Earthwatch Arizona

This summer, I was fortunate enough to participate on an Earthwatch Senior Teacher Fellowship to Arizona. The fellowship is organized, administered, and funded through the Earthwatch Institute, an environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to engage citizens in the scientific research process and raise awareness of critical environmental issues. I was lucky enough to have participated on a previous Earthwatch expedition to Ecuador, where I studied the effects of climate change on the pupation process of caterpillars. This time, I was awarded a Senior Fellowship to Arizona to continue the same work.

As with my previous Earthwatch Fellowship, this  trip embodied the idea of Citizen Science: Anyone, with the assistance of a professional scientist, can contribute to the scientific research process in meaningful ways. My job, as a Senior Fellow, was to lead workshops for the other teacher fellows that facilitate and foster dialogue on ways to incorporate our Earthwatch experience in the classroom.

Our lead researcher, Dr. Lee Dyer, has worked with Earthwatch for close to 25 years, leading over 5,000 citizen scientists on trips all over the world. One of the coolest parts of Earthwatch, however, are the varied excursions they offer for different groups of people:

Student Trips: The Earthwatch Ignite Program is designed for aspiring scientists in the 10th and 11th grades to participate on a fully-funded expedition. If you know somebody who would be interested, here's a link to the application. 

Corporate Partnerships:  One of the most fascinating aspects of Earthwatch's work are their corporate partnerships. C-Level Suite executives from fortune 500 companies, including Credit Suisse and HSBC, participate on an Earthwatch expedition as part of their corporate social responsibility initiative. Dr. Dyer said that many executives start their trip either climate deniers or apathetic to climate change, and leave with a sense of passion and vigor in fighting global warming.

Retail Trips: For folks who aren't teachers, students, or corporate executives, it is possible to pay your own way on an Earthwatch expedition of your choosing.

I, of course,  participated on the Teach Earth Fellowship for educators. For eight days, nine teacher fellows, myself, and three researchers traveled through the breathtaking landscape of southern Arizona in search of Lepidoptera, the scientific name for caterpillars.

We started our journey at the Southwest Research Station just outside of Portal, Arizona. After 3 days, we then moved west, passing through Bisbee, and finally finished in Arivaca, Arizona. At one point during our expedition, we were so close to the Mexican border that many of us received text messages from our cellphone carriers offering to buy international data plans!




A Brief Description of the Research (Courtesy of Earthwatch):


On this project, we examine the factors that affect interactions among plants, caterpillars, and their natural enemies. This is an important area of study for both agricultural and basic ecology. This three-tiered study system allows for insights into “tri-trophic” interactions— in other words, it examines the relationships among three distinct levels of the food web. We conducted caterpillar research in the deserts and mountains around the Southwest Research Station in the Chiricahua Mountains and the nearby Santa Rita Experimental Range in the Coronado National Forest. Other Earthwatch teams conduct work throughout the year in forests and mountains in Nevada and California; a rainforest at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica; a cloud forest at Yanayacu Biological Station in Ecuador; and in urban areas, swamps, and bottomland hardwood forests around New Orleans, Louisiana.

The natural enemies of caterpillars that the project studies are called “parasitoids.” They include many species of wasps and flies that kill caterpillars by depositing their eggs on them. This ensures that the parasitoids’ offspring will have both a safe environment in which to grow (inside the caterpillar) and a good supply of food (caterpillar tissue). We are rearing caterpillars of over 300 species and recording the mortality caused by the parasitoids. In addition, we isolate specific chemical compounds from some species of caterpillars and food plants to examine them as potential defenses against parasitoids.

By comparing the results from different sites, we can test hypotheses about the effects of climate on interactions between caterpillars and parasitoids. Our study also collects essential natural history information about plants, caterpillars, and parasitoids. Based on our data, we are developing models to predict which parasitoids might be used to control specific insect pests of human crops, which will benefit farmers who are attempting to control pests without using pesticides. Some of the species that we study (such as army worms and owl butterfly caterpillars) are agricultural pests; others (such as some rare day flying moths) are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. The caterpillars we worked with are fascinating: they come in a spectacular diversity of shapes, colors, and forms that function to defend them against their enemies. Many of the species found by this project will be new to science.



