The casual visitor to the Grand Canyon may peer into its depths and come away with the idea that it is a withered, lifeless place. The truth is far different. More than 1,500 species of flowering plants and some 450 species of vertebrates live in the Grand Canyon, making it one of the most biologically diverse landscapes on the planet. This class will introduce participants to the remarkable ecology of the Grand Canyon; where traveling from the boreal forest of the North Rim to the sun-drenched banks of the Colorado River is biologically similar to a trip from southern Canada to northern Mexico. It’s no wonder biologists find the Grand Canyon a fascinating place to study.

Topics will include early biological explorations of the Grand Canyon including C. Hart Merriam, often considered North America’s first ecologist, who hiked into the canyon in 1889; the 1937 expedition to the “Lost World of Shiva Temple;” and a year later, the search for miniature horses. Life histories of common plants and animals will be discussed as well as attention to endemic and/or unusual species, such as the Canyon’s pink rattlesnake and condors with 9-foot wingspans. Other topics will include human activity, from prehistory to present, and how it has impacted the Grand Canyon’s biological resources. Did prehistoric people kill off the Ice Age mammals? Once the area became a park, why were the native predators systematically hunted?  What happened to the native fish after construction of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963? These are a just a few of the intriguing questions to be answered during the class. Basic geology will be covered as it pertains substrate that plant communities live upon and in turn support their wildlife populations.