ENVR 496 Environmental Stewardship
Fall 1999
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Course Description:
This course challenges students to address environmental problems in practical settings. The course will develop and implement solutions to complex environmental issues in a field setting. In fall 1999, the course will focus on stewardship needs of the Canyon Lake Creek Community Forest. The course will be driven by the goal of producing products needed for effective stewardship of the site by the site's managing organizations, the Whatcom Land Trust, Whatcom County Parks, and Western Washington University. Students will work in teams to produce and present these products. Teams will consist of students representing diverse environmental specialties, in recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of environmental problems. Student teams will present their work in written, oral, and visual form to audiences consisting of their peers, the public, and the sponsoring organizations.
Course Objectives:
1. To apply concepts of environmental studies toward making tangible contributions
in environmental issues in our region.
2. To integrate concepts, skills, and approaches from diverse fields within
environmental
studies, including science, policy, planning, and education.
3. To improve understanding of issues faced by various kinds of environmental
professionals, and to improve students’ ability to work with
environmental
professionals who operate outside the students’ own areas of expertise.
4. To improve students’ ability to translate broad goals about environment
al issues into
specific and effective courses of action.
5. To serve as a model for effective environmental problem solving.
Course Evaluation
:Grades will be based on: Weight Due
1. Team project reports: evaluated by instructors and peers 20 % Dec. 6
2. Individual contributions to team presentations and reports: 20 %
Dec. 6
each team member will be evaluated according to the quality of her/his
contribution.
3.
Team presentations: 20 % Dec. 2
evaluated by instructors, peers, and sponsoring organizations
4. Project objectives and plan 10 % Oct. 7
5. Draft project report 10 % Oct. 28
6. Self evaluations 5 % Dec. 6
7. Peer evaluations 10 % Dec. 6
8. Class participation 5 % throughout
Reading
: Excerpts from the following books, reports, and articles. A copy of each reading is available in ES 341. Additional readings relevant to team projects and to the field site will be assigned.Required Reading:
Agee, J. K. 1998. Canyon Lake Creek forest survey. Report to Whatcom Land Trust.
Kruckenberg, A. R. 1991. Natural History of Puget Sound Country,
Univ. Washington Press,
Seattle, WA.
Leopold, A. 1953. "The Land Ethic," in Round River. Oxford University Press, New York.
Noss, R. and A. Cooperrider. 1994. Saving Nature’s Legacy, Island Press, Washington, D.C.
Pickett, S. T. A., B. E. Hall, and M. L. Pace. 1991. Strategy and checklist
for effective scientific
talks. Bull. Ecol. Soc. Am. 72:8-12.
Jack, R. 1998. Canyon Lake Creek Community Forest Conservation Easement. Whatcom Land Trust.
Recommended Reading; Required of Some Project Teams (additional sources TBA):
ENVR 452. 1999. Canyon Lake Creek Project report and database. Huxley College, WWU.
Goldin, A. 1984. Interim Soil Survey Report: Whatcom County Area, Washington. USDA-Soil
Conservation Service.
Mustoe, G. E. 1993. Eocene bird tracks from the Chuckanut Formation, northwest Washington. Can. J. Earth Sci. 30:1205-1208.
Mustoe, G. E. and W. L. Gannaway. 1997. Paleogeography and paleontology of the early Tertiary Chuckanut Formation, northwest Washington. Washington Geology 25(3)3-18.
Nusser, S. M., F. J. Breidt, and W. A. Fuller. 1998. Design and estimation for investigating the dynamics of natural resources. Ecol. Appl. 8:234-245.
Pringle, P. T., R. L. Schuster, and R. L. Logan. 1998. New radiocarbon ages of Major landslides in the Cascade range, Washington. Washington Geology 26(1)31,33.
Scott, C. T. 1998. Sampling methods for estimating change in forest resources. Ecol. Appl. 8:228-233.
Wessels, T. 1997. Reading the Forested Landscape. Countryman Press, Woodstock, VT.
