The last issue of the Networker focused on university and other training programs in watershed management. Because that issue could not capture all the programs available, the Networker will continue to add short descriptions of relevant academic programs when possible.
The College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin ‚ Stevens Point has professional programs in Water Resources, Forestry, Soil Science, Wildlife Management and Resource Management. Watershed Management is part of the Water Resources program.
The philosophy of the College is a commitment to natural resources education at the ecosystem level. The guiding principle is that no resource management decision is made alone, but that it must be made with full consideration of the impact of that decision on the variety of other resources, and the human concerns to be affected. Courses and student preparation are focused by this principle.
The College is non-departmentalized; all of the programs are part of the same entity. Faculty share teaching and research loads across disciplines, allowing faculty-student contact in a number of different frameworks. Since the University is committed to a liberal education, the College requirements are complemented by general degree requirements which aim to develop a comprehensive understanding of the cultural and socio-economic dimensions of management decision-making.
All students in the College of Natural Resources take a common core of lower division introductory courses and a common capstone course in the Senior year. The first year core courses emphasize Ecological Principles of Natural Resources Management, and the Social and Political implications of Natural Resources Management Decisions. Courses in the second year concentrate on the principles of Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, and on Soil and Water Resources Management. The senior-level Integrated Resources Management seminar requires students to analyze and evaluate a resource management problem with due consideration of the needs and potential of all of the resources. Students are required to work in analytical teams.
All of the field-oriented majors in the College take a six-week summer camp program which concentrates on the field aspects of resources management. The combination of summer camp and the lower division introductory courses is designed to provide the student with a workable knowledge of the information and management needs of each of the resource management areas, as well as a basic technical training in field techniques.
Professional courses in Watershed Management comprise about seventy percent of the average academic load. The curriculum includes calculus, biology, chemistry, and physics, as well as specialized courses in hydrology, limnology, aquatic chemistry, watershed management, and soil resources management. In addition to the basic professional curriculum, students may enhance their professional development with specialized courses in geographic information systems, water resources planning, and erosion control techniques.
The important feature of the Watershed Management program is the fact that it is imbedded in a strong natural resources and liberal arts framework. A person leaving the program at Stevens Point enters the work force ready to begin development as a watershed manager with the breadth of background necessary to ensure comprehensive decision-making.
Contact: Earl Spagenberg, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin ‚ Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI 54481; phone (715) 346-2372; email: espangen@uwsp.edu
The University of California has reorganized some of its forestry research and extension activities into a new "Center for Forestry" on the Berkeley campus. The following description was lifted from the Center's brochure.
The University of California Center for Forestry provides leadership in the development of basic scientific understanding of ecosystem processes, human interactions and value systems, and management and silvicultural practices that ensure the sustainability of forestland in California, the United States, and the world. The Center for Forestry is located in the College of Natural Resources on the Berkeley Campus. It also serves as part of the systemwide Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. It pulls together interdisciplinary teams of campus faculty, Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors, and staff from various agencies and organizations to develop research projects, outreach and public education activities, and policy analysis on issues affecting the state's forest lands.
The University of California has a long tradition of excellence in research, extension, and teaching in forestry. UC scientists have conducted research on forest lands for over a century. Forestry has had a formal degree program on the Berkeley Campus since1914. Extension work in forestry has formally existed at UC since 1926. The Center for Forestry provides the coordinating mechanism to allow this tradition to continue. It has both a research and an outreach mission on forestry-related issues.
Contact: Center for Forestry, 145 Mulford Hall #3114, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114; phone: (510) 642-0095; email: forestry_nature.berkeley.edu; internet: nature.berkeley.edu/forestry.
This summer, participants will venture into the woods of the Calaveras Big Trees State Park to explore fire ecology, study dendrochronology, and investigate fire behavior and analysis. Sponsored by the California Association for Fire Ecology and University Extension, UC Davis, the Summer Field Institute in Fire Ecology takes place from July 12 through August 6.
This institute was developed to provide professionals and students with the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the science and application of fire ecology through a specialized series of field-oriented courses. The objective of the institute is to build a better understanding of fire ecology and its use in land management. Comprised of a series of four weeklong courses, participants have the option to enroll in the entire institute or take individual courses. In addition to taking courses together, participants are encouraged to camp in the group campsite at the park. Each of the following courses meets Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm.
Investigate the essential ecological aspects of fire, including the fire regime, physical and chemical attributes of wildland fire, and interactions with key ecological processes such as nutrient and hydrological cycling. This course also examines fire history, vegetation community structure and succession, as well as effects to (and adaptation of) biological systems. Lastly, management implications and uses of fire are discussed.
This course focuses on the physical and structural nature of various vegetation communities, especially the major plant forms that dominate each community, and the interaction of fire with these "fuels". Study the common properties of fire behavior, as well as those properties related to unique fuel characteristics. Learn how to use various fire behavior analyses computer programs.
Introduction to Fire History and Dendrochronology July 26‚30
Through field and laboratory methods, get a detailed introduction to fire history reconstruction and analysis using tree rings and fire-scarred trees. In addition, gain familiarity with various dendrochronology and fire history analyses computer programs and training aids.
In this course, learn about the various effects fire has on hydrological systems, vegetation communities, soils, air quality, and plant and animal species. The course also focuses on the investigation of fire effects through various postfire monitoring techniques. Visit field sites where monitoring has occurred, or is occurring, and examine recent case studies of monitoring.
The fee for enrolling in the entire institute is $1,550. The fee for each individual course is $425. A number of leading ecology specialists and fire experts convene to teach seminars and hands-on workshops throughout the institute, including Wayne Harrison of the California Department of Parks and Recreation and Neil Sugihara of the USDA Forest Service, who serve as coordinators of the institute.
For additional information about the Summer Field Institute in Fire Ecology or to enroll, call (800) 752-0881.
