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Field Course USA: Arizona Desert Herpetology

USA 1 week From 2,280 €

As a participant in this exciting research course you will broaden your knowledge about the most common features, evolutionary history and appropriate protection measures for reptiles and amphibians living in the desert. The course will take place in the North American Chihuahuan Desert but provides additional trips to the huge and biodiverse Sonora Desert.
Together with your international team you will gain valuable knowledge about most common research methods and data collection techniques taught to you by experienced biologists and natural scientists. The topics you will be dealing with range from studying different desert ecosystems to tracking and identifying various reptile and amphibian species and training special techniques for a safe handling of snakes and other representatives of the local herpetofauna.

Your trip at a glance

Highlights

Get to know the largest desert in North America
Learn more about desert-dwelling reptiles and amphibians
Acquire valuable knowledge in nature and species conservation
Go on a trip in the diverse Sonora Desert
Meet people from all over the world
Experience the fascinating flora and fauna of the USA’s southwest

Locations

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Chihuahuan Desert

Nahaufnahme einer Schildkroete bei der Reptilienforschung in der Wueste Arizonas

Reptilienforschung bei einem Ausflug des Rangerkurses in Arizona

Nahaufnahme einer Schildkroete zur Reptilienforschung in der Wueste Arizonas bei einem Rangerkurs

Ausflug in die Naturlandschaft Arizonas als Teil der Rangerausbildung

Im Rahmen eines Natur- und Rangerkurses werden die Wildtiere Arizonas beobachtet

Eine Schlange dient als Beispiel fuer Arizonas Tierwelt waehrend eines Rangerkurses

Kakteen in der Wueste Arizonas dienen der Wuestenherpetologie eines Natur- und Rangerkurses

Desert wildlife research in Arizona

As a participant in this exciting research course you broaden your knowledge about the most common features, evolutionary history and appropriate protection measures for desert-dwelling reptiles and amphibians.

Arrival and orientation in Arizona

First, you will be heading to Tucson International Airport in Arizona and will spend a night with other participants of the course in a hotel in the city. The next day you and the others will leave for your course location in/close to the Chihuahuan Desert. The course is designed in a way that you will gain a broad basic knowledge about the most important sections of desert herpetology, with a focus on the deserts of America, nature conservation biology, but also some basic knowledge about local domestic cultures and traditions. The course emphasizes field exercises and boots on the ground experiences as opposed to classroom-based lectures.

Der Natur- und Rangerkurs lernt Arizonas Pflanzenwelt auf einen Ausflug kennen

Research activities on reptiles and amphibians

In general, the days in the course are defined by hikes, presentations and group discussions. Since the course takes place during monsoon time, you have the chance to experience fantastic animal sightings. You will be taught how to identify reptiles and amphibians of the region and how to recognise microhabitats native to the area. You will also learn to safely handle snakes, lizards and other representatives of the local herpetofauna. During the excursions you will not only deal with typical characteristics of different reptile and amphibian species, but also with their evolutionary history and relevant topics regarding species protection. Most modules of this course focus on local reptile and amphibian species or habitats but can also be used to describe other regions of the earth.

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In addition to that, you will visit Chiricahua Desert Museum which hides some of the rarest species of the Chihuahuan Desert. Since you will be accompanied by a professional wildlife photographer, you have the opportunity to improve your skills behind the camera – a very special bonus of this course.
After participating successfully in this course, all participants will be given a certificate. Moreover, you can recognize the course in form of credit points at different universities. In best case, you should contact your university and ask for the course to be recognized in your case. We will help you with that.

