Graphic Resources
This section contains additional photographs and graphic related to research activities associated with the museum or its resources. Selec the picture to view the image in full detail. Pictures will change on a regular basis. Check back frequently for additional photographs and graphics.
Recent Field Trips
As part of our diversity studies of Chironomidae in the springs of the Southwest, our lab has been collecting specimens from Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park and the Henry Mountains, Utah.
National Parks are great resources for our research and park personnel have always been supportive in providing us with collecting permits and advice on collecting sites.
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park includes numerous isolated springs, located in desert habitats and the Chisos Mountain range.
- Cattail Springs: Cattail Falls is an isolated spring feed habitat. This area is off the beaten path in Big bend National Park.
- Walking from Cattail Springs: Cattail Falls is isolated and requires packing in collecting equipment. This is a view from the trail on the way out of the canyon
Guadalupe Mountains
Guadalupe Mountain National Park rises from the Chihuahuan Desert and includes Guadalupe Peak the highest point in Texas.
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Sorting chironomids collected in pan black-light traps at Chosa spring.
- Bone Canyon: There is a spring hidden here someplace. Springs in the desert SW often occurs in remote habitats that require packing in sampling equipment.
Henry Mountains
The south central area of Utah is located in a desert region on the Colorado plateau. This region has red rock formations, numerous canyons and the Henry Mountains. The Henry Mountains area is extremely remote and were the last-surveyed and last-named mountain ranges in the lower forty-eight United States. The mountain range contains 5 peaks. Mount Ellen is the highest at 11,500 feet above sea level. Vegetation changes with altitude from alpine along the ridges on Mt Ellen to Ponderosa pine, gambel oak, pinyon pine and juniper occur at lower elevations. The base of the mountains is covered in desert shrub. There are numerous springs on the mountains and in the desert surrounding the mountains.
- Henry Mountains
- During the summer of 2003 forest fires covered much of Mt. Ellen. Smoke from these fires is evident in this photo
- North Maiden Water is an intermittent spring feed stream that flows through a red sandstone canyon in the desert at the base of the Henry's.
- Many springs are located in the desert at the base of the Henry Mountains. They are often difficult to locate. The crowns of cottonwood trees projecting from a desert canyon is usually a sign that a spring is present. These cottonwoods mark Thompson Spring on the eastern edge of the Henry Mountains. This spring like most in the Henrys suffers because of cattle.
- North Maiden Water is an intermittent spring feed stream that flows through a red sandstone canyon in the desert at the base of the Henry’s.
- This site is referred to as Henry mountain 4-way. The water resources here consist of a spring and deep “man-made” pool. This site may have been the site of placer mining that occurred during the 20th century. It is an easily accessible site.
