<p>
	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Alpine_2.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 188px; float: right;" />By definition (in biology) <em>alpine</em> ecosystems are treeless areas found at high elevations (above &ldquo;tree line&rdquo;) characterized by short growing seasons, shallow soils, harsh environments and unique life forms adapted to their conditions. You can&rsquo;t study the ecology of an alpine system just anywhere, but you can study them in Alpine Ecology<em>, </em>one of Au Sable&rsquo;s most fascinating courses offered at Pacific Rim.</p>
<p>
	A field intensive course with study sites centered in the beautiful Olympic Mountains of northwest Washington, Alpine Ecology provides students, especially those considering graduate studies, with the chance to see and learn what it&rsquo;s like to study a unique biological community in detail and at an advanced level. To learn the ways of an alpine system, one&rsquo;s study has to be as specialized as the adaptations of the alpine species being studied, whose unique growth forms, physiology, migratory patterns and resource use strategies permit them to live in what, for non-alpine species, would be an inhospitable environment.&nbsp;</p>
