Monday, January 11, 2010

PostHeaderIcon Coming Down the Mountain

9:32 PM | Posted by NRES 285/ 499, Fall 2010, UIUC | Edit Post
First thing this morning we packed up our things and sent them down the mountain with Carlos in his white pickup. Everyone seemed a little disappointed to be leaving Palo Injerto, with most people craving one more day at the ranch and another night under the stars.

RANCHO GUAYABA

Just up the road from Sabinito we stopped at Ranch Acost Guayaba, the house of Alejandro and his family. It was obvious they were proud of their home, particularly the garden. Only recently have they started learning to grow vegetables like beans, radishes, onions, and other vegetables to use for cooking meals for themselves and guests. Alejandro was pleased to show us a gourd in which he had carved a figure of a horse while the gourd continued to grow. It was nice to see him emerge momentarily from his shy exterior to reveal some true emotion and share it with us.






SABINITO

A few miles down the road we stopped in the village of Sabinito to drop off Felix and to purchase some artifacts made by the ladies. They had been given word of our visit in advance, so they had an abundance of blue palm woven baskets and mats, adobe figures, and embroidered cloth. All of the work was beautiful in a crude yet artful way.



DINNER, DRINKS, & MORE DRINKS....

Shortly after arriving back in Alamos, we went to dinner as a group. The food was good and the drinks went down easy. More drinks followed dinner at Rancho Acosta. It was apparent that everyone had become comfortable with each other and stories were shared, laughs were had, and even a dog-pile occurred.--Nathan S.



photos from Nathan S. & Lenna O.

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About the Class

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Alamos, Sonora, Mexico
This course combines pre-trip classroom instruction with field study in the Sierra de Alamos in Southeastern Sonora, Mexico. Its purpose is to introduce both undergraduate and graduate students to biodiversity and conservation of a diverse and significantly threatened ecosystem.

Readings

  • Alvarez-Yepiz, J. C., A. Martinez-Yrizar, et al. (2008). "Variation in vegetation structure and soil properties related to land use history of old-growth and secondary tropical dry forests in northwestern Mexico." Forest Ecology and Management 256(3): 355-366.
  • Anten, N. P. R., M. Martinez-Ramos, et al. (2003). "Defoliation and growth in an understory palm: Quantifying the contributions of compensatory responses." Ecology 84(11): 2905-2918.
  • Dacosta, J. M. and J. Klicka (2008). "The Great American Interchange in birds: a phylogenetic perspective with the genus Trogon." Molecular Ecology 17(5): 1328-1343.
  • Endress, B. A., D. L. Gorchov, et al. (2004). "Harvest of the palm Chamaedorea radicalis, its effects on leaf production, and implications for sustainable management." Conservation Biology 18(3): 822-830.
  • Endress, B. A., D. L. Gorchov, et al. (2004). "Non-timber forest product extraction: Effects of harvest and browsing on an understory palm." Ecological Applications 14(4): 1139-1153.
  • Felger, R. S. and E. Joyal (1999). "The palms (Areacaceae) of Sonora, Mexico." Aliso 18(1): 1-18.
  • Joyal, E. (1996). "The palm has its time: An ethnoecology of Sabal uresana in Sonora, Mexico." Economic Botany 50(4): 446-462.
  • Joyal, E. (1996). "The use of Sabal uresana (Arecaceae) and other palms in Sonora, Mexico." Economic Botany 50(4): 429-445.
  • O' Brien, C., A. D. Flesch, et al. (2006). Biological inventory of the Rio Aros, Sonora, Mexico: A river unknown. C. O'Brien. Tucson, University of Arizona.
  • Rendon-Carmona, H., A. Martinez-Yrizar, et al. (2009). "Selective cutting of woody species in a Mexican tropical dry forest: Incompatibility between use and conservation." Forest Ecology and Management 257(2): 567-579.
  • Ticktin, T. (2004). "The ecological implications of harvesting non-timber forest products." Journal of Applied Ecology 41(1): 11-21.
  • Vasquez-Leon, M. and D. Liverman (2004). "The political ecology of land-use change: Affluent ranchers and destitute farmers in the Mexican municipio of Alamos." Human Organization 63(1): 21-33.

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