Department Chair
Steven R. Martin, Ph.D.
Environmental
and Natural Resource Sciences Department
Natural Resources Sciences Building 200
(707) 826-4147
fax (707) 826-4145
www.humboldt.edu/~enrs
NRPI studies center on relationships between human society and natural ecosystems. Potential careers: environmental education leader, environmental impact analyst, environmental journalist, GIS or remote sensing analyst, hydrologist, information specialist, natural resource specialist, natural resources planner, naturalist, park ranger, recreation specialist, rural county planner, soil conservationist.
One of the fastest growing fields today is the use of geographic information
systems (GIS) and remote sensing technologies to analyze the complex
interrelationships between our natural resources and the human systems
that depend on those resources. These computer-based technologies allow
managers to evaluate large amounts of data over various sized geographic
domains in order to be more effective in decision making.
Public and private natural resource and land-use management agencies
are rapidly incorporating these technologies, but they lack the understanding
to use the systems correctly and fully. Students in this option will
provide this important expertise. The strong natural resource background
separates our program from similar programs in other universities.
Students use the latest GIS and remote sensing software and hardware
in the Spatial Analysis Lab and in other labs on campus. Internships
and work experience are integral components.
Already one of the highest demand employment areas, the market is projected
to expand over the next decade. Graduates find careers with federal,
state, and local public agencies; consulting firms; and natural resource-oriented
private companies.
See GIS and Remote Sensing Option courses.
The philosophy of interpretation is captured by four elements: communication, inspiration, revelation, and experience. Interpretation as a science focuses on how to communicate artfully various histories, cultures, and environments to society. A primary goal is to inspire visitors' understanding and appreciation, a necessary condition for promoting protection of a resource. Thematic interpretation reveals a whole picture painted on a canvas that includes the person. Finally, interpretation promotes the experience of history, culture, and nature through seeing, feeling, doing, or understanding. Interpreters help link the individual to a place, a time, or a thing.
Learning through hands-on experience, we lead guided walks, write brochures, and design displays. Our program is designed for the student to learn in the field, in the classroom, and in the lab. Students prepare for positions with natural resource agencies, conservation groups, and private and nonprofit natural resource organizations.
See Interpretation Option courses.
Natural resource planners find ways for people to live in harmony with the natural environment, satisfying our needs for space and resources while maintaining a high quality, sustainable environment.
Planners must understand the complexity and dynamics of our biophysical world, from which comes our natural resource base. Planners also work within the context of human social, political, cultural, and economic systems that impose demands on our natural resource base.
Graduates find careers in environmental analysis and land-use planning with consulting firms; local, state, and federal governments; and natural resource-oriented companies and agencies.
See Planning Option courses.
Natural resource recreation professionals seek to provide high quality recreation opportunities resulting in benefits to the recreating public while protecting the resources from degradation. Natural resource recreation students learn to understand the human nature of the recreation experience, the ecological nature of outdoor recreation resources, and how to manage both people and resources for the benefit of both.
Humboldt’s location in a recreation wonderland enhances the educational opportunities through natural laboratories, interaction with recreation providers, and internship placements. Students prepare for careers with federal, state, and local public agencies; consulting firms; and natural resource-oriented private companies.
See Recreation Option courses.
A student with a good academic record and a clear concept of personal goals may use 30 units of electives to design his/her own program, building a strong background in such diverse areas as water quality, resource-oriented business, or environmental politics.
Programs as specialized as Marine Parks Interpretation and as unusual as Environmental Theology and Philosophy have been approved. The program must concern the relationships of people with the natural environment, must not parallel any existing program, and must constitute a scholarly study of the discipline at the baccalaureate level.
See Individually Designed Option course guidelines.
In high school take chemistry, biology, math, geography, and earth science. Take every opportunity to learn to think clearly, write effectively, and speak well.
Complete all courses in the major with a C- or better.
BOT 105 General Botany
SOIL 260 Into to Soil Science
CHEM 107 Fundamentals of Chemistry
NRPI 105 Natural Resource Conservation
NRPI 210 Public Land Use Policies & Management
NRPI 309 Environmental Conflict Resolution
NRPI 309B Environmental Communication
NRPI 325 Environmental Law & Regulation
NRPI 377 Intro to GIS Concepts or
NRPI 376 / SOC 376 GIS for the Social Sciences
NRPI 420 Ecosystem Analysis or
NRPI 430 Natural Resource Management in Protected Areas
NRPI 435 Grant Proposal Writing
NRPI 482 Internship
Complete all courses in the major with a C- or better.
