Ecological Restoration Minor

Offered autumn. Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. Introduction to probability and statistical methods for forestry and environmental sciences covering natural resource applications of common probability distributions, data analysis, hypothesis testing, and regression.

Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. The factors affecting earth’s terrestrial ecosystems are rapidly changing, and understanding their impact on ecosystem services to humanity is becoming increasingly important and yet complex. In this course, students will explore how climate, water and soils interact to shape Earth’s biosphere. We will introduce students to a number of fundamental concepts in climate, hydrology, and soil science to gain a comprehensive view of the factors that shape and affect all terrestrial ecosystems. Through a series of lectures and field-based laboratories, students will be introduced to the fundamental principles of climate and hydrology that influence soil development, how they vary across small spatial scales, and how these physical, chemical, and biological processes interact to affect soil development. Ultimately, this class will introduce students to intimate relationship between climate, water, and soils, and how they interact to affect patterns of vegetation we see across the biosphere.

Offered autumn. Prereq., one course in the ecological or biological sciences: BIOO 105N, BIOB 160N, BIOB 170N, BIOB 172, BIOE 370, BIOE 428, BIOE 447 or BIOE 448; or FORS 330; or NRSM 271N or NRSM 462 or consent of instructor. Overview of the natural and social science elements of ecological restoration, including the ecological foundations of restoration, practices used to restore terrestrial and aquatic habitats, philosophical and ethical challenges involved, and current initiatives in Montana and the United States. Includes Saturday field trips.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., FORS 210 or ENSC 245N or NRSM 210N; and BIOO 105N or BIOB 170N or BIOE 172 or BIOB 160N or FORS 240; and FORS 201 or STAT 216 or SOCI 202 or WILD 240 or PSYX 222. Examination of physical and biological factors affecting forest structure, composition, and function, including biodiversity, disturbance, and nutrient cycling. Field labs throughout Northern Rockies including developing skills in field observation, data interpretation and problem solving.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. An introduction to physical and biological controls over water movement and storage in the environment, and how those controls are affected by land management practices.

Offered spring. Prereq., graduate or junior or senior standing and NRSM 265 and one 300-400 level ecology courses: BIOE 370, BIOE 428, BIOE 447, BIOE 448, FORS 330, or NRSM 462; or consent of instructor. This course covers the primary ecological theories that inform the practice of ecological restoration. Topics include the dynamic nature of ecological systems, community assembly, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, food web dynamics, ecological engineering, macroecology, and statistical issues and study design.

Offered summers only at Flathead Lake Biological Station.  Prereq., BIOB 272 and one year of college math, including statistics.  The principles and practices of the study of animals and plants in their natural environments, including human influences, with focus on the Crown of the Continent area of the Rock Mountains and taught entirely outdoors.

Offered autumn. Prereq., BIOB 272. Analysis of the distribution and abundance of plants and animals. Includes individual, population and community-level processes (e.g., population growth and regulation, competition, predation, succession, nutrient cycling, energy flow and community organization).

Offered summers only at Flathead Lake Biological Station.  Prereq., BIOE 342 or BIOE 370/371.  Distribution, abundance and life cycles of plants and animals and their unique ecophysiological adaptations to life in the rigorous environments of the high mountains above the timberline, with emphasis on the Crown of the Continent area.

Offered spring. Prereq., BIOB 160N and either CHMY 123N or 143N.  Physical and chemical dynamics of lakes and streams. Diversity, distribution and dynamics of freshwater organisms.

Offered summers only at Flathead Lake Biological Station.  Prereq., BIOE 342 or BIOE 370/371, CHMY 121N.  The biota and biogeochemical processes of running waters with unifying principles and contemporary research approaches.

Offered alternate autumn. Prereq. BIOB 272N. The interrelationships between plants and plant communities and their natural environment.

Offered summers only at Flathead Lake Biological Station.  Prereq., BIOE 342 or BIOE 370/371.  Biophysical processes that determine landscape and ecosystem structure and function using remote sensing tools, geographic information systems and dynamic models to demonstrate landscape change.

Offered summers only at Flathead Lake Biological Station. Prereq., BIOE 342 or BIOE 370/371, CHMY 121N and CHMY 123N.  The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of lake ecosystems with an emphasis on nutrient cycling, food web interactions and water quality.

Offered summers only at Flathead Lake Biological Station.  Prereq., BIOE 342 or BIOE 370/371.  Patterns and processes of the forests and grasslands of the northern Rocky Mountains in the context of principles of population community and ecosystem ecology.

