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.

If we are "going remote" for spring 2021 we will still do field-based activities, but these will be self-guided with direction from your instructor to help you observe flora and fauna in the places where YOU are. In addition, you will be able to view some virtual tours of Santa Barbara sites, filmed and narrated just for you.

Normative number of units for this course is 3.

Required Text (unless we are remote)
Joan Easton Lentz, A Naturalist’s Guide to the Santa Barbara Region Heyday Books