The end of the chapter, not the book: wrapping-up at Saguaro National Park

After 3 months of backcountry field work, 5 trips into the mountains, and almost 250 total miles, my time at Saguaro National Park ends this week. This internship has been mostly field-based; we have been dutifully monitoring the springs and checking the trail cameras, but now is when we really get to see the fruits …

Variety is the spice of life: a multitude of projects at Saguaro NP

When entering grad school, you tend to find yourself heading towards a “specialty”. You often choose a focus in a specific field or study species and end up collecting a fairly niche set of skills and knowledge. For me, aquatic ecology and entomology became my niche (and a small one at that). But what has …

From the Desert Floor to the Mountaintops at Saguaro National Park

While the Sonoran Desert may conjure up images of the iconic saguaro and arid desert landscapes, there is far more diversity than meets the eye in the desert southwest. From the desert surrounding Tucson, Arizona, the Madrean sky islands rise from the valley floor, creating isolated “islands” of montane habitat within the Sonoran Desert. These …