Eine Schlange dient als Beispiel fuer die Teilnehmer des Rangerkurses zum Thema Reptilien Arizonas

Accommodation in the United States

The night after your arrival in Arizona as well as the last two nights before departure you will spend in a hotel in Tucson. There you will share a room with one or two other participants. During your stay in the hotel you will be provided with daily meals.
Your actual research location will be the Chihuahuan Desert, in the south-eastern part of Arizona, in whose surroundings you will travel after the first night in Tucson. There you will be living in a furnished apartment in a guest lodge, close to a small village in New Mexico at the border to Arizona. The apartments provide bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room and a washing machine. The lodge also provides WiFi. You and your team are in charge for your breakfast and lunch – the groceries needed will be provided to you by your team leaders. Dinner will be ordered, you will eat in a restaurant or prepare it yourself.

Leisure time during your stay abroad in the USA

We recommend you bringing some movies, games and books as there will be time in between for own activities. As the focus of this course is on research activities your free time may vary.

Arrival

Arrival in Arizona and transfer to the course site
Course

Desert herpetology in the USA: A typical course day

During the course you and the other course participants are accommodated in a guest lodge in a village, located close to the Chihuahuan Desert. Your day starts in the early morning hours with a breakfast that you and your team have prepared together. Afterwards, you will start working on the course topics. Depending on the day, you will go on hikes, visit museums, listen to presentations and take part in group discussions. Around noon you usually return to the lodge to have lunch – sometimes you have lunch outside. In the afternoon you continue working on the course topics. In the evening, you’ll have dinner outside or at the lodge.
Conference

Second last day in the course: “Scorpion Conference”
Departure

Last day in the research course and departure

FAQ – Learn more about this trip

Prior to arrival

In order to participate in this project you do not need specific previous knowledge. It is important that you are flexible, enthusiastic about nature and motivated to work and study. Also, you should be at least 18 years old and proof sufficient skills in English in order to understand the instructions of your team leaders. Furthermore, you should be in physically fit in order to be able to handle the extreme and often changing desert climate and you should not be afraid of dealing with amphibians and reptiles. You might need a visa for your stay during the course. Ever country has its very own requirements for a visa and depending on the duration of your stay a tourist visa might not be adequate. Get information at the Federal Foreign Office before or contact us directly.
We will support you with the information needed regarding planning your journey and getting travel insurance prior to your departure. In addition to that, we will help you plan your travel route. The price includes the transfer from Tucson International Airport to the hotel and straight on to the project location as well as vice versa. The price also includes the accommodation and food during your whole stay. The transfers within the course will be organized by the team on site. You will do daily excursions, you will be accompanied by an experienced natural scientist and a professional photographer and you will visit a herpetology museum – it is all covered by the price of the course. If there are any questions or problems during your stay in Arizona feel free to contact us anytime or the team on site.
We recommend to refresh the vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria, MMR, hepatitis A and B, influenza and pertussis before every departure. We also recommend a vaccination against rabies. You should contact your doctor regarding this topic and get information about recent travel alerts before departing to the US, e.g. on the website of the Foreign Office. Important: Travel insurance is obligatory in order to participate. We will help you with that, of course.
For the time of your stay in Arizona you need a backpack for hikes, tramping boots (waterproof ones), a water bottle, a battery-powered headlamp/a flashlight, bug spray and binoculars. Do not forget to take enough sun lotion, a sun hat/beanie, sunglasses and a raincoat. We also recommend taking a pocket knife, some extra snacks and an additional towel. Furthermore, you should take gumboots and a pair of sneakers with you. We highly recommend to take your laptop, your phone and zip lock bags with you. Last but not least you should not forget to pack a small first-aid kit including band aids, broad-spectrum antibiotics, electrolytes, antihistamines, medication against diarrhea etc.

Arrival

First, you will travel to Tucson International Airport. You have to plan your arrival to the airport on your own. After you have arrived, an employee will come and pick you up. You will spend the first night in a hotel in Tucson before you will be taken to your new accommodation close to the actual research location in the Chihuahuan Desert.

