Creating Gateways to the Land with Smarter Conservation Strategies

Conservation has long been accused of ignoring the needs of human communities and has often been thought of as protecting the land by excluding people from the landscape. Now, the conservation movement is embracing a different view of protecting land with and for all people. As a result, innovative programs have been developed that connect people to nature, thereby helping to facilitate land conservation. This interdisciplinary course will integrate concepts in scientific method, study design, ecology and conservation with a focus on water in order to foster an understanding of how research can inform management of wildlife populations and communities. Topics will include wildlife management, habitat restoration, geographical information systems (GIS), sustainable agriculture, integrated land-use management, and vegetation analysis. This course will also provide opportunities for field research and application of techniques learned in the classroom.