The Research Process 


In order to carry out this important research, thousands of caterpillar specimens must be collected, reared, and studied. Our team successfully completed 16 plots throughout southern Arizona. The process of setting up a plot, collecting specimens, and rearing caterpillars is quite involved:

First, a suitable site must be identified. With it's abundance of Ponderosa Pines, this proved to be an ideal location for a caterpillar plot. After the area has been outlined with rope, each tree trunk radius measured and leaf counts taken, the trees are ready for "beating."

Sometimes we had to hike into our site for the day. Pictured is a typical scene we'd find in the field. 

Our office for the day. This plot was located just south of Arivaca, Arizona

Beat sticks and nets, pictured above, are used to retrieve the caterpillars. We literally "beat" the branches until the caterpillars fell off!

After beating the tree, we searched for caterpillars on the net

Victory! This little guy will be placed in a container along with the plant it was found on for further study

Back at the lab, each caterpillar is organized based on it's host plant.

Naturally, the caterpillars defecate in the containers, which need to be cleaned. One of the main activities during our trip was to "rear" caterpillars, which meant cleaning feces and putting in fresh host plant. Otherwise, the caterpillars would die!

Back at the lab, each specimin was photographed so it could be properly classified. Pictured is a parasitized Juno Buckmoth caterpillar.  Due to climate change, caterpillars are pupating quicker, thus lowering parasitism rates. 

Bisbee, Arizona

As we drove from the Southwest Research Station to Arivaca, we passed through the old mining town of Bisbee. Founded in 1880 as a copper mining town, Bisbee has since become a tourist destination, famous for it's quintessentially "Southwest" look and colorful culture:

At it's height in 1930, Bisbee was home to more than 8,000 people, mostly employed in the copper mines. Today, Bisbee subsists primarily on tourism. 

The Lavender Pit operated from 1917 to 1974. At it's deepest, it measures 4,000 feet long, 5,000 feet wide, and 850 feet deep. At it's peak, all of Bisbee's mines produced 8 billion pounds of copper during the 20th century. Today, worldwide consumption of copper is 34 billion pounds per year.  That equates to mining a historic Bisbee every 3 months!

Main Street Bisbee

A custom guitar shop in Bisbee

Bisbee street art. In 2016, Bisbee was voted "Best Hippie Town in Arizona." 

Unexpected Encounters

One of the most surprising and thought-provoking themes on our trip had nothing to do with caterpillars or climate change. Given our close proximity to the U.S.-Mexican border, we frequently encountered Border Patrol checkpoints and evidence of migrant crossings: 

While working on a caterpillar plot, we routinely found discarded backpacks, sweatshirts, bottles and canned food. Our research area overlapped with heavily traveled migrant routes into the US. 

During one outing, we encountered the Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans, a volunteer group that leaves water and food for migrants crossing over

Evidence of the Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans work: jugs of water and canned food in a dry riverbed.

A sign in a window in Bisbee, Arizona. This store owner told us that oftentimes, pro-immigrant activists  co-exist peacefully in the same communities as Border Patrol Agents, despite differing political views. 

Conclusion 

After completing my second Earthwatch expedition, I left with a  profound respect for the work of the organization, a deeper appreciation for the sheer beauty of southern Arizona, and a renewed sense of duty to protecting our planet's natural resources.  Throughout our trip, we learned about the severity and seriousness of climate change on the delicate ecosystems of Southern Arizona. Along the way, I made great connections with fellow teachers, and even made some furry friends as well: 

Tobacco Hornworm mustache.

An Aphonopelma chalcodes, commonly known as the Mexican blonde tarantula. After I picked him up, I noticed he excreted a green liquid on my hand. I later learned it was vomit. Apparently these little guys puke when they're scared! I'd be scared too if a giant picked me up!  

After an exhausting but exhilarating week of hunting for caterpillars (for the second time!) I flew home from Arizona at 7:30pm on Sunday, August 5th. The next day, at 8am, I started a new job at a new school. As I sat in the faculty meeting that morning at work, all I could think about was this: 

Sunset over the Santa Rita Mountains

What a fantastic summer it's been. 

Until next time...