Core courses plus:
BIOM
109 Introductory Biometrics
CIS
130 Introduction to Programming
CIS/CS
315 Database Design & Implementation
CIS 318 Programming Database Applications
MATH
105 Calculus for the Biological Sciences & Natural Resources
NRPI 270 Global Positioning System Techniques
NRPI
425 Environmental Impact Assessment
NRPI
470 Intermediate Geographic Information Systems
NRPI
570 Vector GIS Modeling Techniques Seminar or
NRPI 540 Raster GIS Modeling Techniques
BIOL 330 Principles of Ecology
BIOM 333 Intermediate
Statistics
CIS
230 C++ Programming or
CIS
240 Visual Basic Programming
GEOG 316/316L Computer Cartography
NRPI
277 Introduction to Remote Sensing or
FOR
216 Forest Remote Sensing & Geographic Information Systems
FOR
506 Advanced Principles of Remote Sensing & GIS
Complete all courses in the major with a C- or better.
Students must prepare a coherent statement of objectives for pursuing this option. Then, in consultation with an NRPI faculty advisor, the student must name and describe the academic discipline to be studied and the courses to be taken. The objectives and content of the curriculum must concern the relationships of society to the natural environment and must not approximate any other degree program already offered by the university.
Requirements:
While the content of the curriculum is developed in consultation with an NRPI advisor based on the stated objective, the program must be approved by the department faculty as a whole. The criteria for approval will include
Complete all courses in the major with a C- or better.
Core courses plus:
GEOL 109
Introduction to Geology
GEOG 106 Physical
Geography
NRPI 215
Natural Resources & Recreation
NRPI 253
Interpretive Compter Graphics
NRPI 350
Introduction to Natural Resource Interpretation
NRPI 351
Natural Resource Interpretation Field Trip
NRPI 353
Interpretive Graphics
NRPI 450
Advanced Natural Resource Interpretation
NRPI 453
Interpretation Practicum - Graphic or
NRPI 454 Interpretation
Practicum - Oral
STAT 108
Elementary Statistics
ZOOL 110
General Zoology
ANTH 104 Cultural Anthropology or
GEOG 105 Cultural Geography
GEOG 106
Physical Geography
Take six units each from two of the areas listed below:
BOT 300 Plants & Civilization
BOT 330/330L Plant Ecology
BOT 350 Plant Taxonomy
BOT 354 Agrostology
BOT 450 Advanced Plant Taxonomy
FOR 230 Dendrology
FOR 231 Forest Ecology
ANTH 394 Archaeaology of North America
HIST 368 Colonial & Revolutionary America
HIST 371 Civil War & Reconstruction
HIST 383 California History
NAS 306 Native Peoples of North America
ENGR 448 River Hydraulics
GEOG 352 Regional Climatology
GEOL 350 General Geomorphology
SOIL 360 Origin & Classification of Soils
GEOL 300/300L Geology of California or
GEOL 303 Earth Resources & Global Environmental Change or
GEOL 305 Fossils, Life, & Evolution
PSYC 213
The School-age Child
PSYC 414
Psychology of Adolescence and Young Adulthood
REC 210
Recreation Leadership
REC 330
Outdoor Education
REC 340
Camp Organization and Counseling
TFD 322
Creative Drama
TFD 324
Puppetry
ENGL 323
Children’s Literature
COMM 422
Children’s Communication Development
CD 255 Early
Childhood Development
CD 257 Supervised
Work with Children
CD 356 Curriculum
Development for Early Childhood
CD 358 Supervised
Work with Children
CD 446 Structure
and Content of Children’s Thinking
CD 463 Administration
of Early Childhood Programs
ART 105B
Beginning Drawing, or
ART 105C
Color & Design
ART 108
Beginning Graphic Design
ART 112
Scientific Drawing I
ART 250
Beginning Photography
ART 340
Intermediate Graphic Design I
ART 343
Advanced Graphic Design
ART 356
The Art Museum
JMC 156
Video Production
JMC 134
Photojournalism and Photoshop
JMC 334 Advanced Photojournalism
and Phototshop
BIOL 430 Intertidal Ecology
FISH 320 Limnology
OCN 310 Biological Oceanography
OCN 109 General Oceanography or
FISH 300 Introduction to Fishery Biology
FISH 300 Introduction to Fishery Biology
FOR 315 Forest Management
FOR 374 Wilderness Area Management
RRS 306 Rangeland Resource Principles
SOIL 460 Forest & Range Soils Management
WLDF 301 Principles of Wildlife Management
WSHD 315 Watershed Management I
NRPI 440 Managing Recreation Visitors Lecture
WLDF 365 Ornithology I
ZOOL 314 Invertebrate Zoology
ZOOL 316 Freshwater Aquatic Invertebrates
ZOOL 352 Natural History of the Vertebrates
ZOOL 354 Herpetology
ZOOL 356 Mammalogy
ZOOL 358 General Entomology
Complete all courses in the major with a C- or better.
Core courses plus:
BIOL 330 Principles of Ecology
ECON 423 Natural Resource Economics
NRPI
277 Introduction to Remote Sensing
NRPI
310 Introduction to Natural Resource Planning
NRPI
360 Natural Resource Planning Methods
NRPI 425 Environmental
Impact Assessment
NRPI 460 Natural
Resource Agency Planning
NRPI 465 Rural
Community Planning
NRPI 475 Senior
Planning Practicum
BIOM 109 Intro Biometrics
FOR 230 Dendrology
GEOG 106 Physical
Geography
Two of the following:
FISH
320/320L Limnology/Practicum
FISH 460 Princ. of Fishery Mgmt
FOR
315 Forest Management
FOR 321 Fire Ecology
FOR 374 Wilderness Area Mgmt
FOR 423 Wildland Fuels Mgmt
GEOL
303 Earth Resources
GEOL 308 Natural Disasters
GEOL
350 General Geomorphology
NRPI 430 Natural Resource Management in Protected Areas
NRPI 440 Managing Recreation Visitors
RRS
306 Rangeland Resource Principles
SOIL
360 Origin & Classification of Soils
SOIL
460 Forest & Range Soils Management
SOIL
/ FOR 468 Introduction to Agroforestry
WLDF 301 Principles of Wildlife Management
WSHD
315 Watershed Management I
Complete all courses in the major with a C- or better.
Core courses plus:
FOR 374 Wilderness Area Management
NRPI 215 Natural Resources & Recreation
NRPI 253 Interpretive
Computer Graphics
NRPI 350
Introduction to Natural Resource Interpretation
NRPI 351
Natural Resources Interpretation Field Trip
NRPI 415
Recreation Planning Workshop (alternate years)
NRPI 425 Environmental Impact
Assessment
NRPI 440
Managing Recreation Visitors Lecture (alternate years)
PSYC 335
Social Psychology
STAT 108
Elementary Statistics
FOR 231 Forest Ecology or
RRS 370 Range Ecology Principles or
BIOL 330 Principles of Ecology
One of the following:
REC 310 Recreation for Special Groups
REC 320 Organization, Administration, & Facility Planning
REC 330 Outdoor Education
REC 335 Tourism
Planning and Development
REC 340 Camp Organization & Counseling
One of the following:
COMM 311 Business & Professional Communication
COMM 312 Group Communication
COMM 322 Intercultural Communication
COMM 411 Organizational Communication
PSYC 457 Group Dynamics & Procedures
One of the following:
BA 210 Legal Environment of Business
BA 345 Marketing Essentials
BA 355 Essentials of Financial & Management Accounting
BA 375 Management Essentials
Two of the following:
FISH 300 Introduction to Fishery Biology
FOR 315 Forest Management
RRS 306
Rangeland Resource Principles
SOIL 460 Forest & Range Soils Management
WLDF 301 Principles of Wildlife Management
WSHD 315
Watershed Management I
One of the following:
NRPI 253 Computer Graphics
NRPI 377 Applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Choose one additional NRPI-prefix course.
BIOM
109 Introductory Biometrics or
STAT 108 Elementary Statistics
GEOG
316 Computer Cartography
NRPI 377 Introduction
to GIS Concepts, or
NRPI 376 / SOC 376 GIS for the Social Sciences
NRPI
470 Intermediate
Geographic Information Systems
NRPI
270 Global Positioning System Techniques or
GEOG
216 Introduction to Mapping Sciences
NRPI
277 Introduction to Remote Sensing or
FOR
216 Forest Remote Sensing & Geographic Information Systems
NRPI 215 Natural Resources & Recreation
NRPI 253
Interpretive Computer Graphics
NRPI 350 / 351 Introduction to Natural Resource Interpretation / Field Trip
NRPI 353 Interpretive Graphics
NRPI 430 Natural Resource Management in Protected Areas
NRPI 450 Advanced Natural Resource Interpretation
GEOG 106 Physical
Geography
NRPI
105 Natural Resource Conservation
NRPI
210 Public Land Use Policies & Management
NRPI
310 Introduction to Natural Resource Planning
Plus two of the following:
NRPI
325 Environmental Law & Regulation
NRPI
360 Natural Resource Planning Methods
NRPI
425 Environmental Impact Assessment
FOR 374 Wilderness Area Management
NRPI 210
Public Land Use Policies & Management
NRPI 215 Natural Resources & Recreation
NRPI 309 Environmental Conflict Resolution or
NRPI 309B Environmental Communication
NRPI 415 Recreation
Planning Workshop or
NRPI 440 Managing
Recreation
Visitors
NRPI 430 Natural Resource Management in Protected Areas