Basin & Range 2022

Accommodations

Sites for tents or RVs (only 4 sites available) with a full-service restroom, showers, flush toilets, and potable water, covered pavilion, and stand-up grill. Bring everything you will need.

Meals

Participants should plan on providing all their own meals. GSLA will provide soft drinks and dessert for Saturday evening meal.

Tuition

Tuition for the seminar is $30; $25 for seniors 65 and older.

Ian Batterman

Ian Batterman has been an avid birder for 28 years and field trip leader since 2010. He is a Lead Training School Programs Education Presenter at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium and has 16 years of education experience.

Session description: During the spring and summer, breeding birds return to Utah. With all the foliage, it is often hard to see them. That is why birding by ear is a vital skill. With this bird walk, we will focus on what to listen for and how to identify species of birds in the cacophony of sound that is the breeding bird chorus.

Lynn Bohs

Lynn Bohs is a botanist in the Biology Department at the University of Utah. She has taught hundreds of students how to identify plants in her field classes. Her academic research concentrates on the nightshade family (Solanaceae) that includes potatoes, tomatoes, and chili peppers.

Session description: Participants learn many of the common Wasatch trees, shrubs, and herbs in a short time by getting up close to observe their secrets. No prior botany knowledge needed. Bring a hand lens if you have one, clipboard, and pen. Lynn will provide species lists. Session involves easy walking.

Kathy Donnell

Kathy Donnell, Park Ranger/Naturalist, works for Wasatch Mountain State Park and oversees park interpretive programs and non-motorized trails. Kathy's motto is "There is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing choices." So Get Outside!

Session description: : Learn how to identify trees on this 2-mile easy hike. Discover the importance of forest habitat in supporting a diversity of bird species and recognize factors that influence or change bird populations.

Chris Frauenhofer

Chris Frauenhofer conducts wildlife management and research across Utah. Chris is passionate about reptiles and amphibians. His current research focuses on movement patterns and habitat selection of the Great Basin rattlesnake.

Session description: Session focuses on native reptiles and amphibians of northern Utah. Explore nearby habitats and learn about the ecology, physiology, and life histories of various herp species that call the Wasatch home. Learn what makes reptiles and amphibians so unique.

Hunter Klingensmith and Nell Larson

Hunter Klingensmith and Nell Larson have both had a passion for the natural world from an early age. That passion led them to the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter where each spends countless hours studying, restoring, and teaching about the ecology of the area.

Session description: From flood control to essential habitat, to water quality, this session focuses on the important ecosystem functions of wetlands in Utah. Through hands-on interactions & experiments with the Preserve's wetlands, participants get an intimate peek into their functions.

Max Malmquist

Max Malmquist is the Outreach Associate for Audubon’s Saline Lakes Program. Max works to preserve saline lake ecosystems and other wetland habitats in the Great Basin region. He loves to share his passion for birds with others, and the connection that birds and people have with one of our most precious resources in the arid West: Water

Session description: While riparian habitats have been degraded due to water diversions, stream alteration, invasive vegetation, and other humanrelated and environmental factors, efforts to preserve and restore riparian ecosystems have benefitted many bird species. Participants are introduced to Utah’s bird species that depend on riparian corridors. We will drive to the Jordanelle Reclamation area below the dam and walk along the Middle Provo River. Beginning birders welcome. A local bird list will be provided.

Margaret Pettis

Margaret Pettis is a Utah artist, poet, and author of the richly illustrated Back Roads of Utah (margaretpettis.com) An avid kayaker, former horsewoman, wilderness ranger, and wilderness activist, she taught art and English for forty years. Margaret’s five novels and other books are listed on Amazon.com.

Session description: Participants learn basic techniques of watercolor wash and drawing with ink and natural materials while designing and illustrating a journal page celebrating the tiny and vast elements of this beautiful place. Supply list provided to attendees.

Terri Pope

Terri Pope has worked as a biologist for Utah DWR since 2012. She is presently the Wildlife Conservation Biologist in the Central Region, working with birds and mammals of conservation concern. Her academic research focused on habitat & avian behavior relationships.

Session description: : Individual bird species can usually be found in certain vegetation types or landscapes (i.e., their habitat). Birds have special adaptations to be successful in their habitats, each taking a unique role (i.e., their niche) to reduce competition and provide ecosystem services. Species that co-occur in certain habitats are sometimes referred to as assemblages. We will explore some of the bird assemblages that occur in habitats found within WMSP.