Field Classes

Desert Institute

Desert Institute Spring 2023 Catalog

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Choosing a Field Class

The Desert Institute offers classes for adult learners in cultural history, natural science, survival skills, desert naturalist studies, women’s programs, citizen science, and creative arts. All programs are taught by expert instructors who provide a personal and enjoyable learning experience on these educational adventures.

Before registering, please take the time to review our General Class Info and download the Enrollment Attachments, that contain pertinent information about your class and Joshua Tree National Park. Please print and fill out the Participant Agreement. You can bring the completed form to the class.

If you are a member of JTNPA you will get a $10 discount off every Desert Institute class. If you are not a member you can become one here.

Eventbrite Registration & Schedule

Spring 2023

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Photography

Date	Event	Instructor(s)
February 11 - SAT 5pm - 8pm	NewStar Trails Photography	Casey Kiernan
February 12 - SUN 10am - Sunset	Salton Sea Photography Workshop	Sandi Wheaton
March 3 - FRI 6pm - 10pm	Photographing Joshua Tree by Moonlight	Craig Fucile
March 4 - SAT 7am - 11am	NewMorning Light In The Park	Craig Fucile
March 17 - FRI 5:00pm – 9:00pm March 18 - SAT 7:00AM – 10:00PM March 19 - SUN 5:00AM – 4:00PM	CampingFundamentals of Landscape Photography Workshop	Jon Norris
April 14 - FRI 5:00pm – 9:00pm April 15 - SAT 7:00am – 10:00pm April 16 - SUN 5:00am – 4:00pm	CampingAdvanced Landscape Photography Workshop	Jon Norris
Jun 10 - SAT 7pm - Midnight	NewMilky Way Photography - JTNP	Casey Kiernan
Jly 8 - SAT 7pm - Midnight	NewMilky Way Photography - JTNP	Casey Kiernan

Art in the Desert: A Trio of Tours

Date	Event	Instructor(s)
February 11 - SAT 1pm - 5pm	NewThe Art and Culture of Bombay Beach	Sandi Wheaton
March 12 - SUN 12:30pm - 5pm	Contemporary Art of Joshua Tree	Bernard Leibov Maria Myrick
March 18 - SAT 9am - 1pm	NewWalking Coachella’s Pueblo Viejo	Steven Biller

Community Wellness

Date	Event	Instructor(s)	Outline
Sundays 1pm - 4:30pm Feb 19 Mar 26 Apr 23 May 28 Jun 25 Jly 23 Aug 27 Sep 24 Oct 29 Nov 19 Dec 17	NewConnecting to Your Senses Amanda's class is designed for all humans. There are no fitness requirements and no experience in yoga or meditation is required. Our new Community Wellness Days are affordable, ongoing programs that bring people together in casual, but mindful, activities that celebrate the healing, grounding qualities of nature. We hope to build a stronger community by facilitating regular opportunities for wellness-minded people to meet in a safe, inclusive space that encourages personal growth, respect and appreciation for wild desert lands, and positive social interactions. We're starting 2023 off with a new monthly event, "connect to your senses." To learn about new activities as we develop this program, visit us on social: @jtdesertinstitute	Amanda B'Hymer

Desert Studies Center at Zzyzx

Date	Event	Instructor(s)
February 24 - FRI 7pm - 9pm February 25 - SAT 8am - 5pm February 26 - SUN 8am - 12pm	CreditThe Art and Science of Flintknapping	Jeanne Binning Brian Barbier Charles 'Chuck' Bouscaren
May 2 - TUE 7pm - 8:30pm Zoom Meeting May 6 - SAT 7am - 5pm May 7 - SUN 7am - 12pm	CreditBirds of the Eastern Mojave: Spring Migration	Kurt Leuschner
May 16 - TUE 7pm - 8:30pm Zoom Lecture May 19 - FRI 5pm - 8pm May 20 - SAT 7am - 4:30pm May 21 - SUN 7am - 12pm	CreditInsects and Arthropods of the Eastern Mojave	Kurt Leuschner
May 16 - TUE 7pm - 8:30pm Zoom Lecture May 19 - FRI 7pm - 8:30pm May 20 - SAT 7am - 4:30pm May 21 - SUN 7am - 12pm	CreditLizards & Snakes of the East Mojave	Jason Wallace

