ECOL 183 Field Trip Information Feb 11-13, 2005 to Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point), Sonora, Mexico
This field trip is optional for all students in the class. You can choose the alternative assignment (on webpage for course), but must inform us of your plans to not go by Feb 7, Monday in lab. We are going to Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO) a field station in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. To get there, we cross the border at Lukeville, AZ. We will drive in university vehicles (15-passenger vans). Students and staff with HOV (High occupancy vehicle) training will drive the vans. Bring your driver's license if you'd like to help drive (must be 19). The drive takes approximately 4 -5 hours. We will stop midway for a restroom break at Why. Space is limited in the vans! Please pack lightly!!
We will meet to load the vans at 12:30 PM Friday, Feb 11 on the south side of Bio Sciences East. We will leave at 1:00 PM and be back Sunday by 6:30 PM.
Things to bring:
$10-$15 in cash (small bills) for dinner Saturday night in town (or you can cook at cedo)
$8.50 for dinner friday nign lab before field trip)
2 lunches and 2 breakfasts (easy to prepare foods - coordinate with other students)
Valid proof of citizenship: Birth certificate or notarized copy of birth certificate, Passport (and valid visa if you are not a US citizen) (NOT VALID: driver's license or voter's registration)
sunscreen
sun hat
towel
personal water bottle
clipboard with large rubber band or clip to hold paper in wind
shoes to get wet for reef and tidepools: e.g. Tevas, tennis shoes, neoprene booties, rubber boots
(rubber flops do NOT work on the slippery rocks!)
Shoes/sandals for dry-land wear
Toiletries
Casual clothes that shield you from the sun and hot or cold weather (long-sleeved shirt, long pants)
Warm hat, fleece, windbreaker (it can be cold in winter!)
insect repellent (summer and fall only)
sleeping bag (camping pad if you agreed to bring one)
pencil or waterproof pen
fanny pack or small day pack for 3-4 hours away from CEDO on reef
lab notebook and pen (waterproof ink)
Text book or copy of chapter on marine invertebrates
Field trip handouts (you might want to print out an extra copy from the course website
good flashlight and extra batteries for required night-time tidepooling!
Optional, useful items: Binoculars, camera, field guides, watch with minute hand, small pillow
CEDO the Center for the Studies of Deserts and Oceans is a private, non-profit research station located in Las Conchas, a suburb of Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. CEDO is a binational institution that has been in business for 25 years. The station directors are Americans (Peggy and Rick Boyer). The station is 1 block from the beach and 2-3 miles from town. There are no stores or restaurants within walking distance. The phone at CEDO for emergencies is 011-52-638-20113. There is a pay phone and CEDO sells phone cards (the pay phone is currently out of service). CEDO has a toaster, microwave, coffee maker, stove (no oven), refrigerator, pots, pans, silverware, cups and dishes. There is bottled water where you can fill your own personal water bottle. Life at CEDO is like camping but with a kitchen and bathrooms. We will have two rooms to share for sleeping with stacks of foam pads for our use. Or you can sleep on the wooden deck overlooking the ocean or pitch a tent in front of the station on the sand. There is a well-stocked library. Water conservation is mandatory at CEDO (one of the driest places on earth!); brief showers are fine.
For more information and for copies of the handouts (including this one), visit the course website or CEDO website or