desert Studies institute

The Desert Studies Institute (DSI) was established in 1997 as a cooperative program between the Department of Anthropology at Boise State University and Celebration Park, which is operated by Canyon County Parks, Recreation and Waterways.  Each year, the Desert Studies Institute provides a broad range of academic offerings of interest and value to students, teaching professionals, Idaho's citizens and visitors.

The mission of the Institute is to provide educational programs and scholarly presentations concerning the prehistory, history, ecology and politics of Idaho's desert environments and deserts worldwide.  The programs are presented to enrich the understanding and appreciation of complex desert ecosystems in Idaho and to promote their perpetual preservation as educational resources for the future.

FACULTY

The faculty of the Desert Studies Institute is selected on the basis of their expertise in areas relating to the objectives of the DSI.  Faculty from Boise State University and the region form the core of the instructional faculty.  The institute regularly arranges for the participation of distinguished scholars from other institutions.

COST

All workshops are one credit each (pass/fail), and are available for graduate ($280.00) or undergraduate ($233.00) credit (plus a workshop fee).  All workshops are listed under anthropology; most are cross-listed with other disciplines.  See the summer class schedule for detailed information, or for registration information call 426-1709 (Boise State Summer Program/Extended Studies).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WORKSHOPS:

   DSI: A Japanese American Camp in the Idaho Desert - June 5 & 6, 2009.  Taught by Robert Sims, Boise State University.  In 1942 the United States government built Camp Minidoka in the Idaho desert northeast of Twin Falls, Idaho.  That camp was home to over 12,000 Japanese aliens and American citizens of Japanese ancestry removed from their homes on the West Coast and imprisoned there during World War II.  The workshop will focus on the interaction of that community with their environment and the consequences of that interaction.  The second day of the workshop will be a field trip to the site.

   DSI: Desert Ecology - June 9 & 10, 2009.  Taught by Tom Bicak, Canyon County Park, Recreation and Waterways, and Mark Plew, Boise State University.  This workshop provides a broad overview of natural and human ecology. The workshop will consist of guest lectures and demonstrations by various specialists in desert ecology. The workshop will meet at Celebration Park near Melba, Idaho, where classroom instruction and short field trips are scheduled. An overnight program, which is linked to the day sessions, is optional.

   DSI: Raptors of Southern Idaho: Their Habitat Requirements and Adaptations - June 11 & 12, 2009.  Taught by Trish Nixon and Mark Purdy, World Center for Birds of Prey.  This workshop will focus on many of the birds of prey of Southern Idaho. Peregrine Fund staff will talk about each bird and the types of habitat they require for foraging and nesting successfully. Discussions will be augmented by live bird presentations. Second day will host a field trip where three types of habitats converge and participants will discuss features in the landscape that make it possible for several types of birds to survive.

   DSI: Ethnobotany: Introduction to Edible, Medicinal and Useful Plants - June 12 & 13, 2009.  Taught by Ray & Edna Vizgirdas, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Our cultural history is intimately tied with our environment Society cannot be isolated from their natural resources, whether these resources are water, precious metals, animals or plants. This workshop will focus primarily on plants used by Native Americans as food, medicine, clothing, and building materials. Classroom and field activities will emphasize native plant identification, ecology and ethnobotany. This workshop will bring together aspects of our region's natural and cultural history.

   DSI: Vardis Fisher: Envisioning the Land, the Nation, and American Literature - June 15-16, 2009.  Taught by Joseph Flora, the 2009 Desert Studies Institute's Distinguished Lecturer. Among the most quoted words of Thomas Wolfe are these: "You can't go home again." Vardis Fisher, his friend and critic, challenged that belief. He left New York City and a faculty appointment to return to his native Idaho, where for almost four decades he would live and write on a ranch in a setting that evoked the frontier experience of his youth. He wrote stories, novels, and history encouraging frontier values of the past and challenging the directions he saw ascendant in the nation. He also challenged the literary establishment and created a lonely space for himself in the literary world. The workshop will consider Fisher's core beliefs, his stance on the environment, and his legacy as a writer. Workshop includes field trip to Vardis Fisher homestead.

   DSI: The Archaeology of Climate Change - June 20 & 21, 2009.  Taught by Pei-Lin Yu, California State University, Sacramento.  This workshop will examine the archaeological record to investigate ancient climate change and tactics used by human societies to cope, and in some cases, become transformed. Students wil learn through specific case studies how the relationship between humans and the climate in which we live can be explored in a scientifically productive manner that has utility for modern societies.

   DSI: Deserts in American History and Culture - June 26 & 27, 2009.  Taught by Lisa Brady, Boise State University.  This two-day workshop examines the changing face of America's arid lands culturally and historically. We will discuss how various cultures have perceived and lived in the desert and how those views and experiences have transformed the desert environment.

   DSI: Fundamentals of Dendrochronology - July 9 & 10, 2009.  Taught by David Wilkins, Boise State University.  This workshop is an introduction to the use of trees as proxies for climate, fire, and archaeological reconstructions.  The course will consist of a field component including collection of cores, a lab component with core preparation, and an analysis component to assess what the trees are telling us.  Students need sturdy field clothes (sturdy boots, hat, sun block), bring a lunch and at least two quarts of water for the field trip on the first day of the course. Access to the field site requires hiking at least a mile over rugged terrain in the heat of the day.

   DSI: Desert Politics - July 11 & 12, 2009.  Taught by John Freemuth, Boise State University. This workshop covers key policy and political issues that affect the management of semi-arid lands in the West. Topics include wilderness politics, the politics of science, new policy proposals and the reform of government bureaus.

   DSI: Beyond Opium, Prostitutes/Tunnels: Chinese in Idaho - July 14 & 15, 2009.  Taught by Priscilla Wegars, University of Idaho. Many legends, myths, and stereotypes have distorted our perceptions of the early Chinese pioneers in Idaho and the West, obscuring their very real contributions to the economic development and cultural heritage of the communities in which they lived. Besides refuting misinformation, this workshop will present the history of the Chinese in the Boise Basin and the West, including illustrated lectures, with discussions following, on the Pacific Northwest, as well as a "hands-on" examination of Chinese artifacts. An all-day field trip on day two to Chinese sites in Idaho City will enable participants to visualize concepts discussed in the classroom setting.

   DSI: Fish of the Snake & Columbia Rivers - July 17 & 18, 2009.  Taught by Philip Groves, Idaho Power Company. Learn about native fish species, both game and non-game, and about introduced species and their potential impact on the ecosystem. Day one is in the classroom and day two takes students into the field with various sampling hear to capture many of the native (and non-native) species for first-hand identification and habitat exploration.

   DSI: Archaeology of the Snake River Plain - July 25 & 26, 2009.  Chris Willson, Boise State University.  This workshop provides an overview of the archaeology of the Snake River Plain.  Discussion will focus on major prehistoric developments in these areas, with consideration of cultural variations within the region.  Discussions will include assessments of current issues and problems in the archaeology of the area and a field trip to visit archaeological sites in eastern Oregon and western Idaho.