UWP annual Western Field Trip holds reunion for 2009 participants
PLATTEVILLE - Participants in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's annual Western Field Trip that took place in the summer of 2009 gathered at the Pioneer Haus on Oct. 9 for a reunion.
Every summer, UWP's Geography Department takes a field trip to study geography and culture in the western United States. The trip of 2009 started out in mid-May, right after finals. The first stop was Russell, Kan., to see the Central Lowland and the Great Plain regions. From there, the group proceeded on a three-week loop back to Wisconsin that hit many of the major attractions of the west, including the Rocky Mountains, Four Corners Monument, a Navajo reservation, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Goblin Valley State Park, Great Salt Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, Wounded Knee Massacre site and Badlands National Park.
UWP professor of geography, Richard Waugh, said that the itinerary changes from year to year, the only requirement being that they go west. "Zion National Park is a perennial favorite," said Waugh. But the group also enjoys exploring new areas. "Actually, Goblin Valley, a state park in central Utah that we visited for the first time, turned out to be the favorite campsite this year," said Waugh.
Geography students can look forward to next year's trip, which will be in August, because Waugh already has the itinerary planned.
Jaime Collins, son of the late UWP professor of geography Chuck Collins, who originated the trip in 1972, was also at the reunion.
"One reason this trip is important is because it opens people's minds and hearts to the world. That's the essence of the trip," Collins said. He said he doesn't know if that was his father's intent when he started the trip program, but that's what it became.
"It's about fun and adventure, but also a turning point for some. It changed their lives in some way," Collins said.
For more information, contact Richard Waugh at (608) 342-1386 or waugh@uwplatt.edu.
Contact: Richard Waugh, professor, UWP Geography Department, (608) 342-1386, waugh@uwplatt.edu Written by: Laura Becherer, Office of Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, bechererl@uwplatt.edu
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