Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Courses

Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation | Courses | Natural Resources Conservation Faculty

(All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise noted.)

260 Fisheries Conservation (1st sem)

Overview of the biological, sociological, historical, and economic factors that influence the use and conservation of our nation's fisheries resources. Prerequisite: One semester of general biology or consent of instructor.

261 Wildlife Conservation (2nd sem)

Fundamental ecology and principles of wildlife management. Emphasis on wildlife habitat and population characteristics and responses. Prerequisites: One semester of general biology or consent of instructor.

470 Ecology of Fish (2nd sem, even yrs) 4 cr

Interactions of fishes with their environment. Topics include: feeding adaptations, community trophics interactions, mating systems, life history tactics, predator-prey systems, reproductive biology, community diversity. Readings from various publications. Prerequisite: BIOL 542 or consent of instructor.

564 Wildlife Habitat Management
(2nd sem) 4 cr

The dynamics and management of forested, open woodland, and savanna habitats in North America and elsewhere. Topics include wildlife ecology, habitat classification, resource utilization, impacts on humans, and management techniques. Prerequisite: W&FCON 261.

565 Dynamics and Management of Wildlife Populations (1st sem) 4 cr

Basic techniques and concepts of the management and population dynamics of wildlife populations; emphasis on estimating animal population parameters, development of population growth models, and principles of population management. Includes field and laboratory techniques for estimating population parameters for wildlife. Prerequisites: W&FCON 261; RES EC 211 or Introductory Statistics.

571 Fisheries Science and Management
(1st sem) 4 cr

Introduction to the principles of fish stock assessment, with emphasis on harvest modeling and forecasting techniques. Implications of overfishing and habitat degradation. Prerequisite: W&FCON 260.

577 Ecosystem Modeling and Simulation (2nd sem)

Basic concepts in general systems theory and computer modeling used in ecology. Case histories of models used to critically review the ecological modeling literature.

587 Digital Remote Sensing (2nd sem)

Computer processing of digital images as a means of obtaining information about natural resources. LANDSAT images primarily used. Image processing, classification, and image enhancement techniques discussed and applied.

592G Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Fisheries and Wildlife

Use and application of GIS in mapping habitat, and relating fish and wildlife to spatial habitat patterns. Hands-on use of Arc/View on PC or UNIX.

597R Watershed Science and Management

A watershed-scale and ecosystem-based perspective on natural resources conservation, economic policies, and environmental decisions. Various approaches to and fundamental concepts for integrating biological, physical, and hydrological processes and economics into a holistic ecological and economic model. A trans-disciplinary course highlighting roles of decision-science, natural systems, and community-based planning toward holistic ecosystem management. Prerequisites: science background and senior or graduate student standing or consent of instructor.

597W Wetlands Assessment and Field Techniques (2nd sem odd yrs) 2 cr

Supplemental field techniques to provide in-depth information on the Massachusetts wetlands regulatory program. Also field techniques for wetlands classification, boundary delineation, wetland plant identification, and wildlife habitat evaluation. In-class and field sessions to develop essential skills needed to conduct a wetlands environmental review as requir-ed under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act. Prerequisite: concurrent enrollment in W&FCON 563 or consent of instructor.

Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation | Courses | Natural Resources Conservation Faculty