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The Duart Academy

(origin of the Duart Trip)
 
 

In the spring of 1974, Dr. Robert Fisher led a car caravan of intrepid Juniata students on the first zoology expedition to the south.  Early on the trip was plagued by a series of mishaps and navigational errors and soon the caravan became separated.   The vehicles wandered about the south seeking each other and when they all managed to reconvene, it was in the tiny town of Duart, NC.  For some unfathomable reason, the dazzling intellects on the trip seized upon the word "Duart" to express their spontaneous loss of direction, co-ordination, and common sense.  To make matters worse, they celebrated their gaffs by giving "Duart awards" to those parties responsible for the fiasco.  Since that time, the definition of Duart has been refined to "any unrehearsed fiasco-like event".  Today, although we theoretically we have greater maturity and experience to guide us on our expeditions, we often ignore it, and the word Duart really comes in handy.   If you find yourself on the sorry side of some fiasco during this course, you will probably be the recipient of a Duart Award.  Such awards are given by the class at the Duart banquet at the end of the semester at which time, the lucky ones among you will be inducted into the Academy joining a painfully long list of illustrious Duarts.  Memorable Duarts include letting the baby alligator bite your hand to show how harmless they are (it took three people to pry its jaws free), showing off to everybody the water snake you just caught with your bare hands while having  failed to identify it as a water moccasin, and continuing to electroshock fish after your fellow student has fallen in the water next to you.  See what fun you have to look forward to in this class!

Trip Information


Packing List Itinerary Locales Photo Album Species Lists

            This trip is similar to a prolonged lab.  The goal is to expose students to habitats and vertebrate species not found in Pennsylvania. Students are not required to go on the trip and the material encountered is not directly encountered on exams.  However, students that do elect to go on the trip are expected to maintain a journal in the standard lab format.  Furthermore, this is a group camping experience and all students are expected to participate in all aspects of the trip including trip preparation,  meals, camp logistics, and clean-up.
 
 

Route to Okefenokee

26 South to 915 (Hopewell)
915 South to Rt 30
30 West to Rt 70 (Breezewood)
70 South to 522 (Hancock MD)
522 South to Winchester Bypass)
Bypass to I 81 (Winchester VA).
I 81 South to I77 (past Pulaski VA)
I77 South to I 20(Columbia SC)
I 20 West to I 26 (Columbia SC)
I 26 South to I 95
I 95 South to RT 84 (Brunswick GA)
RT 84 West to Waycross GA