Photo of the Day, October 25

Photo of the Day, October 25, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Sandhill Cranes at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Reserve, just before sunrise.
Photo by Chase Martin.

Photo of the Day, October 24

Photo of the Day, October 24, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Ecologist Paul Arbetan introduces students to the Bosque ecosystem along the Rio Grande corridor.
Photo by Chase Martin.

Yvonne Chauvin

Yvonne Chauvin, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Yvonne Chauvin
Botanist, Natural Heritage New Mexico, UNM Biology Department
Bandelier National Forest
October 22

One might expect that an animal lover like Yvonne Chauvin would think to pursue veterinary medicine, zoology, or wildlife biology long before considering a career in botany. After all, she and her husband currently own three dogs, four cats, a couple of horses which she refers to as some of her “good friends,” and a mule she sees as her “baby.” In fact, early in her career, Yvonne tried her hand at working for a veterinarian, but quickly discovered that she “just liked being outside too much” for that line of work. So, she reconsidered the direction her professional life was headed, deciding that botany was better suited to the lifestyle she desired than veterinary medicine.
Her current job as botanist for the Natural Heritage New Mexico (NHNM) project out of the University of New Mexico’s Biology Department allows her to romp around the mountains and canyons of Northern New Mexico doing field work for about six months out of the year. She has held her position at NHNM for almost twenty years, and these days, she can identify almost any plant in the region you could point a walking stick at. The Westies greatly appreciated the opportunity to hike with Yvonne and soak in her vast knowledge of the region’s flora.

By: Libby Fones

Photo of the Day, October 22

Photo of the Day, October 22, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Grayson Carlile enters a cave dwelling in Frijoles Canyon, NM.

William DeBuys

William DeBuys, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Bill DeBuys
Author, http://www.williamdebuys.com
El Valle, NM
October 15-20

With blazing yellow cottonwood leaves along El Rio de las Trampas as a backdrop, the Westies immersed ourselves in a writing workshop with author Bill DeBuys at his home in Northern New Mexico. Bill authored our summer reading book, A Great Aridness, the story of climate change in the Southwest. During a discussion of the book with Bill, we focused on how to enact political reform around climate change. Bill emphasized educating and organizing, with education focusing on political activism. Another of Bill’s books, The Walk, came alive for us. We traveled the route described in his memoir, making stops to discuss the land grant controversy, forest health, signs of ancient inhabitants, and stream hydrology. We came to write, and Bill taught us about writing the character profile. Focusing on the voice, detail, and irony, Bill taught us to capture the spirit of people we have met this semester. In his closing words, Bill said that as long as there is beauty then the important work of preserving it exists. Nature writing, he told us, has the ability to capture, share, and preserve beauty.

By Allison Bolgiano

Teague Channing

Teague Channing, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Teague Channing
Gemini Farms
Las Trampas, NM
October 17

The first time we met Teague Channing he was being pulled by a mule. And despite the initial feeling that when we got to Gemini Farm we had all stepped about a hundred years back in time, Teague and his partners use mules to power their farming equipment every day. “We’ve found that really old ways of doing things and really new ways work together surprisingly well,” said Teague as he showed us around his fields, explaining the nuances of working the land without diesel machinery as well as offering some insights into a modern organic farming lifestyle that still maintains its rustic roots. “Growing food is our passion,” he said in his distinctly concise voice. “We are learning how to work together again and getting back to the simple life.” And, after a day spent milking goats and harvesting Jerusalem artichokes with nothing but a few pitchforks, we found ourselves beginning to learn as well, which may have had something to do with the look of contentment that was plastered to our faces the entirety of the afternoon.

By Cathryn Klusmeier

Photo of the Day, October 17

Photo of the Day, October 17, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
"The Carrot Patch Kids:" After an afternoon of harvesting Jerusalem artichokes (aka "sun-chokes," or "fartichokes"), our hosts invited the Westies to enjoy a freshly-pulled carrot from their field. We really enjoyed them.

Cindy Bithell

Cindy Bithell, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Cindy Bithell
Assistant of Operations, DesignBuildBLUFF
Bluff, Utah
October 5

We begin our tour of DesignBuildBLUFF in the campus bathroom, which is more of a bathhouse meets bike closet. Tucked into the backstreets of small-town Bluff, Utah, DBB is a nonprofit that works in conjunction with graduate students to design and build housing on the Navajo Reservation. Cindy Bithell, Assistant of Operations, explains that DBB looks to combine elements of traditional Navajo dwellings with modern components and design. It’s scrappy program, both in philosophy and practice, with students working to build homes on low-cost, low-impact principles. Functional reuse is the name of the game as their materials are often donated or creatively recycled. From the bathroom built with old school lockers and the bricks of an industrial byproduct, fly-ash, we head across the yard to a bundle of old storage containers, now dorm rooms, and a woodshop with windows that take a unique spin on the stained glass aesthetic: stacked layers of repurposed carpet samples.

By Molly Esteve

Photo of the Day, October 19

Photo of the Day, October 19, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Autumn brings beautiful colors to Bill Debuys’ home in El Vallé, NM. Photo by Allison Bolgiano.

Photo of the Day, October 18

Photo of the Day, October 18, a photo by Semester in the West on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Like any good Westie, director Phil Brick is a master of the hacky sack. Here he plays with Katie Hardy, Eric Niehaus, and Sam Hinkle at Bill DeBuys’ home in El Valle, NM.

Photo by Molly Simonson