Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2001)
4__________________ WedNEsdAy, Apnil 11, 2001 Feature TI he ClAckÄMAs P rint PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER PORTER 21 students attended this year's Death Valley trip during spring break. Back row, left: Erin, Lisa, Raquel, Sarah, Nathan, Jeff, Eric and Nicole. Second row, left:Suzanne, Terry, Patrick, Kristine, Christine, Jonel and Bob. Third row, left: BethAnne, Dan, instructor Porter and Jodi. Front row, left: Tim, Craig, instructor Hoover, Jeff, Andrew and Loyd. MAGGIE JIRASEK Feature Editor The annual college Death Val ley Trip, a three-credit science course, was lead this year by biol ogy in- struc- . t o r S'l Jenni-1 f e r Porter and Sarah Hoover with the goal to give students a chance to apply their knowl-< edge ‘out in the real world.’ Over spring break, 21 Clackamas students went to Death Valley Park in California to study animals, plants and rocks in a place where the average temperature during this time of year ranges between 90-100 degrees. “It was really hot which was kind of good because it brought out the critters. We saw more snakes, liz- a r d s and scorpions than ever before. We even found a gecko. I have never seen a ' desert gecko be- I fore,” explained s J Porter. < The Death Val- ley Trip, which is a natural field course, has been coordinated by Clackamas for over 20 years now. “It’s natural history and we do some geology, biology as well as archeology,” said Porter. For students who went on the trip, prior meetings were required. Think You're Pregnant? We can help you work through your choices. PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTERS Milwaukie................................ 503.659.3336 Lloyd Center Area................... 503.284.1977 Gresham ........ ............................ 503.666.6527 Lake Grove......................*....... 503.968.6780 Beaverton ..................................503.643.4503 SE Portland................................503.777.7097 / www.portlandprc.org FREE Pregnancy Tests Confidential Counseling Each student was assigned a re search topic for the trip. “While the students were down there, they actually had to givepre- sentations and lectures;” said Por ter. Camping for ten days in a place like Death Valley was not easy. Sleeping in tents and three show ers per week was all the comfort Death Valley had to offer. “We usually got up in the morn ings, made breakfest, jumped in the vans and drove around. We went to various spots around the whole Death Valley Park where I gave a lecture or students gave theirs,” explained Porter. “Other times, we were just running around, chasing animals and looking at plants and rocks.” The students made a trip up in the mountains where they studied types of cacti as well as learned how to identify different types of bushes. At Scottie’s castle, the national park service gave them a guided tour. According to Porter, one of the most amazing experi ences was visiting Ash Meadows, which is lo- cated outside the park and consists of whole system I i t t 1 “ springs. Itwasjustincred- “ ible, almost like an oasis in the middle of a 4^*" desert,” said Por- ter. “Un- fortunately, none of the plants were blooming yet in Death Valley. The rain hit too late and so the plants haven’t gotten enough water yet.” Instructors as well as students en-. joyed the trip and were fascinated by seeing how animals and plants can manage to survive in such a PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER PORTER One of the highlights while camping out in Death Valley was visiting Scottie's castle where students enjoyed a guided tour. Bottom left: Christine, Jeff, Jodi and instructor Porter. Top row left: Suzanne, Patrick and Loyd. Middle: Lisa. harsh environment. “It was the year of the critters. It’s just a beautiful place. All the animals there have their own little history of how to survive in this awful hot place. To me, that is amazing,” said Porter. In all the years that students have been visiting the Death Valley Park, no one has ever been injured, stung or bitten. “This time, we. had some sidewind ers right on the street in front of our campsite. They were sitting there ev ery night, keeping themselves warm. This was the only thing that caused some concern,” explained Porter. “This group was pretty fearless though. They wanted to pick up everything, even the scorpions and snakes. But we had a great time”
