Winter Ecology 2023 (reservations closed for 2023)
Boulder campus – Lecture Weds 5-6pm – six lectures,
Course Dates: 18 Jan – 25 Feb 2023
Wed – 5:00-6:00p
Sat & Sun – 8:30a-1:00p, 1:30-5:00p (overnight at MRS Saturday nights)
Sat – 7:30-8.30p
Mountain Research Station – six weekends. Jan 21/22, 28/29, & Feb 4/5, 11/12, 18/19, 25(Sat only)
Wintertime offers insights into the natural history of organisms and function of ecosystems that are not often appreciated in summer visits to the field. Winter Ecology is a survey of physical and biological processes and their interaction in wintertime snow-covered environments. Through classwork, fieldwork, and individual projects, we will focus on the dynamics of high-elevation ecosystems in the western US. Based from the CU Mountain Research Station's year-round Moores-Collins Science Lodge, we will spend 6 weekends exploring the ecology of upper montane, subalpine, and alpine landscapes in winter. We will study plant, vertebrate, and microbial adaptations to winter and the dynamics of terrestrial, aquatic, and snowpack environments. We will consider how winter processes play a role in “growing season” dynamics, shape landscapes, and are important factors in conservation and management of natural resources of the Rocky Mountains.
Instructors: Dr. Timothy Kittel, University of Colorado and Lecturer Derek Sweeney, University of Colorado
Location: CU Boulder campus (Wed), Mountain Research Station (weekends), learn about lodging at the MRS here: https://www.colorado.edu/mrs/general-info/setting-and-facilities
Credit: 3 credit hours in biology (EBIO 4100)
Tuition: $1875 (Includes a bed in a shared room in the Mountain Research Station Lodge on Saturday nights only)
Prerequisite: One year course work in general biology or environmental science
RESERVATIONS FOR THIS COURSE CAN BE MADE HERE
Questions about staying at the Mountain Research Station during your course? See our Guide to Visiting and Living at the Station.