Conservation Biology and Ecology from The Pacific Northwest to The Gulf Coast

Plants and Animals face a number of challenges including modification and loss of habitat, harvest, and a variety of consequences resulting from climate change. In this program, we will focus on both plants and vertebrates (with a special focus on reptiles, birds, and mammals) and their conservation and management across the United States. Students will gain a detailed understanding of the core principles of the biology and ecology of plant and animal species in terrestrial, riparian, and wetland habitats. Program work will focus on learning about population biology, dispersal, reproduction and survival, evolution, biodiversity, environmental gradients, assisted migration, and ecological communities across ecosystems from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast. Students will deepen their understanding of these fields of study through lectures and case studies on special topics in conservation biology and management and by examining the effects of climate change on species distributions. We will also examine social interactions and conservation movements in the United States.

Our learning goals will include the development of analytical and critical thinking with an emphasis on quantitative analysis, geographic information systems, environmental problem-solving, and diverse conservation challenges ranging from the level of individual species to large-scale ecological function. Weekly activities will include lectures, computer labs, fieldwork, and hands-on labs with museum specimens. Students will be expected to contribute actively to the learning community and will be evaluated on regular homework assignments, lab and field reports, quizzes and exams, and a final project.

There will be multiple day trips to local PNW conservation sites and students will have the opportunity to attend an optional multi-day field trip near the end of winter quarter. The trip aims to provide an immersive educational experience within an important conservation landscape. The field trip location is the Laguna Madre of South Texas. This area encompasses a rare system of hypersaline lagoon and is an important area for resident, over-wintering, and migrating birds and the seagrass beds support a considerable amount of marine life. During the trip, students will have the opportunity to learn from local conservationists and undertake research projects in the field. See the special expenses section for details on the cost of this trip. Students who do not attend the trip will be given an alternative assignment working with local conservation projects on the Evergreen campus or nearby.

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:

*4 Conservation Biology

*4 Wildlife Biology

*4 Natural Resources Management

*4 Independent Project