During the course

During this course you will gain an introduction and deailed knowledge about the world of reptiles and amphibians which live in desert areas. The location of your research adventure will be the Chihuahuan Desert in Arizona but you will also get to know the fauna of the Sonora Desert during excursions. You will practice basic techniques and gain knowledge in the sections of taxonomy, identifying species, handling reptiles and amphibians as well as species conservation. Your days will be defined by hikes, presentations and group discussions. You will be led by an experienced natural scientist and a professional wildlife photographer who will help you to improve your skills behind the camera as a bonus during the course.

Life on site

You will spend the first and the last two nights in a hotel in Tucson after your arrival, in which you will share rooms plus bathroom with two other participants. You will spend the remaining time in a guest lodge located in New Mexico close to the border of Arizona. There you will share a small apartment with other participants. This apartment includes bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room and a washing machine. There is WiFi as well.
The hotel in Tucson provides breakfast, lunch and dinner. During your stay in the guest lodge you will be provided with three daily meals as well. You are in charge for breakfast and lunch; the course leaders will buy the groceries you need. The dinner will be ordered, you will be eating out or you will prepare it yourself. For the small appetite, we recommend bringing some of your own food, like cliff bars or fruit snacks.
Even if meals and accommodation are provided, you should budget some money, especially for your stay in Tucson, and also for trips you might be doing before or after your program starts. The currency in the USA is the U.S. dollar. In general, you can change money at your local bank. The easiest way to withdraw cash is using a credit card at an ATM. You can use ATMs in Tucson to withdraw cash. In the guest lodge this possibility might not be given. We recommend bringing 100 U.S. dollars in cash in case of an emergency.
The hotel in which you will spend the first and the last two nights during your stay provides WiFi. Due to the hotel being located in the middle of Tucson, you will also have cellphone reception. The guest lodge – which is located at the border between New Mexico and Arizona and which will be your main accommodation during the course – provides internet connection which can be slow sometimes, though. A cellular network is provided as well. In the desert you will not have any cellular reception or access to the internet.
In most cases, it is very warm in summer so that you will not freeze during daytime. Nevertheless, you should pack some warm clothing because temperatures can vary, especially in the desert, and after dark it can really cool down. Moreover, you should not forget to pack rainproof clothing because you will be in the desert during monsoon time and therefore unpredictable, strong rainfalls are most likely to happen.

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1. Chihuahuan Desert

The Chihuahuan Desert in the border area of the USA and Mexico is a real natural paradise whose fascinating flora and fauna you will discover as a participant of our research course. With an area of approx. 453,000 km² it is the largest of all North American deserts and is, to a large extent, located on the territory of the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. However, their foothills extend as far as the US states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Like other deserts in the southwest of the North American continent, the Chihuahua Desert is a habitat for various animal and plant species that have managed to adapt to the dry desert climate in a unique way.

The Chihuahuan Desert in the border area of the USA and Mexico is a real natural paradise whose fascinating flora and fauna you will discover as a participant of our research course. With an area of approx. 453,000 km² it is the largest of all North American deserts and is, to a large extent, located on the territory of the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. However, their foothills extend as far as the US states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Like other deserts in the southwest of the North American continent, the Chihuahua Desert is a habitat for various animal and plant species that have managed to adapt to the dry desert climate in a unique way.

Background of the desert research course in Arizona

The ecosystem “desert” offers way more than just drought, heat and bald landscapes – it is home to various amazing species and has an important cultural meaning as well.
The deserts in North America’s Southwest are home to a diverse flora and fauna which were able to stick to the cruel desert climate in a unique way. Research location of that course will be the Chihuahuan Desert stretching from the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to the Mexican states of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi.

This amazing course location offers the opportunity to meet and study a variety of local animal and plant populations. Within the scope of this special upgrade training you have the opportunity to get to know a few of the biggest deserts of Northern America really close and gaining rare knowledge in herpetology and in nature and species conservation. Climate change and other human related impacts pose serious threats to this area and the species living in it. Understanding the challenges faces and the ecological meaning of this impressive desert region is of crucial importance for long-term protection of biodiversity.