Following ~ 15 hours of preparatory classes in Seattle, 15 UW students and Prof. Carpenter will fly to Ecuador and spend 9 days on & sailing between the Galapagos islands.  Two University level, English speaking, naturalist guides trained by the Charles Darwin Research Station will lead the UW group throughout their time in Galapagos.  Each night they will explain the especially significant biological & geological features to be seen on island landings the next day, and then lead the groups on the land excursions.  One or two island landings will be made each day, and will include three islands visited by Darwin on the famous Beagle voyage.  Several stops will be made on the western most islands Fernandina & Isabella, which are the youngest geologically, the least visited & which have the largest populations of several marine creatures.

Fig. 1  Giant tortoises, which are perhaps the islands' most famous natives & for which they are named (Galapagos is the spanish word for them.)  Their populations have been greatly reduced by more mobile, introduced, non-native grazers such as goats.  We will visit tortoise & iguana hatchery & breeding stations developed to preserve and rebuild their populations.  Photos courtesy of M. Grantham.

        Prof. Carpenter will lead class lectures, discussions & videos to teach students the fascinating geological & biological history of these islands—including the plate tectonics processes that formed them, the biological process that colonized them and then led to development of their unique flora & fauna (Figs. 1-3). 

       Class meetings will be Mon-Thurs evenings from 7-9 PM  Aug. 22 through Sept. 1 to allow students to maintain summer jobs through August.  Students will read sections of Darwin’s book Voyage of the Beagle.  Students will also learn the the sensitivity of the ecosystems to El Nino events & global warming, the status of Ecuadorian effort to reduce already severe impacts of introduced nonnative species and over-harvesting of fish & sea cucumbers, and  how preservation of the unique wildlife ecosystems is complicated by often contentious & differing attitudes of people from more developed societies, from mainland Ecuador and from people living on Galapagos. 

        To earn a credit grade, students will have to score at least 66% on an exam over this subject matter.  Each student will also do a literature review for one of the islands, present a 10-15 minute oral report about the island and a 5-6 page written report about the island for class members to take along as a notebook of background information.      Students will be responsible for arranging their own round trip flights Seattle-Quito, but must arrive in Quito at specified hotel no later than the evening of Sept. 6th 

      The UW group will fly together from Quito to Galapagos Islands the morning of Sept. 7th, and

spend 1.5 days exploring the largest inhabited island (Santa Cruz).  We will make a guided visit

to the Darwin Research Station, including both the tortoise and iguana breeding programs.  We

will go to two beach visitor sites, several preserves where giant tortoises are likely to be

encountered in the wild, and visit the home of a longtime island resident where several species

of Darwin’s finches may be seen at close range.

      On the morning of Sept. 9th we will board our cruise ship, and sail around the islands for 7

nights & 8 days.  Most travel between islands will be at night.  Each day we will go ashore twice

at different island visitor sites, led by the Ecuadorian naturalists, observing & photographing the

unique plants & animals which led Darwin to his theory of evolution when he visited the islands

in 1835.  There will also be 1 or 2 optional snorkeling or kayaking sessions most days. 

 Fig.  2.  Land iguanas (on left) and marine iguanas (on right) are two of Galapagos' most

interesting reptiles.  During El Nino periods, populations of land iguanas fluorish because

more rainfall leads to more terrestrial vegetation. Marine iguanas suffer due to reduced

amounts of their seaweed food.  Photos courtesy M. Grantham.

      The proposed day by day island itinerary is available for download here or as a web page here. 

The ship is an 85 ft long steel hulled yacht built in 1998 specifically for Galapagos Island service,

and includes all modern navigation instrumentation & safety features.  It carries a crew

of 7, including a cook who will prepare all meals.  Food choices may be limited, so students

with special dietary requirements should inquire whether they can be accommodated.  Student

sleeping accommodations on the ship will be in 2 person, air-conditioned cabins with private

bathrooms and showers.  Purified bottled water will be provided for drinking.

      We will fly back to Quito the afternoon of Sept 16^th, and spend that last night together. 

Students may then either fly back to Seattle on Sept. 17th, or arrange several days of independent

travel.

A 8-12 page double spaced report describing at least two  key biological, geological, or oceanographic processes observed, how they are being affected by El Nino or global warming conditions and/or nonnative species,  and the current status of Ecuadorian efforts to protect & restore threatened populations, must be submitted by the start of fall quarter (Sept. 26, 2005).

Participants should have completed at least one university level course in environmental science,

basic biology, botany, zoology, earth sciences, or oceanography.   Grading will be only on  credit/no

credit basis (C/NC).  Five UW credits can be earned for course Ocean 240, which fulfills a natural

world requirement.  

Fig.  3.  Blue footed boobies and red chested male frigate birds are two colorful endemic Galapagos birds which have not developed a fear of humans.  Because of lack of natural predators, they lay eggs in nests on the ground, where they are easy prey for introduced predators such as pigs, rats, and cats.  Photos courtesy M. Grantham.

     The student fee of  $3,250  above regular tuition includes all costs except for the roundtrip

airfare Seattle-Quito,  two evening meals, Quito airport departure tax ($ 39) and souvenirs. 

It has been substantially discounted from normal rates by both the ship operators who specialize

in Galapagos tours with a significant educational component, and by UW subsidies.  Prospective

student registrants are urged to contact the International Programs & Exchange Office

(206-543-9272) or ipe@u.washington.edu to seek additional financial aid to cover

part of the fee.

     This Ocean 240 Galapagos experience is part of the 2005 Early fall Start Exploration

Seminars.  Such seminars are open to students who are enrolled for autumn quarter 2005,

from all areas of study, and from any of the UW campuses.  There are no requirements

such as language skills, major, GPA, etc.  Students will be considered for enrollment in an

Exploration Seminar based upon their academic goals and progress, their application essay

(which includes a short statement of intent) and through an interview.

       More information about the overall Exploration Seminars Program and links to

registration/application procedures are at  http://www.artsci.washington.edu/exploration

For more information about the overall Exploration Seminars Porgram, please contact

Theron Stevenson, International Program Coordinator at   explore@u.washington.edu,

or  in B-102 Padelford.  For more information specifically about the Ocean 240 class,

contact Prof. Carpenter at 206 543 8535 or rcarp@u.washington.edu