Offered spring. Prereq., one college-level course in Biology or consent of instr. Elements of the evolution, geography and natural affinities of flowering plants. Identification using a manual of native plants of Montana.

Offered autumn. Prereq., BIOB 272 and either STAT 216 or WILD 240. Diversity, adaptations and ecology of fishes. Analysis and management of fish populations and communities.

Offered spring. Prereq., BIOB 260 or consent of the instructor. The molecular, biochemical and biophysical basis of plant function, from the subcellular to the whole organism level.

Offered spring. Prereq., FORS 201 or STAT 216 or SOCI 202 or WILD 240; and M 121 and M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. The theory and practice of timber inventory and growth projection, including field measurements, sampling procedures, statistical methods, inventory compilation, and stand growth simulation under specified management prescriptions. Stand growth under specified management prescriptions.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., FORS 210 or ENSC 245N or NRSM 210N; and BIOO 105N or BIOB 170N or BIOE 172 or BIOB 160N or FORS 240; and FORS 201 or STAT 216 or SOCI 202 or WILD 240 or PSYX 222. Examination of physical and biological factors affecting forest structure, composition, and function, including biodiversity, disturbance, and nutrient cycling. Field labs throughout Northern Rockies including developing skills in field observation, data interpretation and problem solving.

Offered autumn. Prereq., FORS 230 or consent of instr. The fire ecology of some western vegetation types is discussed.  Elements of the principles of wildland fuel management are presented.  Prescribed fire use and mechanical manipulation are matched to historic ecosystem processes.  Smoke management considerations and health issues are also presented.  

Offered spring. Prereq., FORS 230. A detailed, analysis of fire ecology in terrestrial ecosystems with a focus on the Rocky Mountains, including fire history, fire effects, landscape pattern, land use legacies, and management implications.

Offered spring. Prereq., FORS 330 or BIOE 370. Credit not allowed for both FORS 347 and 349. An introduction to the concepts and application of silvicultural techniques to forest ecosystems to meet multiple resource objectives.

Spring semester. Prereq. GEO 101N-102N, M 121 and 122 or M 151. Introduction to the physical processes that affect the surface of the Earth, including global-scale energy distribution and balance, the hydrologic cycle, climate, weathering, transport mechanisms, and geomorphic processes. 

Offered spring. Prereq., GEO 101N-102N; PHSX 205N/206N or PHSX 215N/216N ; M  162 or 171 strongly recommended or consent of instr. Occurrence, movement, quality, and methods of quantification of groundwater. Geological framework and physics of groundwater flow. Supply, contamination, and management problems.

Offered autumn. Prereq., one semester college calculus and physics. Quantitative examination of landforms, runoff generation, weathering, mechanics of soil erosion by water and wind, mass wasting, glacial and periglacial processes and hillslope evolution.

Offered autumn odd years. An introduction to the importance of insects in ecosystem function and process, and their use in ecological monitoring as indicators of ecological change, degradation, and the efficacy of ecological restoration efforts. This course also covers the effects of climate change and biological invasions in the context of both pest and beneficial insect species.

Offered autumn. Prereq., junior standing or consent of instr. An introduction to rangelands and their management, grazing influences, class of animal, grazing capacity, control of livestock distribution, improvements, competition and interrelationships with wildlife. Laboratory exercises to gain on-site experience on topics and concepts presented in lectures.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. An introduction to physical and biological controls over water movement and storage in the environment, and how those controls are affected by land management practices.

Offered spring even-numbered years. Same as CCS 408. An analysis of the earths major global biogeochemical cycles with a focus on the ways and extent to which each of them influences and interacts with the global climate system.  

Offered spring odd-numbered years Prereq., ENSC 245N or NRSM 210N or consent of instr. A detailed analysis of the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils and how they function, with a focus on soil processes and how they affect, and are affected by human activities. Specific topics include element cycling, water quality, the effects of environmental change soil biogeochemistry, plant-soil interactions, and the consequences of large-scale disturbances on soil processes.

Interactions between the biosphere and atmosphere to advanced undergraduate students and graduate students. This course will explore the interactions between Earth’s biosphere and atmosphere and how they affect climate over a range of scales. We will focus on the exchange of energy, mass, and important elements between the biosphere and atmosphere and how this exchange can lead to fascinating feedbacks in Earth’s climate system. Basic physics and math is not required but it is recommended.

