Conference Field Trips
Every year, USEE offers several field trips during the conference. These field trips are included as part of the conference schedule.
- You must register for field trips in advance so we may coordinate transportation and other logistics. Please contact Marta at 801-328-1549 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
- Be sure to wear sturdy, comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Field trips will leave the conference center at 12:00 and will return at 4:30 pm on Friday, November 12.
Hike Through the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve: Experience Diverse Ecosystems
When you step over one of the Reserve’s distinctive “step-over” gates, you are entering a special place, a place that is a privilege to visit. Not just another mountain bike trail, not just another horseback ride. You are entering a 62,000-acre scenic wildlife reserve set aside to protect the Mojave Desert tortoise and other rare plants and animals.
At the merging of three great ecosystems, the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau, the Reserve is biologically rich with a unique array of animals and plants. The Reserve contains the most northern populations of the desert tortoise, Gila monster, sidewinder rattlesnake, and chuckwalla – reptiles typically associated with hotter and more southerly deserts, like the Mojave. A significant portion of the shrubs in this area, such as blackbrush, are more commonly found in the cooler Great Basin Desert. The conditions in the region are such that several endemic species, those which occur nowhere else in the world, do occur here.
About the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve
The Reserve was established in 1996 to protect a large, diverse, and functional expanse of habitat capable of sustaining wildlife populations threatened by rapid development and habitat loss across Washington County in southwestern Utah. Located immediately adjacent to several growing communities, the Reserve also protects the cities’ scenic red rock backdrop and an increasingly popular area for recreation.
The Reserve spans across the north central portion of Washington County in southwest Utah. It is approximately 20 miles wide and 6 miles deep. The Reserve is north of Ivins, Santa Clara, St. George and Washington City, south of Leeds, and west of Hurricane and LaVerkin. The Reserve is trisected by Highway 18 in the west and I-15 in the east. There are many access points and trails for recreational opportunities within the Reserve.
This hike will be moderately difficult. Fieldtrip will be lead by Reserve Staff, accompanied by Southern Utah University Assistant Professor of Outdoor Recreation Briget Eastep.
Virgin River Fishes Field Trip

Join UDWR Native Aquatics Biologist Melinda Bennion for a field trip on the Virgin River at Confluence Nature Park in La Verkin. This field trip will introduce participants to the unique assemblage of native fish species that live in the Virgin River Basin. In addition to learning about the native fishes, participants will have an opportunity to sample for fish using various methods, collect water quality measurements, and calculate how much water is flowing into the Virgin River from La Verkin Creek. We will also discuss how UDWR creates field trips and presentations using Utah’s core curriculum, and how these outreach opportunities encourage young people to become more aware of conservation issues in the area they live. Come prepared to get wet and enjoy an afternoon on the Virgin River!
Don't forget to Register!
You must register for field trips in advance so we may coordinate transportation and other logistics. Please contact Marta at 801-328-1549 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .



