As a species, humans have a remarkable footprint on global ecosystems. We change land cover, alter water and nutrient cycling, introduce non-native species, harvest natural resources, and change the global climate. This class will explore the impacts of these changes on a variety of ecosystems, as well as consider how natural resource management can improve ecological resistance and resilience to change.

Advanced course that examines the interatctions of fish with their environment. Topics include: feeding adaptations, community trophichs, mating systems, reproductive biology, life history strategies, grwoth dynamics, predator-prey systems, community diversity, and population dynamics. Pre-Requisites: Two semesters biology, one semester ecology or permission of instructor.

Description not available at this time

Principles of rigging, advanced rope techniques, and chainsaw applications for tree pruning and removal.

Field based instruction in plant identification - chiefly of trees and shrubs native to New England. Ecological requirements of species important for timber, wildlife and/or biodiversity considerations. Field trips to state and University forests/wildlife management areas to learn to recognize plants where they grow naturally on the landscape.

Use of community and urban forests to meet multiple objectives. Summary of forest history, policies, and programs. Review of traditional and contemporary forest management principles and practices. Case examples, site visits, and reports. Interactions with practitioners and landowners. Emphasis on community and urban forest issues.

Practice in using verbal communication skills in a wide variety of applied situations. Emphasis on participation in realistic exercises, such as group discussion, debate, public speaking on a technical subject, and group presentations.

Fish are a diverse and important group of organisms that occupy the aquatic ecosystems of our planet. This course will provide students with basic knowledge of how to identify fish, as well as provide hands-on opportunities to learn common sampling techniques for fish in local freshwater environments. We will also be covering some basic methods used to examine fish populations and communities. Because of the limited enrollment in this course, we hope that each student will be motivated to try various sampling techniques and learn to handle fish.

Hydrologic structure and function of forest, wetland, and agricultural ecosystems. Changes in water flow and quality associated with land and resource use. Management approaches to prevent or reverse adverse environmental impacts.

Description not available at this time