Programs | Summer Programs | BIG SUR
Participants must arrive to the program fully vaccinated against COVID-19, having reviewed our health and safety page
Participants must arrive to the program fully vaccinated against COVID-19, having reviewed our health and safety page
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Dates: Summer 2024: July 28—August 11, 2024
Applications: Accepted on a rolling admission basis
Accommodations: Primarily camping
Credits: 5 quarter credits or 3.35 semester credits
Language: English instruction
Courses: Environmental Wildlands Studies
Prerequisites: One college level course in environmental studies, environmental science, ecology or similar. 18 years of age
Paid when you submit your application. Refundable until you are formally accepted into a program.
Your tuition for the program, paid directly to Wildlands Studies.
Covers most on-the-ground expenses such as transportation during the program, camping and lodging fees, park and nature reserve entrance fees, permits, study facilities and other related logistical costs. For some programs, this fee also covers a portion of your meals. This fee is paid directly to Wildlands Studies.
Airfare costs are covered by the student and vary depending on your starting location and airline ticket prices. Travel insurance is required for our programs. Details about airfare and travel insurance will be provided in the Logistics Packet.
Our estimate for the out-of-pocket expenses you will incur during the program for items such as food, snacks, drinks, laundry, entry visa and personal items. This amount will vary from student to student depending on spending habits.
Big Sur Summer 2024
$ 150 Application Fee
$ 2,650 Program Fee
$ 1,200 Group Logistics Fee
$ 500 Estimated Airfare and Mandatory Travel Insurance
$ 100 Estimated Personal Expenses
$4,600 Total Estimated Cost
Summer 2024: Program fees due by May 15, 2024
With its pristine marine ecosystem, clear streams, wild canyons, and relative absence of human impacts, the Big Creek Reserve remains an area of rare, unspoiled grandeur in an otherwise rapidly developing California coastline. In Big Creek’s tapestry of environments, researchers are beginning to search for answers to key ecological questions. How do animal and plant communities in pristine wildlands develop and change over time? How do protected Big Sur populations compare to those found outside reserve boundaries? How can long term field research help us better manage Big Sur’s irreplaceable natural resources?
Through participation in hands-on research projects we will learn important sampling protocol and be part of exciting new efforts to address these pressing environmental questions. Field study projects will be selected from research priorities that may include firsthand assessments of sea otter and seal population distributions, ecological mapping and surveys of key stream and intertidal habitats, and on-site studies of Big Creek’s biologically diverse animal and plant communities. These important projects provide unique opportunities to gain an enriched understanding of Big Sur ecology, provide hands on experience in conducting ecological research and better manage Big Sur’s natural resources into the future.
Lead instructor
Nicole is a senior conservation scientist with the Oceanic Society and a faculty member in the biology department at Cabrillo College. Her research interests lie in coral reef ecology, marine conservation and science education. Nicole also works with local communities in the Pacific and Caribbean to develop collaborative reef management plans, including marine protected areas. She teaches university courses in plant biology, marine biology, ecology and environmental science. She has taught our Big Sur Program since 1997 and our Hawaii program since 2021.
Lead instructor
Adrienne Frisbee is associate biology faculty at Cabrillo College and West Valley College. As a biologist, she has studied the ecology of birds, plants, soil, water, fire, and restoration in diverse ecosystems such as the Alaska tundra, Florida wetlands, Oklahoma tall grass prairie, New York sandy shores, and California desert, wetlands, and grasslands. Adrienne’s recent work has been assisting with salmon surveys in freshwater streams and native oyster surveys in an estuary. She is also passionate about native plant restoration and continues to assist organizations and individuals in planting and maintaining native plant communities.
While working at NASA Ames, Adrienne began assisting with education programs and discovered a love for teaching. Adrienne’s goals as an educator are to make science engaging, accessible, and fun for all. She especially enjoys field science courses and looks forward to working students through Wildlands Studies in Big Sur this summer.