Lizard on a String: Biologists Exploring Baja California del Sur -- A Half Century Ago

This is about a scientific research expedition to the southern tip of Baja California in 1963. The challenges of doing biological field work in that remote and difficult environment provided a unique educational opportunity for a small group of graduate students. Now, that experience also provides a glimpse into a culture vastly different from that present today. The methods of field work, the demanding schedule, and the enthusiasm for discoveries to be made are described, as well as the many surprises encountered along the way. This book will be of interest to biologists, students, lay persons, travelers, amateur naturalists, teachers at any level, and especially those interested in travel to out-of-the-way places. The locations visited have changed drastically since that time.

Dr. Laurence M. Hardy received the Ph.D. degree in biological sciences from the University of New Mexico and joined the faculty of Louisiana State University in Shreveport in 1968. Dr. Hardy became the first Director of the Museum of Life Sciences in 1973. He is a Research Associate of the American Museum of Natural History (Department of Herpetology). His research deals with the ecology and systematics of reptiles and amphibians, and the ecology and biodiversity of spiders. He has published more than 70 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals. He has had a snake (Ficimia hardyi) and a crawfish (Procambarus machardyi) named in his honor. Upon retirement from LSU in Shreveport in 2000, Dr. Hardy started volunteering at the Ouachita Mountains Biological Station in the Ouachita Mountains of west-central Arkansas and became the Director in 2003. He is married and has two daughters and four granddaughters.