WALKING BIOLOGY

Course Description

“The pleasures, the values of contact with the natural world, are not reserved for the scientists. They are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of a lonely mountain top – or the sea – or the stillness of a forest; or who will stop to think about so small a thing as the mystery of a growing seed.”

- Rachel Carson, Lost Woods (1954)

This field course is designed to introduce non-biologists (and biology freshmen) to the “wild” natural habitats around us. We will visit a diverse range of habitats in Santa Barbara, including oak woodlands, chaparral, coastal dune, salt marsh, sandy beach, rocky intertidal, and stream. In each of these natural communities we will observe patterns, learn about its natural history and discuss ecological and evolutionary questions. Advanced biology students interested in general field experience are also welcome. There will be several reading and writing assignments. Normative number of units for this course is 3.

Required Text

Joan Easton Lentz, A Naturalist’s Guide to the Santa Barbara Region Heyday Books