includes comfortable though not luxurious accommodations at Aarchway Inn in Moab and at Recapture Lodge in Bluff, most meals, ground and boat transportation during the program, all entrance fees, taxes, and gratuities, management services, and the full educational program. The fee for single occupancy is $290.

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