CAU > Seminars and Study Tours > Ecology and Geology of Mt. St. Helens, Columbia River Gorge, Olympic Peninsula

Ecology and Geology of Mt. St. Helens, Columbia River Gorge, Olympic Peninsula

September 19-26, 2010

There is still space available in this program.
You may register online or by mail.

Few places in North America show the intimate relationships between geology's underpinnings and ecology's exuberant performance as clearly as the volcanic mountains and rare, lush temperate rain forests of Washington State. Thirty years ago Mount St. Helens erupted with a force greater than twenty-one thousand atomic bombs. Once we understand those forces, the natural hot springs and the great gorge cut by the Columbia River will make perfect sense. So says our guide, J. B. Heiser, past director of Cornell's Shoals Marine Laboratory and intrepid leader of CAU adventures around the world.

We'll explore the wild Pacific Coast, scouting out its tide pool treasures. Inland, we'll marvel at the Hoh Rain Forest as we walk through moss- and lichen-hung cathedrals of two hundred-foot Sitka spruce, each hundreds of years old. We'll visit the Makah people in their sacred land and learn intimate details of their pre-Columbian ancestors, as well as their startling modern conservation and sovereign rights movements. From the tip of the Olympic Peninsula, we'll proceed to the heart of the Olympic National Park at beautiful Lake Crescent. Finally we'll ascend to the high alpine environment of Hurricane Ridge and learn why altitude plays such an important role in ecology and evolution.

Double occupancy:	$3,590
Single supplement:	$665
Fitness scale:	Slightly strenuous. May require extended walking over uneven ground as well as the ability to climb stairs and to stand for considerable periods of time.

Map

How to use the map:

Click one of the map markers to see details of the location.
Click the "+" and "–" buttons to zoom in and out.
Click the arrow buttons, or click and drag the map to move different markers to the center.