Course Descriptions
FIELD ECOLOGY OF THREATENED
AND ENDANGERED SPECIES
IN THE NORTHERN ROCKIES
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (ENST) 395
3 UPPER-DIVISION SEMESTER CREDITS
Students gain a first-hand understanding of the ecology of endangered species in the Northern Rockies. We focus on grizzly bears, wolves, lynx and bull trout, studying life history, habitat needs, population status and the main threats to population viability. Students meet in the field with the biologists and agency professionals actively working on conservation. All of our lessons are grounded in daily observations of wildlife and their actual behavior, habitat selection, and interactions with humans in the lands surrounding our rural campus.
WILDLIFE POLICY & RURAL COMMUNITIES
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (ENST) 395
3 UPPER-DIVISION SEMESTER CREDITS
Students gain a first-hand understanding of the ecology of endangered species in the Northern Rockies. We focus on grizzly bears, wolves, lynx and bull trout, studying life history, habitat needs, population status and the main threats to population viability. Students meet in the field with the biologists and agency professionals actively working on conservation. All of our lessons are grounded in daily observations of wildlife and their actual behavior, habitat selection, and interactions with humans in the lands surrounding our rural campus.
COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACHES TO WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
NATURAL RESOURCE SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT (NRSM) 395
3 UPPER-DIVISION SEMESTER CREDITS
This course surveys emerging conservation strategies which address human-wildlife conflicts in rural areas. Students study efforts in the Swan Valley to mitigate bear conflicts; projects in the Blackfoot Valley to manage wolf depredation on cattle ranches; and Tribal efforts in the Mission Valley to employ citizen anglers in reducing invasive fish species. Students benefit from a mixture of readings, interviews with citizen groups and field tours.
Wildlife in the West demonstrated how wildlife conservation and management is complex, mixed with many facets and challenges. As a class we had the privilege to spend time with rural landowners and stakeholders, during which we were able to ask tough questions about their experience living with predators in their backyard. Although sometimes these conversations were challenging, listening to their concerns and interests plays an essential role when understanding long-term wildlife management. From these experiences, I came out a better listener and not being so quick to judge a situation without learning both sides of a wildlife conflict.
— Megan Hopwood, WiW ‘22