Offered intermittently. Prereqs., successful completion or concurrent enrollment in NRSM 385 and completion of one of the following introductory ecology courses: BIOE 172, BIOE 370, BIOE 428, BIOE 447, BIOE 448, FORS 330, or NRSM 462. Importance of riparian/wetland areas and the complexities associated with their management for short and long term benefits.

Offered spring. NRSM 210N; and BIOO 105N or BIOB 170N or BIOE 172N or BIOB 160N or FORS 240; and FORS 201 or STAT 216 or SOCI 202 or WILD 240 or PSYX 222. We will discuss the ecological principles and processes that drive the structure and function of rangeland ecosystems. We will focus on the intersections of plant, animal, ecosystem, and landscape ecology. We will weave in discussions of management to understand how rangeland dynamics contribute and respond to differing management paradigms.

Offered intermittently. Prereq., NRSM 385 or consent of instr. Effects of land management practices on water and sediment yields from wildland watersheds. Introduction to statistical methods in hydrology. Introduction to water yield and sediment modeling techniques.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., BIOE 370, M 162 or M 171, and senior standing in Biology, Forestry, Resource Conservation, Recreation Management or Wildlife Biology. Application of population ecology principles and theory to the conservation and management of wildlife populations.

(R-12) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

Offered intermittently.  Prereq., ECNS 201S. Outlines a theoretical framework for the analysis of environmental problems, including concepts of market failure and externalities, materials balance and property rights. The policy implications of this analytical model are explored for a range of topics including pollution and the preservation of natural environments and species.  Formally cross-listed with EVST 440.

Offered autumn. Prereq., ECNS 201S; and M 121 and M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172.  Economic techniques to support decision making about the allocation of scarce resources, and management of forests for timber and other ecosystem services.

Offered autumn. Political and social processes affecting natural resource decisions. Examination of cases of multi-party collaboration in forestry, range, and watershed management issues.

Offered autumn and spring. Policy formation in the United States and a survey of the major resource policies interpreted in their historical and political contexts.

Offered spring. Co-convened with NRSM 526. This course examines the social and political aspects of climate change, with a focus on international and domestic processes and cases. Cannot get credit for both NRSM 426 and NRSM 526.

Offered autumn. Same as CCS 449E. This course focuses on the ethical dimensions of climate change policy. It will cover the following major topics: (1) climate change, personal and collective responsibilities, (2) ethics, climate change and scientific uncertainty, (3) distributive justice and international climate change negotiations, (4) intergenerational justice and climate change policy.

Offered spring. Co-convened with NRSM 575. Examines key social forces that influence how individuals, groups and nation-states understand and live within their bio-physical environments, especially policies and processes relating to development, corporate capitalism, globalization, culture, class and other forms of power and social relations. Pays close attention to ways both indigenous and introduced resource use and management practices (including conservation) variably impact people of different races, classes, genders, cultures and livelihood practices. Cannot get credit for both NRSM 475 and NRSM 575.

Offered autumn. Prereq., junior or senior standing. Theoretical and practical ethical issues affecting the management of natural resources in national forests and on other public lands.

Offered spring. Prereq., PTRM 217S, or consent of instructor. Examination of the origin, evolution, and application of the park concept on state, federal, and international levels. Evaluation of legislation, philosophy, and policy leading to consideration of goals, objectives, and strategies for wilderness and protected area management.

Offered autumn. Same as CCS 449E. This course focuses on the ethical dimensions of climate change policy. It will cover the following major topics: (1) climate change, personal and collective responsibilities, (2) ethics, climate change and scientific uncertainty, (3) distributive justice and international climate change negotiations, (4) intergenerational justice and climate change policy.

Offered autumn. Prereq., junior or senior standing. Theoretical and practical ethical issues affecting the management of natural resources in national forests and on other public lands.

Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. The factors affecting earth’s terrestrial ecosystems are rapidly changing, and understanding their impact on ecosystem services to humanity is becoming increasingly important and yet complex. In this course, students will explore how climate, water and soils interact to shape Earth’s biosphere. We will introduce students to a number of fundamental concepts in climate, hydrology, and soil science to gain a comprehensive view of the factors that shape and affect all terrestrial ecosystems. Through a series of lectures and field-based laboratories, students will be introduced to the fundamental principles of climate and hydrology that influence soil development, how they vary across small spatial scales, and how these physical, chemical, and biological processes interact to affect soil development. Ultimately, this class will introduce students to intimate relationship between climate, water, and soils, and how they interact to affect patterns of vegetation we see across the biosphere.