The campsite:
The view from the survey site: 
Friday, October 5, 2012
Antelope Jackrabbit Survey Camping Trip
Greetings,
Last weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to head south to the Tucson area to survey for Antelope Jackrabbits with CACSCB! This trip was organized by David Brown, a conservationist/researcher, and was attended by members of CACSCB, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U of A conservation club. I had a blast - let me tell you all about it! But first, I will write a little on how I got started with the club.
About a month ago, I met with Dr. Andrew Smith of ASU's Conservation Biology department and asked him about ways I could get involved with conservation at ASU. I was simply interested in helping! I wasn't sure if I wanted to switch my major, but I knew I wanted to get involved. He told me about this thing called CACSCB... At the time, I had no idea what it was or who was in it! Luckily, he sent me a clarification email later that included the September newsletter. As soon as I looked at it, I was interested! There was also some information on a trip that was going to be looking for jackrabbits in the desert. I new I wanted to try to join the club, so here is what I did:
It's a somewhat tragic story to begin with. I emailed the CACSCB Vice President, Jen, and asked for information about the group in general and this jackrabbit survey trip I had heard about. She sent me some helpful links, and then told me about a meeting on Wednesday the 26th at 5pm to get information about the trip. I was so excited to attend my first meeting.... until I realized that I had class until 5:45. I decided to try to rush over to the meeting to catch the last tidbits of information, but unfortunately the meeting had already ended. So here I was, not knowing anything about CACSCB or the trip really, and I was leaving with them for Tucson on Saturday morning. Great. Well, at least I had a packing list and the meeting place and time. I didn't even know what sort of rabbits I was supposed to be looking for!
Last Saturday morning rolled around, and I walked two miles from my dorm, in the blistering heat, with a twenty pound pack, to a random parking lot. As luck would have it, I was the first one there. I waited and waited for what seemed like ten hours, and finally another person with a pack showed up! At least I knew I was in the right spot. Soon, more people and cars showed up. They were certainly outdoorsy people - lots of fieldwork clothing and shaggy beards. A few of them were married - One other freshman guy and I were the youngest by about 4 years. But never mind that, at least they seemed to know what they were doing. We hopped in the cars and headed south.
On the way to the campsite, we were lucky enough to stop at the Sonoran Desert Museum outside of Tucson. It is more a zoo than a museum, for those of you who haven't been there. I had a blast! I've never really experienced the desert before, seeing as I am from Minnesota, and so it was fascinating to see the unique desert animals. All of the wildlife there is native to the area, and some of the species are even threatened in the wild. I was especially excited to see those animals since their existence directly relates to my topic in ENG102. Overall, the museum visit was excellent, and hopefully I can post more about it later. After the museum, the whole group headed to our campsite.
Let me just start my saying that I use the word campsite loosely. We really were sleeping on sand and weeds in the desert. It was eye-opening to say the least! I have never seen that many giant bugs or lizards in my entire life. I opted out of the scorpion viewing excursion, a decision that I now regret... but I digress. The group set up tents and a small "kitchen" area - a table and 20 folding chairs - around the central fire pit. There were about 40 people altogether at the site, from all different conservation groups. As night fell on the camp, David Brown gathered everyone together to tell a little about the history of the area and explain what we would be doing in the morning.
I will be honest, I don't remember too much about the history of the place. I'm not a huge history buff. I was much more interested in his talk about the jackrabbits, and what we would get to do with them. All I could think about was how much I wanted to see the bunnies! However, I do recall some of his explanation on how that area of the desert got to where it is today. Weather patterns and grazing animals have continually changed the landscape of the area, and currently the area is drier than usual. He also mentioned that there could be less jackrabbits in the area because of the lack of water. But I wasn't discouraged! I was bound and determined to see some rabbits.
He explained the process of surveying for the Antelope Jackrabbits. We were all going to line up, and walk together across a mile long expanse, counting the rabbits that popped up on our right. Easy enough! That was all the information we got for the night. Bed time came and morning arrived early, and we once again met up around the campfire.
Mr. Brown passed out little pieces of paper where we were supposed to write our rabbit count on. We were also supposed to write down any other wildlife we saw, including other species of rabbit. I was excited! I really wanted to see the rabbits and any other creatures I could find. We hopped in the cars and drove about 30 minutes to the survey site. It just so happened that the site was on a farm, so we had to dodge free-range cows every so often, but that didn't stop us from finally arriving at our little patch of desert. And lo and behold - I saw my first jackrabbit hopping away from the cars! I was so thrilled! I was extremely anxious to get going. Little did I know I would have to walk forever through thickets and weeds to get to my position! But I got there eventually, and waited for everyone else to finish lining up. Finally the call came to start walking! Slowly but surely, we headed toward our goal, counting rabbits all the way.