Natural Science

Date	Event	Instructor(s)
Feb 18 - SAT 9am - 5pm Feb 19 - SUN 9am - 4pm	CreditMoss Ecology and Diversity	Theresa Clark
Feb 20 - MON 9am - 1pm	NewBiocrust Wonder Walk	Theresa Clark
March 7 - TUE 7pm - 8:30pm Zoom Lecture March 11 - SAT 7:30am - 3:30pm March 12 - SUN 8:30am - 1pm	CreditFlora of Joshua Tree National Park	Kurt Leuschner
March 14 - TUE 7pm - 8:30pm Zoom Lecture March 18 - SAT 7:30am - 5pm March 19 - SUN 7:30am - 12pm	CreditBirds of Anza Borrego	Kurt Leuschner
March 18 - SAT 8am - 2pm	NewWildflowers of the Mojave	Melanie Davis Lynn Sweet
April 15 - SAT 8am - 2pm	Wildflowers of the Mojave	Melanie Davis Lynn Sweet
April 22 - SAT 10am - 3pm	Fossils of the Marble Mountains	Alessandro Grippo
April 24 - MON 7pm - 8:30pm Zoom Lecture April 29 - SAT 7:30am - 4:30pm April 30 - SUN 7:15am - 1:15pm	CreditBirds of Joshua Tree National Park	Kurt Leuschner
April 26 - SAT 6pm - 8pm April 30 - SUN 7am - 1pm May 14 - SUN 7am - 1pm	CreditAdvanced Bird Banding	Stephen J. Myers Vesta Myers (assistant)
May 6 - SAT 10am - 3pm	NewJT Rocks!	Alessandro Grippo

Wilderness Weekends

Date	Event	Instructor(s)
March 11 - SAT 8am - 4pm March 12 - SUN 8am - 1pm	How To Navigate with Map & Compass	Misha Askren
March 25 - SAT 8am - 5pm March 26 - SUN 8am - 4pm	CampingWomen’s “Get-Away” Weekend	Pam Kersey Robin Balch
April 1 - SAT 9:30am - 8pm? April 2 - SUN 7:30am - 11pm	NewCampingFamily Camp-n-Cook Weekend	Emily Nielson Mai-Yan Kwan
May 6 - SAT 8:15am - 5:30pm May 7 - SUN 8:30am - 2pm	CampingMammal Tracking in Joshua Tree National Park	Jim Lowery

Guided Hikes

Date	Event	Instructor(s)	Outline
March 4 - SAT 7am - 2pm	NewExplore The Golden Bee Mine	Pam Kersey Tom Scanlan
April 6 - THU 9am - Dark April 7 - FRI 9:30am - Dark April 8 - SAT 10am - 12pm	NewCampingBackpacking: Beyond the Boyscout Trail	Sarah Witt

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel, notify us at least seven days prior to the start of the course and we will process your request minus a $25 cancellation fee. No refunds, transfers, or credits will be granted if cancellation occurs within the seven day period. Please note that we cannot make any exceptions to this refund policy for any reason, including but not limited to medical reasons, illness, travel delays, personal situations, emergencies, or weather. This program depends on registration for its funding. While inconvenient, please understand that this policy enables us to sustain our programs even with last minute cancellations.

Legend

Label	Description
Credit	An academic credit is available from University of California, Riverside Extension. Optional credit courses are marked by the green label. The number of units are listed with each class in the catalog. Credit fees are listed separately from non-credit fees in the catalog.
New	A brand new class that has been added to the current season.
New Format	A class that has been altered into a brand new format.
Full	A class that has reached capacity. Any new registrations will be added to a waiting list.
Camping	A class that includes a camping option