Wildlife 210 Introduction to Wildlife Conservation and Administration Spring 2002

Dr. T. Luke George, W152, Ph: 826-3430, email: tlg2@humboldt.edu,

Web site: www.humboldt.edu/~tlg2, Office Hrs: Mon. 900-1000, Wed 900-1000, 1400-1600

Objective: To provide an introduction to: 1) ecological concepts and principles, 2) past and current threats to wildlife, 3) the principal laws and regulations passed to manage and protect wildlife, and, 4) the agencies that enforce those regulations.

Tentative Lecture Schedule

Week of	Topic	Reading
21 Jan	Introduction/ Scientific Method	Ch. 2
28	Ethics and Responsibilities/ Market Hunting	pp. 57-59
Feb 4	History of Hunting Regulations	pp. 390-392
11	Wildlife Populations- Models and Natural Regulation	Ch. 8 (pp. 168-177)
18	Wildlife Populations- Management/Agencies	pp. 388-392
25	Human Population Growth and Resource Consumption	pp. 177-187, 190-196, 202-211
Mar 4	Pollution and Contaminants- Effects on the Environment	Ch. 22
11	Ecology and Ecosystems- Nutrient Cycling	Ch. 4, 6 (pp. 106-117)
18	Spring Break
25	Ecology and Ecosystems- Communities/Succession	Ch. 5
Apr 1	Ecology and Ecosystems- Regulations/ Agencies	Ch. 7
8	Land Conservation and the Extinction Crisis	Ch. 16 (pp. 370-388)
15	Habitat, Niche, Effects of Habitat Loss	pp. 85-98
22	Land Conservation- Regulations and Agencies	Ch. 17, pp. 392-393
29	Global Environmental Problems	Ch. 20
May 6	Conserving Biodiversity/ Sustainability	Ch. 24

Text: Raven, P. H., L. R. Berg, and G. B. Johnson. 2001. Environment, Third Edition. Harcourt College Publishers. New York.

Other reading: Leopold, A. 1949. A Sand County almanac. Oxford University Press. London.

Goodall, J. 1999. Reason for hope. Warner Books. New York.

Grading: Your final grade will be based on 4 midterm exams worth 100 points each, and your participation in the discussion (100 pts) for a total of 500 points for the course. The final exam (100 pts) is optional and, if higher, will replace your lowest midterm exam score. Missed exams will be given a 0. Letter grades will be assigned based on your percentage of total points: > 90 A, 80-90 B, 70-80 C, 60-70 D, <60 F. Plus and minus grades will be assigned. See last page for extra credit assignment.

Dates of midterm exams: Exam 1- 13 Feb., Exam 2- 13 Mar., Exam 3- 17 April, Exam 4- 8 May.

Final Exam: Friday 17 May 0800-0950. The final exam (100 pts) is optional and, if higher, will replace your lowest midterm exam score.

Discussion schedule:

Date	Topic	Reading
25 Jan.	Introduction/Assign Groups
1 Feb	The role of science in decision-making. Point for discussion How do we make decisions about environmental problems in the face of scientific uncertainty?	Zehr, S. C. 1999
8 Feb.	Discussion of group presentations. Come with title of presentation.
15 Feb.	What is the role of humans in the natural world? Point for discussion: “Unbridled self-indulgence on the part of one generation without regard to future ones is the modus operandi of biological evolution and may be regarded as rational behavior.”	Murdy. 1975. (on reserve)
22 Feb.	What is the “Tragedy of the Commons” and can we overcome it in human societies? Point for discussion: How do we balance the need to regulate the use of natural resources with the rights of individuals to use their property?	Harding, G. 1968 (on reserve)
1 March	How should wildlife work be funded in the U.S.? Point for discussion: Current funding for wildlife work is about 55% from hunters (75% in states) and 45% from general funds. Should this be changed and if so how?
8 March	Under what conditions should wildlife pests be controlled? Point for discussion: Because all wildlife have intrinsic value, none of them should be controlled solely for human needs.	Mitchell (on reserve)
15 March	How should we decide to put aside land for protection? Point for discussion Land should only be set aside if its protection results in greater human benefit than human detriment.	Video (in lecture) Kiester (on reserve)
22 March	Spring Break
29 March	Group discussion 1
5 April	Group discussion 2
12 April	Group discussion 3
19 April	Group discussion 4
26 April	Group discussion 5
3 May	Group discussion 6
10 May	What are reasonable personal goals and responsibilities for a thoughtful individual in today’s world?

General Discussions: I will lead the discussions during the first half of the semester. Each student is responsible for reading the material, submitting one question or discussion point, and participating in the discussion.

Questions: You must turn in one written question or discussion point at the start of every discussion (except when your group is leading the discussion). The question should demonstrate your understanding of the material and provide a point that can be discussed by others in the class. An example of what I am looking for is something like this “The author assumes that the carrying capacity of an environment is constant for a particular species. How does this apply to humans who can manipulate their environment and thereby increase or decrease the carrying capacity?” Questions like “What does carrying capacity mean?” are not appropriate and will not receive full credit.

Group discussions: The class will be divided into 6 groups and each group will be responsible for leading one discussion. The group must select a specific environmental problem, give a short overview of the problem, and lead a class discussion. Your presentation should include at least two visual aids (overhead, slides, PowerPoint). Your group must choose a topic by the third meeting (8 Feb.). Examples of topics include: controversies surrounding protecting endangered species such as the Spotted Owl, Marbled Murrelet, or Snowy Plover, approaches to sustainable living, the effects of vineyard development on wildlife and approaches to reducing negative impacts, and ways of meeting the Kyoto protocol on the HSU campus. After reading background material on the topic, the group should pick one article that summarizes the main point of the article and put it on reserve (or provide a url) at least one week before their presentation. Please get approval from me before putting material on reserve. All students are responsible for reading the material before coming to class.

Grading of Discussion: Your grade in the discussion will be based on your participation (40%), your questions (30%), and your group presentation (30%). Your participation score will be based on attendance and your contribution to the discussions. The points you receive in the discussion will be added to your points from the exams to determine your final grade in the class.

Extra Credit: Summarize the environmental ethic espoused either in Sand County Almanac or Reason for Hope (see other reading on first page of syllabus) and relate the ideas to your own ethics. The paper must be no longer than 3 pages, typewritten, double spaced, 12 point font. You may earn up to 30 extra credit points. The number of points assigned will be based on content (ideas in the book are adequately summarized), clarity of the writing, and grammar/spelling.