Fall Quarter 2009

 

Course Description

An introduction to ecological restoration of damaged ecosystems.  Examines the philosophical base of restoration as well as the social, biological and political forces that impact the success of any restoration project.  Includes lectures, readings, case studies and field trips.

 

This course is cross-listed as:

ESRM 362 - For undergraduate students majoring in ESRM; 5 credits

ENVIR 362 - For undergraduate students; 5 credits

CFR 590D - For graduate students; 5 credits

CFR 590F - For graduate students; 3 credits

Please note that everyone except graduate students in CFR 590F is required to participate in the labs.

Instructors

Professor: Dr. Jon Bakker

Office: Room 036, Merrill Hall, CUH

Phone: 206-221-3864

Email: esrm362@u.washington.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

TA: Laura Blume

Email: lblume@u.washington.edu

Office Hours: Tuesdays - 11:30-12:30 in Hitchcock 312
                    Thursdays - 11:30-12:30 in Hitchcock 546

Course Goals

The goals of this course are to:

1)  Explore the rationale and methodology of restoration ecology (On the lecture schedule, these lectures focus on: Why?  To What?  How?).

2)  Appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of restoration ecology (On the lecture schedule, these lectures begin with IN).

3)  Understand the ecological principles that form the foundation of restoration ecology (On the lecture schedule, these lectures begin with RE).

4)  Introduce you to primary literature (books, scholarly articles) about restoration ecology.

5)  Inspire you to participate in restoration ecology.

 

Course Structure

This course involves a combination of lectures and labs.  Lectures are held Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:30 to 11:20 am in FSH 107.  Labs are held Wednesdays from 1:30 to 4:20 pm in DRC 103 or in the field (see lab schedule for details).

Course Webpage

http://courses.washington.edu/esrm362/

Please note that this webpage applies to all sections of this course.  The updated lecture and lab schedules will be maintained here.

 

Course Text

Leopold, A. 1949. A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press, New York, NY.  This book has been published by several companies and is available in most libraries and bookstores.

Various books and articles, as listed on the lecture and lab schedules.  Lectures will complement but build upon the readings.  Therefore, it is difficult to do well in this course without participating in class.

 

Grading / Assessment

The grading and assessment tools for this course vary between undergraduate and graduate sections and between the two graduate sections.  Details for each assessment tool are provided below.  The breakdown for each section is shown in the following table:

Assessment Tool	ESRM 362	ENVIR 362	CFR 590D	CFR 590F
Reading responses	15%	15%	12%	18%
Mid-term exam	15%	15%	12%	18%
Final exam	30%	30%	24%	35%
Research paper	--	--	20%	29%
Lab	40%	40%	32%	--
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%

Note: the final exam is scheduled for Monday, December 14, 8:30-10:20 am in FSH 107.

 

Assignments are due at the beginning of the lecture/lab period on the due date, and must be submitted via a Collect It Dropbox (see link on course website).  Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor.

Extra credit opportunities will be available throughout the quarter.

 

Your final grade will be assigned based on the UW standard grading system.

 

Reading responses:  Two responses to readings from The Sand County Almanac will be required.  The grading rubric is available here.  Information about writing help centers is available here.

 

Mid-term and final exams:  A take-home mid-term exam will provide opportunity for critical thinking and application of the ideas discussed to labs and other scenarios.  The final exam will be cumulative and in class.  Exams will be based on information presented in readings, lectures, and labs (note: students in CFR 590F will not have to answer questions based on lab material).

 

Research paper (CFR 590D and 590F only):  Students will be required to write a 10-15 page paper on a restoration-related topic.  Please see here for more information.

 

Lab (all students except those in CFR 590F):  Lab-based evaluations comprise 32-40% of your grade, depending on whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student.  Note that lab responses are due on the Monday following the lab so that we can grade and return them in a timely fashion.  The grading rubric for responses is available here.  Lab grades will be based on written responses to questions that stimulate comparisons among sites, with lecture material, etc.  Your lowest lab response score will be dropped from the calculation of your overall lab grade.

 

All labs occur during the scheduled time from 1:30-4:20 pm and will proceed rain or shine (just like restoration field work!).  Dress appropriately for the weather.  Please be prepared to take notes in the field.  You may want to use sketches, photographs, and other media to enable you to recollect sites afterwards.

 

Many of the labs will be field trips at local sites.  You are responsible for getting to these sites on your own.  The transit system is a preferred mode of transportation; trips can be arranged using the King County Metro TripPlanner.  You can also carpool, bike, or walk to these sites.

 

 

UW School of Forest Resources Course Polices

 

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of your contract as a student. We expect that you will know and follow the University's policies on cheating and plagiarism. Any suspected cases of academic misconduct will be handled according to University regulations. More information, including definitions and examples, can be found at:  http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm

 

Disability Accommodations

To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206)543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating that you have a disability which requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to the instructor so we can discuss the accommodations needed for this class.

 

Field Trip Insurance

Field Trip insurance is strongly recommended for all students registered in any SFR course which includes field trips. Students who do not have the regular University health insurance or adequate personal coverage should consider obtaining a special short-term policy at $0.85 per day for the course of the field trips. Information and applications are available on pages 26-28 at: http://f2.washington.edu/treasury/riskmgmt/sites/default/files/Field%20Trip%20Guidelines.doc.  The completed application and payment (made out to the University of Washington) must be made to the Cashier's Office, 129 Schmitz Hall before the trip.

 

H1N1 Influenza

We need to work together to minimize the spread of H1N1 influenza.  Please review and follow UW's recommended guidelines:  http://depts.washington.edu/chsweb/h1n1/.  Updates on the campus situation will also be posted on this website.