Heyer, W. R. et al., eds. 1994. Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Amphibians, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
Ralph, C. J., J. R. Sauer, & S. Droege, eds. 1995. Monitoring Bird Populations by Point Counts,
Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-149, USDA-Forest Service.
Sutherland, W. J., ed. 1996. Ecological Census Techniques,
Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, UK.
Course Schedule
:Date Topics
Thur. Sept. 23 Project Development:
1. Course introduction, at WWU
2. Introduction to team projects
Assignments:
1. Reading: Jack (1998), Agee (1998)
Tue. Sept. 28 Project Development:
1. Site visit (entire class)
Assignments:
1. Reading: Kruckenberg (1991) ch.8; Noss & Cooperrider. 1994. ch.6.
2. Submit project preferences *** Due Wed. Sept. 29 ***
Thur. Sept. 30 Project Development:
1. Assignment of project teams
2. Clarification and critique of team objectives
Skill Development:
1. Working effectively in groups
Assignments:
1. Reading: Leopold (1953)
2. One page definition of team objectives; *** Due Thur. Oct. 5 ***
Tue. Oct. 5 Project Development:
1. Site visit (entire class)
2. Teams begin site-dependent project planning and activities
3. Skills development relevant to team needs
Thur. Oct. 7 Project Development:
1. *** Teams present project objectives ***
Assignments:
1. Develop project plan
2. Develop plans for each team member
3. Written proposal of project plan *** Due Thur. Oct. 14 ***
4. Identify information and products needed from other teams
Tue. Oct. 12 Project Development:
1. Instruction and activity appropriate to individual team needs
Thur. Oct. 14 Project Development:
1. *** Submit project plans ***
2. Teams present project plans
3. Share information and products needed from other teams
4. Critique project plans
Assignments:
1. Determine team and individual skills needed
2. Revise plans, for submission to sponsoring organizations
*** Due Oct. 21 ***
Date Topics
Tue. Oct. 19 Project Development:
1. Instruction and activity appropriate to individual team needs
Thur. Oct. 21 Skill Development:
1. Writing effective reports
2. Desktop publishing
Assignments:
1. Draft project report, *** Due Thur. Oct. 28 ***
2. Reading: specific to project needs
Tue. Oct. 26 Project Development:
1. Instruction and activity appropriate to individual team needs
Thur. Oct. 28 Project Development:
1. Team progress reports to course audience
2. Comments and critique of progress reports
Assignments:
1. *** Submit draft project reports ***
Tue. Nov. 2 Project Development:
1. Instruction and activity appropriate to individual team needs
Thur. Nov. 4 Project Development:
1. Present products needed from other teams
2. Mid-course feedback
Assignments:
1. Reading: specific to project needs
Tue. Nov. 9 Project Development:
1. Instruction and activity appropriate to individual team needs
Assignments:
1. Reading: Pickett et al. 1991.
Thur. Nov. 11 Skill Development:
1. Giving effective presentations
Assignments:
1. Prepare team presentations; *** Due Tue Nov. 23 ***
Tue. Nov. 16 Project Development:
1. Instruction and activity appropriate to individual team needs
Thur. Nov. 18 Project Development:
1. Instruction and activity appropriate to individual team needs
Date Topics
Tue. Nov. 23 Project Development:
1. Team presentations to course audience
2. Critique of team presentations
3. Integrate team presentations, in preparation for public presentation
Assignments:
1. Revise presentations for public audience; *** Due Thur 12/2 ***
2. Complete project reports; *** Due Mon. Dec. 6 ***
Thur. Nov. 25 Thanksgiving holiday
Sat. Nov. 20 Winter conditions at Canyon Lake Creek: optional ski/snowshoe trip
Tue. Nov. 30 Project Development:
1. Practice public presentations
2. Coordinate and integrate team presentations
Assignments:
1. Revise presentations for public audience; *** Due Thur 12/2 ***
2. Complete project reports; *** Due Mon. Dec. 6 ***
Thur. Dec. 2 Project Development:
1. Team presentations to public audience
Assignments:
1. Self evaluations; *** Due Monday Dec. 6 ***
3. Peer evaluations; *** Due Monday Dec. 6 ***