Spring 2024

This course is a survey of basic issues and concepts in natural resource management and the environment in Native communities using integrated case studies that survey all the major varieties of environmental issues in Indian Country in the 21st century. A central theme will be developing tribally-specific solutions to rebuilding the resiliency of degraded ecosystems. We will consider particular case studies such as: tribal sovereignty, land tenure, reserved rights and Native claims; Native knowledge systems and Western science; co-management and restoration; water; fish and wildlife; agriculture and rangeland management; energy, mining and nuclear waste; and global climate change. Graduate-level requirements include Increased length of writing assignments.

This course examines the taxonomy, ecology, evolution, and conservation of aquatic insects. Having a basic understanding of aquatic entomology will be useful for students interested in aquatic ecology, fisheries biology, water quality monitoring, conservation biology, and/or outdoor recreation (e.g. fly fishing). Active learning is a major focus of the course, and includes observing, documenting, and collecting aquatic insects in the lab and field.

Introduction to contemporary challenges in wildlife & fisheries science through presentations by and discussion with professionals and advanced graduate students.

Overview lectures and assigned readings on the theory and practice of aquaculture. Includes the culture of seaweeds, mollusks, crustaceans, and finfish.

Methods and concepts pertaining to fishery investigations and management; application of principles for enhancement of fisheries and aquatic habitats. Offered in spring of even years.

Field and laboratory methods pertaining to fishery investigations and management. Offered in spring of even years.

Course focuses on water harvesting principles and techniques at a variety of scales and settings. Students participate in hands-on implementation of water harvesting projects on the UA campus.

This course examines applications of bioacoustics to wildlife conservation & management. This hands-on, experiential course is organized thematically from the perspective of senders, receivers, & the environment & chronologically by seasonal opportunities to collect, analyze, & discuss data on species of conservation/management concern throughout diverse life zones of southern Arizona (including sandhill cranes on playas, beavers in rivers, montane Mt. Graham red squirrels, & kangaroo rats in desert grasslands). Activities include learning how to record animals & the environment, application of analytical tools to visualize & quantify recordings, interpretation of data to inform conservation/management, & critical evaluation of the primary literature. Focus on biophony (collective sound of living organisms) is contextualized relative to other soundscape components (anthrophony, geophony) to broaden application to natural resource managers writ large. All students will maintain a field notebook coupled to sound recordings that explore seasonal changes in biological communities of a particular location to foster a sense of place. Graduate students will conduct a group research project on a topic of their choice to be submitted for peer review. This course encourages cross-disciplinary dialogue & debate. Competencies developed herein are broadly transferable, including matching tools to questions, hands-on learning of emerging technologies relative to conservation, project design, regional autecology, & communication skills.

Conservation behavior is the application of knowledge of animal behavior to solve wildlife conservation problems. This course reviews basic principles of animal behavior in the context of applied problems in conservation and management of wildlife populations. Topics include behavior in human-impacted landscapes, antipredatory responses, use of space and habitat, demographic consequences of social and mating systems, mitigation of human disturbance, captive breeding and reintroduction programs, reserve design, and challenges of climate change.

Explore ecological and anthropogenic processes that influence the distribution, dynamics, and demographics of animal populations. Develop models useful for describing, conserving, and managing animal populations, while emphasizing the relationships between ecological processes and their influence on strategies for conservation and management.