Spring 2006 Course List

EV 5620 Environmental Law & Policy
Mondays 5:30 - 8:00 pm; Instructor: Clay Mitchell
This course reflects the legal and political aspects of major environmental issues as embodied in major environmental laws. The intent of the course is to teach about the law and the policies that are embodied by and form the basis for these laws at the same time. Concurrent examination is proposed in order to drive home the linkage between policy and law and use one to feed off the other in the discussion of real world events and issues. The course will be presented in a form to convey a robust understanding of the bigger procedural and theoretical “picture” in the formation, implementation, and facets for each topic. Topics include the legal process, the policy process, ownership and property rights, and how these relate to major environmental issues; water, air, waste, wildlife, and forestry. Emerging new issues will also be discussed.

EV 5210 Forest Science and Policy
Tuesdays 5:30 - 8:30 pm; Instructor: Bill Smith
This course will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of forest science and the environmental issues central to contemporary forest management. Topics to be covered include forest values, forest ecology, forest soils, forest stressors, biodiversity, monitoring, and management. A field trip to the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and another location in the White Mountain National Forest is included.

EV 5110 Long Term Environmental Reconstruction (Paleoclimatology)
Wednesdays 6:00 - 9:00 pm; Instructor: Mike Prentice
Lake sediments, marine sediments, corals, tree rings, snow, and cave deposits all contain information that can be used to reconstruct the long-term history of environmental change. This history has sufficient resolution to influence society’s assessment of numerous important environmental issues, such as global warming. This course introduces the use of these natural archives to reconstruct diverse aspects of environmental change such as pollution history, development impacts, hurricane history, and climate change. The course will focus on lake-records, given their regional significance, and cover the last few centuries of record. The material will emphasize the regional scale while covering local and global scales. This course introduces the wide variety of paleo-environment fields in the Earth Sciences such as paleoclimatology, paleolimnololgy, paleoceanography, dendroclimatology, and paleoglaciology.

EV 5020 Science Ethics
Thursdays 6:00 - 9:00 pm; Instructor: Judith D’Aleo
This course is designed to offer a wide range of cases that deal with some of today’s issues in biology and environmental science. Though these cases may provoke many personal opinions, it is the ethical implications that make these issues important to the scientific community. We will examine the differences between what is thought to be ”moral” and what is considered “ethical”, read and discuss case studies, and gain an understanding of how the Science of Ethics governs what is determined to be “right” or “wrong” in the world of biology and environmental studies. Current and historical cases will be discussed.

EV 5610 Wetland Science and Policy
Mondays 2:00 - 5:00 pm; Instructor: Rick Van de Poll
Within the last 35 years, the emerging field of wetland science has become an integral part of mainstream America. The protection of freshwater and coastal wetlands from the impacts of commercial, industrial and residential development has been of paramount importance since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Since that time, most states in the U.S. have inculcated federal regulations into their water resource protection laws and mandates. Since 1969, the New Hampshire Wetlands Bureau has adhered to laws and promulgated rules that protect the vital functions that wetlands serve in society. This course will introduce students to the regulatory background of wetlands protection, the scientific criteria for identifying freshwater wetlands, field delineation methods, and wetland assessment protocols. It will help prepare students to become certified wetland scientists at the state level, and professional wetland scientists at the national level.

EV 5560 Wildlife Ecology in Developing Landscapes
Thursdays 1:00 - 4:00 pm; Instructor: Carol R. Foss
As roads and buildings consume increasing proportions of New Hampshire’s landscape, native wildlife are forced to adapt, move, or disappear. This course will investigate the abilities of various species to survive in human-dominated landscapes, and explore land-use strategies that can help to minimize the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. The course will provide an introduction to the emerging fields of Urban Wildlife Management and Road Ecology.

EV 5710 Science Colloquium Series
Wednesdays 4:00 - 5:00 pm
The Science Colloquium Series is a continuation of the course previously titled Graduate Environmental Seminar. No credits are awarded for this term, but enrolled graduate students are expected to attend. The Colloquium Series is open to the public.