Environmental Science Trip Explores Desert Ecosystems in American Southwest

Students in Trinity’s Environmental Science Program learned firsthand about desert ecosystems as they explored the southwestern United States this summer.

Six environmental science majors were guided through an 11-day camping and hiking itinerary by Professor of Physics and Environmental Science Christoph Geiss and Principal Lecturer and Laboratory Coordinator in the Environmental Science Program Jonathan R. Gourley.

The May 2025 trip to the “Four Corners” states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado was part of the Trinity course ENVS 350, “Field Study in Environmental Science.” Gourley said that the course involved weekly meetings throughout the spring semester to plan the trip. “The students developed a trip field guide, becoming experts on everything from the geology of the Southwest to the history of the specific locations and even species of cactus. On the trip, they each carried a field notebook with them to document their observations and experiences,” he said.

“We are trying to expose students to different environments—each with their own unique flora and fauna—which allows them to better understand how the earth works,” Gourley added. “For many students, these trips are eye-opening and transformative; they get excited about travel and about exploring new locations.”

Gourley said that highlights of the trip included visits to El Malpais National Monument, Chaco Cultural National Historic Park, and Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, Natural Bridges Natural Monument in Utah, and Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. This year’s itinerary was new for the field study excursion, which has previously taken students to other locations in the American Southwest and to Iceland.