Guess who didn't see any jackrabbits?
Me.
But, I did see tons of lizards! And bugs! And sand. And weeds... and some cacti. But no jackrabbits popped up in my zone. I was a little sad, but at least I had seen a rabbit earlier in the morning. After a long, hot, terrible walk back to the cars (it took about an hour...) we collapsed and waited to hear the results of everyone's hard work. Despite my disappointing walk, other members had great success. Overall, the group counted 51 jackrabbits! Much more than in past years. This proved that despite dry conditions, the rabbits were active. I was happy to hear that, but the happiest moment was yet to come.
While we were standing around, a conservationist whom I didn't recognize started talking to us about a unique cactus called the pineapple cactus. I had seen one or two along my desert walk, and wasn't too thrilled to listen to people talk more (it was so hot..), but my attention was quickly grabbed when I heard him say the word "endangered." YAY!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I was about to hear a talk about an endangered species! The conservationists started telling us a story about how this species of cacti somehow made it on the endangered species list, even though it has never proved to be endangered. I was so surprised and enthralled - I wanted to hear more, especially since I could follow exactly what he was saying after doing research on the Endangered Species Act for my ENG102 viewpoint essay. He told us how a few individuals made a claim that the species was endangered, and somehow that was enough to list it as endangered. Since then, hundreds of thousands of wasted dollars have gone towards the plant, yet there is no recovery plan and no defined habitat. Currently, this conservationist is working on proving that the species is in fact doing well, not dying off. It was amazing to hear a first-hand account of someone who was directly working with the details of the Endangered Species Act. It was the highlight of my trip.
We headed back home that afternoon, and I started washing the dust from every belonging I brought, all the while thinking about how I couldn't wait to tell this story! It made writing my paper a more personal experience, and I realized how much of an impact the ESA has on species and people around the country. Plus, I liked seeing a wild jackrabbit!
Last weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to head south to the Tucson area to survey for Antelope Jackrabbits with CACSCB! This trip was organized by David Brown, a conservationist/researcher, and was attended by members of CACSCB, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U of A conservation club. I had a blast - let me tell you all about it! But first, I will write a little on how I got started with the club.
About a month ago, I met with Dr. Andrew Smith of ASU's Conservation Biology department and asked him about ways I could get involved with conservation at ASU. I was simply interested in helping! I wasn't sure if I wanted to switch my major, but I knew I wanted to get involved. He told me about this thing called CACSCB... At the time, I had no idea what it was or who was in it! Luckily, he sent me a clarification email later that included the September newsletter. As soon as I looked at it, I was interested! There was also some information on a trip that was going to be looking for jackrabbits in the desert. I new I wanted to try to join the club, so here is what I did:
It's a somewhat tragic story to begin with. I emailed the CACSCB Vice President, Jen, and asked for information about the group in general and this jackrabbit survey trip I had heard about. She sent me some helpful links, and then told me about a meeting on Wednesday the 26th at 5pm to get information about the trip. I was so excited to attend my first meeting.... until I realized that I had class until 5:45. I decided to try to rush over to the meeting to catch the last tidbits of information, but unfortunately the meeting had already ended. So here I was, not knowing anything about CACSCB or the trip really, and I was leaving with them for Tucson on Saturday morning. Great. Well, at least I had a packing list and the meeting place and time. I didn't even know what sort of rabbits I was supposed to be looking for!
Last Saturday morning rolled around, and I walked two miles from my dorm, in the blistering heat, with a twenty pound pack, to a random parking lot. As luck would have it, I was the first one there. I waited and waited for what seemed like ten hours, and finally another person with a pack showed up! At least I knew I was in the right spot. Soon, more people and cars showed up. They were certainly outdoorsy people - lots of fieldwork clothing and shaggy beards. A few of them were married - One other freshman guy and I were the youngest by about 4 years. But never mind that, at least they seemed to know what they were doing. We hopped in the cars and headed south.
On the way to the campsite, we were lucky enough to stop at the Sonoran Desert Museum outside of Tucson. It is more a zoo than a museum, for those of you who haven't been there. I had a blast! I've never really experienced the desert before, seeing as I am from Minnesota, and so it was fascinating to see the unique desert animals. All of the wildlife there is native to the area, and some of the species are even threatened in the wild. I was especially excited to see those animals since their existence directly relates to my topic in ENG102. Overall, the museum visit was excellent, and hopefully I can post more about it later. After the museum, the whole group headed to our campsite.
Let me just start my saying that I use the word campsite loosely. We really were sleeping on sand and weeds in the desert. It was eye-opening to say the least! I have never seen that many giant bugs or lizards in my entire life. I opted out of the scorpion viewing excursion, a decision that I now regret... but I digress. The group set up tents and a small "kitchen" area - a table and 20 folding chairs - around the central fire pit. There were about 40 people altogether at the site, from all different conservation groups. As night fell on the camp, David Brown gathered everyone together to tell a little about the history of the area and explain what we would be doing in the morning.
