events
Winter Forests of the Far North
The Border Lakes of Ely, MN
February 4 - February 11, 2012
A week-long course, lodging and meals provided. Course description: Winter is the winnowing field for summer’s extreme diversity. It locks the moisture of earth in prisms of ice, etching a creation of simple design. Here, in this crystalline world, in this season, we will study the natural history of the interface between the temperate deciduous forest and the circumpolar biome of the boreal forest.
What will participants learn on this course?
** Natural history of the deciduous/boreal forests’ transition zone
** World significance & conservation challenges of boreal forest biome
** Winter ID of primary broadleaf trees & conifers by bark and twig
** Signature North Woods mammals including gray wolves, martens & beaver
** Ecology of northern songbirds and owls—snowies, great gray,& hawk-owls
** Cultural history of the voyageurs & the Ojibwe; North Woods literature
** Boreal adaptation to the extreme prolonged cold; North Woods phenology
** Complex igneous & metamorphic geology of the Canadian Shield
** Ecology of boreal ecosystems: upland pine, open bog, black spruce bog
** Weather patterns; variable expressions of snow and ice; northern lights
The course location lies outside the town of Ely, MN, just a few miles south of the Canadian border in the one million acres of designated wilderness that compose the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), a portion of Superior National Forest. Here, only a few road crossings lie between us and the North Pole. We will be standing on edge of one of our planet’s last remaining wilderness areas, and on the southern most boundary of the boreal forest.
Contact: Crystal Marvin
Cost: $999 per registrant, shared rooms
More Info: http://www.highlandssanctuary.org/WE/MN.Winter/MN.WNT.htm
Registration Required
Posted by: Tim Pohlar
Issues: Animals & Wildlife, Arts & Culture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation & Restoration, Cultural Diversity, Funding or Supporting Grassroots Action, Geography, Pollution & Toxics, Religion & Spirituality, Sustainability, Water & Watersheds, Wilderness & Ecosystems