Desert Museum Travel: Black Lava White Sand
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Join the Desert Museum on an unforgettable trip across the border, complete with a visit to a UNESCO World Heritage Site! This trip is an adventure in Ecology, Geology, History, and Flora and Fauna (yes, there will be birding, and tide pooling!)–this trip is bound to be filled with memories of a lifetime.
Explore El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with retired Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum cultural conservationist Jesús García and geomorphologist/anthropologist Fred Nials. The volcanic landscape of the Pinacates includes huge maar craters, two varieties of lava flows, cinder cones, and majestic shifting dunes hosting their own specialized ecosystems. This young volcanic field is adjacent to the Sea of Cortez, which, because of extremely low tides, allows viewing of its marvelous intertidal marine life at the Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans. Uniting the desert and the beach is Campo La Salina, one of the most important natural salt reserves in Mexico. Located in Gulfo de Santa Clara where natural freshwater springs and saltwater meet, this layer of salt is sacred to the Tohono O’odham and is an important oasis along the ancient salt pilgrimage trail to the sea.
Trip Leaders:
- Jesús García is a retired Cultural Conservation Research Associate at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Jesús was born and raised in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, México. As a young man he moved to Tucson and earned a bachelor's degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona. He began his career with ASDM in 1991 and has taught natural history and cultural programs throughout southern Arizona and northern Sonora. His many interests include conservation biology, art, cultural ecology, regional languages, music, and gardening. Jesús is a master storyteller and an expert at identifying plant and animal species, describing their preferred growing or breeding habits and explaining their environmental connections to one another and to us.
- Stephen Bernier, travel director, runs the logistics and is owner of South of the Border Tours. Stephen has organized and produced tours throughout the American Southwest and Mexico since 1993 that include the University of Arizona Elderhostel/Road Scholar Program, Arizona Historical Society, Scottsdale Sister City, Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tohono Chul, Portland Art Museum, Heard Museum Guild, Tucson Museum of Art, as well as various other museums and universities. Stephen is also a volunteer with Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists.
Note: You will need a valid passport book to take this trip. Your passport book must be valid for at least 6 months after our travel dates.
Register by clicking the "Find Tickets" button on the right side of this page, then scroll down to this trip.
Contact E-mail: [email protected]
Explore El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with retired Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum cultural conservationist Jesús García and geomorphologist/anthropologist Fred Nials. The volcanic landscape of the Pinacates includes huge maar craters, two varieties of lava flows, cinder cones, and majestic shifting dunes hosting their own specialized ecosystems. This young volcanic field is adjacent to the Sea of Cortez, which, because of extremely low tides, allows viewing of its marvelous intertidal marine life at the Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans. Uniting the desert and the beach is Campo La Salina, one of the most important natural salt reserves in Mexico. Located in Gulfo de Santa Clara where natural freshwater springs and saltwater meet, this layer of salt is sacred to the Tohono O’odham and is an important oasis along the ancient salt pilgrimage trail to the sea.
Trip Leaders:
- Jesús García is a retired Cultural Conservation Research Associate at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Jesús was born and raised in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, México. As a young man he moved to Tucson and earned a bachelor's degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona. He began his career with ASDM in 1991 and has taught natural history and cultural programs throughout southern Arizona and northern Sonora. His many interests include conservation biology, art, cultural ecology, regional languages, music, and gardening. Jesús is a master storyteller and an expert at identifying plant and animal species, describing their preferred growing or breeding habits and explaining their environmental connections to one another and to us.
- Stephen Bernier, travel director, runs the logistics and is owner of South of the Border Tours. Stephen has organized and produced tours throughout the American Southwest and Mexico since 1993 that include the University of Arizona Elderhostel/Road Scholar Program, Arizona Historical Society, Scottsdale Sister City, Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tohono Chul, Portland Art Museum, Heard Museum Guild, Tucson Museum of Art, as well as various other museums and universities. Stephen is also a volunteer with Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists.
Note: You will need a valid passport book to take this trip. Your passport book must be valid for at least 6 months after our travel dates.
Register by clicking the "Find Tickets" button on the right side of this page, then scroll down to this trip.
Contact E-mail: [email protected]
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Where is it happening?
2021 N Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ, United States, Arizona 85743
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherArizona-Sonora Desert Museum