I will be honest, I don't remember too much about the history of the place. I'm not a huge history buff. I was much more interested in his talk about the jackrabbits, and what we would get to do with them. All I could think about was how much I wanted to see the bunnies! However, I do recall some of his explanation on how that area of the desert got to where it is today. Weather patterns and grazing animals have continually changed the landscape of the area, and currently the area is drier than usual. He also mentioned that there could be less jackrabbits in the area because of the lack of water. But I wasn't discouraged! I was bound and determined to see some rabbits.
He explained the process of surveying for the Antelope Jackrabbits. We were all going to line up, and walk together across a mile long expanse, counting the rabbits that popped up on our right. Easy enough! That was all the information we got for the night. Bed time came and morning arrived early, and we once again met up around the campfire.
Mr. Brown passed out little pieces of paper where we were supposed to write our rabbit count on. We were also supposed to write down any other wildlife we saw, including other species of rabbit. I was excited! I really wanted to see the rabbits and any other creatures I could find. We hopped in the cars and drove about 30 minutes to the survey site. It just so happened that the site was on a farm, so we had to dodge free-range cows every so often, but that didn't stop us from finally arriving at our little patch of desert. And lo and behold - I saw my first jackrabbit hopping away from the cars! I was so thrilled! I was extremely anxious to get going. Little did I know I would have to walk forever through thickets and weeds to get to my position! But I got there eventually, and waited for everyone else to finish lining up. Finally the call came to start walking! Slowly but surely, we headed toward our goal, counting rabbits all the way.
Guess who didn't see any jackrabbits?
Me.
But, I did see tons of lizards! And bugs! And sand. And weeds... and some cacti. But no jackrabbits popped up in my zone. I was a little sad, but at least I had seen a rabbit earlier in the morning. After a long, hot, terrible walk back to the cars (it took about an hour...) we collapsed and waited to hear the results of everyone's hard work. Despite my disappointing walk, other members had great success. Overall, the group counted 51 jackrabbits! Much more than in past years. This proved that despite dry conditions, the rabbits were active. I was happy to hear that, but the happiest moment was yet to come.
While we were standing around, a conservationist whom I didn't recognize started talking to us about a unique cactus called the pineapple cactus. I had seen one or two along my desert walk, and wasn't too thrilled to listen to people talk more (it was so hot..), but my attention was quickly grabbed when I heard him say the word "endangered." YAY!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I was about to hear a talk about an endangered species! The conservationists started telling us a story about how this species of cacti somehow made it on the endangered species list, even though it has never proved to be endangered. I was so surprised and enthralled - I wanted to hear more, especially since I could follow exactly what he was saying after doing research on the Endangered Species Act for my ENG102 viewpoint essay. He told us how a few individuals made a claim that the species was endangered, and somehow that was enough to list it as endangered. Since then, hundreds of thousands of wasted dollars have gone towards the plant, yet there is no recovery plan and no defined habitat. Currently, this conservationist is working on proving that the species is in fact doing well, not dying off. It was amazing to hear a first-hand account of someone who was directly working with the details of the Endangered Species Act. It was the highlight of my trip.
We headed back home that afternoon, and I started washing the dust from every belonging I brought, all the while thinking about how I couldn't wait to tell this story! It made writing my paper a more personal experience, and I realized how much of an impact the ESA has on species and people around the country. Plus, I liked seeing a wild jackrabbit!
Welcome!
Welcome! My name is Ellie, and I am in ENG102 with Professor Zillmer at ASU. I am an honors student here at the University, and to receive honors credit for this class I have decided to join a really cool club, called The Central Arizona Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology, fondly called CACSCB (pronounced cack scab) by its members. This group is affiliated with ASU, but any Arizonian who is interested in conservation biology is allowed to join! CACSCB works closely with Arizona wildlife groups and government groups as well.
While my major is not in conservation biology, I am very interested in wildlife ecology and conservation. While I cannot claim to be an expert in the area, my passion for the topic led me to choose the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as my focus for the semester in ENG102. CACSCB is perfectly tied to the ESA, and is already broadening my viewpoint on the topic.
I look forward to going to club meetings, trips, and more!
Stay tuned!
E
While my major is not in conservation biology, I am very interested in wildlife ecology and conservation. While I cannot claim to be an expert in the area, my passion for the topic led me to choose the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as my focus for the semester in ENG102. CACSCB is perfectly tied to the ESA, and is already broadening my viewpoint on the topic.
I look forward to going to club meetings, trips, and more!
Stay tuned!
E
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