IntroductionDesert Diary is the expanded web version of a collection of short presentations on the cultural and natural history of the Chihuahuan Desert Region. The web pages are adaptations of the Desert Diary short radio presentations that are jointly produced by the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio for the Southwest (88.5 FM), University of Texas at El Paso. The radio version is aired daily at around 9 a.m. KTEP's Norma Martinez is the producer. Transcripts and associated materials from past Desert Diaries are archived to give access to teachers and the general public who may wish to explore the natural and cultural history of the Chihuahuan Desert. Each of the 1372 Desert Diary radio presentations has its own web page,
often with additional material not available on the air. In a few cases, indicated by
the golden chain Desert Diary entries are submitted by individuals associated, formally or informally, with the Centennial Museum; these people are recognized by the contributors' line on the daily offering. The entry is checked for scientific, cultural, and historical accuracy by one or more experts at the University of Texas at El Paso. To meet constraints of the radio medium, entries commonly have been reworked by the Desert Diary Production Team: Florence E. Schwein, Kodi R. Jeffery, Arthur H. Harris, and Norma Martinez. Team members also contribute much of the supplemental materials. Dr. Jeffery has been the primary designer of the 'Learning Links'. Other contributors are recognized on the appropriate web pages. References frequently include links to other websites. Although we believe these websites contain material of interest to our viewers, we cannot vouch for the accuracy of material on any site except our own, and links to commercial websites should not be considered an endorsement of them or their products. With over 1300 entries, links to additional off-site references are not checked regularly and may become broken or outdated. Access to the web presentations are by way of the menu to the right. These links will take you to the archives for the various subjects covered by Desert Diary programs. Within each category, presentations are listed in alphabetical order by title; a thumbnail image from an account often is present. Many of the subjects have multiple pages, as indicated by the page numbers in the menu. Alternatively, you may use the search engine. However, be warned that loading of the search index is slow because of the large size; if you are on a modem, you probably don't want to go this route. We currently are adding the audio component of the radio broadcasts. These are in mp3 format. Some early accounts have a link in rm format; these are now are inactive and are being replaced by mp3 recording as fast as practical. Sixty-five accounts are duplicated in Spanish; these are placed at the end of the category indices. A link to the Spanish accounts is placed on each page of a category that has such accounts. Materials on these pages are copyrighted. Please see our usage policies for further information. |
Desert Diary Menu
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Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP, National Public Radio for the Southwest, University of Texas at El Paso.
Contact the Webmaster concerning problems, suggestions, or comments.
icon, learning links
are available for teachers and anyone who is just plain curious. Each web page presents
a transcript of the daily presentation, and many have an audio link where the original
presentation may be heard. In addition, the website provides additional information
focused on the subject with the aim of providing more in-depth material for the general
public and for teachers. Expanded information, images, and references (both popular and
technical) are included for many of the daily offerings.