Course structure
This Physical Geology course is an Interim in May held in the 2 weeks immediately following Calvin commencement. The course is an introductory graded course and is designed as a geology immersion experience especially for first or second year Calvin students. Education majors are encouraged to attend. Other students will also be accepted on a space-available basis. Students may register for this course as their Interim selection. This course in May-June serves as a substitute for the January Interim and the student is not required to be on campus during the January time period. For freshmen who are required to take an on-campus January Interim during their first year, this course can substitute for their second Interim or they may choose to pay extra tuition for the course.

Transportation
The Field Course is held in southwestern Montana about 1.5 hours southwest of Bozeman, 1 hour south of Butte, and 0.5 hour north of Dillon, Montana. Most students will choose to fly from Grand Rapids to Bozeman and will arrive on the Sunday preceding the start of the course. Other students may arrive by air to Bozeman from different locations and some students may choose to drive to the ranch location. If they so choose, students may drive their private vehicles to the course location in Montana, and there are great sights to see along the way. However, for students with their own cars, a strict 24-hour no driving policy after arrival at the course location will be rigidly enforced during the course for private vehicles. Violation of the no driving policy during the course is considered adequate grounds for dismissal from the course.

Transportation for students during the course will be provided by rental vans. Pickup and transportation for students arriving or returning to the Bozeman airport will be arranged. Rental vehicles will be used for daily transportation during the course and will be full size vans or mini-vans. Students will also be transported back to the Bozeman airport at the end of the course or returned to the ranch, if needed, to pick up their private cars.

Location and facilities
The location of the course will be the Gainey Ranch near Dillon, Montana. This 6000 acre ranch is located on a bench above the Big Hole River, a blue ribbon fishing stream. The surrounding area is rich in wildlife and waterfowl and the ranch buildings offer a magnificent view of the Big Hole River and surrounding mountains. The nearest town to the Gainey Ranch is the town of Glen about 4 miles distant which offers a post office but no other services. Dillon with a population of perhaps 5000 offers all needed facilities, including a hospital, and is about 25 miles from the ranch.

The Gainey Ranch is open to us through the generosity of the Gainey family and a desire to use their ranch to provide spiritual nourishment, and an appreciation of God and His Good Creation. Room and board is provided to us without cost. Our conduct and behavior while guests of the Gaineys must be consistent with the purpose of their ranch. We will likely have small chores to do and chore assignments will be made onsite.

The ranch facilities were designed and built with groups in mind. Students will stay in one of 6 bunkhouses with separate buildings for men and women. The bunks have a mattress, but you will need to bring a sleeping bag. Near the bunkhouses is a washroom with spacious bathroom and shower facilities for men and women. Staff will reside in a separate staff building nearer to the main lodge.

The main lodge building offers a large, open room which will serve jointly as our dining room and classroom. A large, commercial-grade kitchen is located adjacent to the dining room, and the dining room is furnished with tables and benches. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will normally be in the main lodge except on days where we will be on road trips to see distant geology. Sack lunches will be taken on those days.

Additional facilities are available to us. The main lodge has a game room with pool, ping pong, and fußball tables. An outdoor, screened and covered picnic pavilion may be used for some lab activities if weather permits. The ranch includes a softball field, outdoor basketball court, and many miles of seldom-used roads for walking and jogging.

Wildlife in the Big Hole River valley is spectacular. In early mornings and evenings you will see many deer, and you may see moose and elk. Pheasants, cranes, and waterfowl use the river and ponds near the lodge.

Course Requirements
The course is a geology immersion experience with major emphasis on field learning and discovery. The course is two weeks in length and classes will be held each day Monday through Saturday for a total of 12 class days. On Sunday we will attend a local church in Dillon, have lunch in town, and have the rest of the day for personal or study activities at the ranch. On a typical day during the week, breakfast will be at 8 am, followed by devotions and about 3 hours of lecture and lab work. We will break for lunch and leave each day at 1 pm for a field location that exemplifies the topic of the day. We will return from the field at about 5:30 and in time for a 6 pm dinner. No activities are scheduled after dinner.

Since this is a graded course, students will be tested on their knowledge. Each day of the course equates to about a week of normal classroom activity on campus, and the pace of the course will be fast with new topics introduced each day. Students will have about 7 hours each day of geology instruction compared to about 5 hours each week for a campus-based course (lecture plus lab). A course textbook is required and reading assignments will be given. The evenings will offer time for reading or catching up on daily assignments.

Field situations will involve light to moderate hiking in what could be cold, rainy, or even snowy conditions. May and June are normally very pleasant in Montana with temperatures cool at night and in the 60-70’s during the day, but exceptions frequently occur. Be prepared for variable weather and bring a can-do attitude that allows you to enjoy the field experience even when conditions are not perfect. Field work is also an experience in discovery and each visit to even well known localities reveals new or overlooked aspects. With guidance, students will be encouraged to identify rocks, minerals, and landforms on their own or in groups and share their results during group discussions on the outcrop. Students will be required to keep a field notebook and record their stops and observations. The field experiences will often be free-flowing and students should be prepared to use their own initiative, enthusiasm and interaction to evaluate and discover the field relationships.

In addition to the course work, students will be asked to choose one of several special topics. These topics are still being developed but will likely include the options of assembling an identified and documented mineral and rock collection of perhaps 20 specimens, or assembling daily annotated sketches of outcrops and geological structures. These projects will be viewed and graded at the end of the course and can form the basis for personal teaching collections that students may keep for future use.

Who should apply?
We are looking especially for college freshmen and sophomores who enjoy the outdoors and welcome an unusual outdoor field experience. No prior outdoor or hiking experience is required, but an enthusiastic, positive, and flexible attitude is required to make this course enjoyable for you and your fellow course participants. If you like the outdoors, appreciate hiking, observation, and discovery, are attracted by the challenge of learning in a flexible outdoor environment, and want to see really great geology, this is the course for you.

Even current freshmen can take this course. This can be done in several ways. This course may substitute for the second Interim at no extra tuition cost to the student, or the student may choose to pay extra tuition to take the course.

Geology of southwestern Montana
Southwestern Montana is blessed with a wide variety of well-exposed geology that spans the geologic spectrum. Many colleges and universities use this area for field courses and Calvin is especially blessed to have a fine ranch facility offered to us in the center of this outstanding geological area. Rocks from very old to recent will be seen and many outstanding geological sites are located near the ranch. Mineral and rock collecting is possible at many of the outcrops we will visit and nearby operating mines offer some exceptional mineral specimens. We will take several long day trips. One trip will view young volcanic rocks at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho and another trip will visit thermal features and geysers in Yellowstone National Park. We hope to overnight in Yellowstone. We will also work on stream flow and stream morphology, and we will examine glacial deposits left in alpine U-shaped valleys at high elevation.

Staff
Staff will include professors from the Geology, Geography, and Environmental Sciences department at Calvin. Dr. Gerry Van Kooten and Dr. Ralph Stearley will be the primary staff for the 2008 field course. Other knowledgeable guests and/or professors may also participate, depending on personal circumstances and course needs.

Cost
A fee is required to cover airfare, rental vehicles, and other costs of the course. In addition to the fee, students should be prepared to pay for occasional light meals that will be taken on the road (perhaps $40). Several meals, entry fees into parks and monuments, and one nights lodging in Yellowstone will be covered by the course fee. Our budget estimate for 2008 places the course fee at $1000. A refund will be made to students if significant funds remain unspent.

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