| Natural Resources |
NR 800 - Critical Analysis of Water Resources Literature
Credits:
2.00
Detailed consideration of current issues in water resource
management in a seminar format. Emphasis on critical
analysis of primary literature in environmental science
relevant to water resources management. Special fee. Prereq:
watershed water quality management.
NR 801 - Ecological Values and Ethics
Credits:
4.00
Deeper more fundamental philosophical questions, including
spiritual values questions, are being asked concerning the
ecological/environmental challenge of our time; its causes
and resolution. Aspects of this challenge--environmental
education, energy, food, agriculture, and natural
resources--analyzed with ethics and values approaches.
Students develop ways of responding to problem
identification and resolution.
NR 802 - Workshops
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Short-term courses (generally a few days to two weeks)
offered off campus, covering a broad variety of
environmental and natural resource topics. May be repeated.
Special fee required depending on topic. Prereq: permission
required. Cr/F.
NR 803 - Watershed Water Quality Management
Credits:
4.00
Principles of land use as they relate to water quality and
quantity. Lectures focus on biogeochemical cycles and the
watershed approach to land and water resource management.
Labs and field trips focus on methods of water sampling and
analysis. One year of chemistry is recommended. Prereq:
freshwater resources or watershed hydrology, or permission.
Special fee. Lab/field trips.
NR 804 - Soil Genesis and Classification
Credits:
4.00
Processes involved in formation of soils, soil properties as
reflectors of genetic processes. Classification systems of
soils related to soil genesis and soil landscapes. Lab
sessions illustrate concepts by examining soils in the
field. Prereq: soils and the environment or equivalent.
Special fee. Lab.
NR 805 - Forest Soils
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to basic and applied forest soils research,
with emphasis on pedogenic and ecological development,
carbon and nutrient cycling, and impacts of forest
management and recent changes in atmospheric chemistry.
Short papers based on assigned readings and an independent
research project are required. Prereq: introduction to
forest science; forest ecology; or permission.
NR 806 - Soil Ecology
Credits:
4.00
Examines the ecological relationships between soil
microorganisms and their biotic and abiotic environment,
with emphasis on the role of soil microorganisms in
biogeochemical cycling. Specific objectives are to examine
the biodiversity present in soil systems, factors
controlling microbial community composition and diversity,
and linkages between soil microbial communities, soil
physical properties, and soil organic matter and nutrient
cycling dynamics. Prereq: Introduction to principles of
biology, general chemistry or equivalent, or permission.
Lab. Special fee.
NR 809 - Fire Ecology Seminar
Credits:
2.00 or 3.00
Lectures, guest lectures, and student presentations dealing
with the natural role of fires in wildland communities, fire
adaptations in plant and animal species. Human responses to
wildland fires and prescribed fire applications. Optional
set of one-half to one-day field trips for an additional
1 credit. Prereq: basic ecology course. Special fee. (Not
offered every year.)
NR 810 - Endangered Species Seminar
Credits:
2.00
This seminar provides students with an interactive class of
student presentations and guest lectures by
endangered-species biologists. Emphasis is placed on
biological, sociological, economic, and political factors
that influence endangered-species policy. Prereq: basic
ecology/biology; permission. Special fee.
NR 811 - Wetland Ecology and Management
Credits:
4.00
Analysis of the natural resources of coastal and inland
wetlands and environmental problems caused by human use and
misuse of these ecosystems. Groups will collect field data
to summarize the structure and function of four wetland
types within a management context. Special fee. Lab. Prereq:
general ecology; watershed water quality management;/ or
permission. Special fee. Lab/field trips.
NR 812 - Sampling Techniques
Credits:
2.00 to 4.00
Techniques of sampling finite populations in environmental
sciences; choice of sampling unit and frame, estimation of
sample size, confidence limits, and comparisons of sample
designs. Prereq: applied statistics or equivalent. (Not
offered every year.)
NR 813 - Quantitative Ecology
Credits:
4.00
Applied quantitative techniques: basic concepts in
probability and statistics applied to ecological systems;
population dynamics; spatial patterns; species abundance and
diversity; classification and ordination; production; and
energy and nutrient flow. Additional credit for in-depth
mathematical analysis of a particular topic. Prereq:
introduction courses in calculus, statistics, and ecology.
(Not offered every year.)
NR 814 - Ecosystems of Puerto Rico
Credits:
2.00
Field examination of a variety of tropical ecosystems in
Puerto Rico, including cloud forest, montane rain forest,
tropical dry forest, mangroves, and coral reefs. Field study
supplemented by appropriate readings from the scientific
literature and expert presentations. Students are
responsible for round-trip airfare and personal expenses.
Permission. Cr/F.
NR 815 - Theoretical Ecology
Credits:
4.00
Study of important theoretical concepts in ecology by
analysis of mathematical models. Topics include population
growth, competition, coexistence of species, competitive
exclusion, predator-prey dynamics, invasions, migration, and
spread. Strong foundation in ecology and mathematics
required. Prereq: general ecology and calculus.
NR 816 - Wetland Delineation
Credits:
4.00
Examination of the soils, vegetation, and hydraulic
functions of coastal and central New England wetlands.
Students are responsible for the collection and
identification of aquatic plant species, description of
wetland soils, and delineation of wetland boundaries.
Lectures and fieldwork. For graduate students and
professionals. Special fee. Lab. (Offered summer session
only.)
NR 818 - Law of Natural Resources and Environment
Credits:
3.00
For resource managers: the legal system pertaining to
resource management, protection of the environment, and
possibilities for future action. Prereq: contemporary
conservation issues, land-use economics, or equivalent.
NR 819 - Wetlands Mitigation and Restoration
Credits:
3.00
Assessing the problems of wetlands loss. Asks: What steps
can be taken, does restoration work, can habitat value be
replaced, and what constitutes equivalent mitigation? First
half of course involves field trips to visit and sample
mitigation and restoration sites. Second half focuses on
student projects using the scientific method to address
wetlands issues. Prereq: wetland resource management or
permission. Special fee. Lab/field trips. (Not offered
every year.)
NR 820 - International Environmental Politics and Policies for the 21st Century
Credits:
4.00
Examine policies for managing human activities to sustain
the health of regional ecosystems and planetary life-support
systems. Focus on selected problems of the international
commons (e.g., oceans, marine resources, atmosphere,
migratory species); global and regional carrying capacity
(e.g., population, resource consumption), internationally
shared ecosystems (e.g., trans-boundary watersheds and
water-bodies, tropical rainforests); and the relevant
international institutions and politics for policy
formation, conflict resolution and implementation. Using a
policy analytic framework, students develop case studies to
assess international policies and institutional arrangements
to achieve the objectives of Agenda 21 - The Earth Summit
Strategy to Save the Planet. Prereq: permission.
NR 821 - Ecology of Polluted Waters
Credits:
4.00
Impact of various water quality problems (e.g., excessive
nutrient loading, organic matter loading, contamination by
trace organic compounds) on the ecology of fresh waters,
including microorganisms, aquatic invertebrates, algae, and
fish. Design of impact assessment studies and data
interpretation. Prereq: applied statistics, watershed water
quality management, or permission. Special fee. Lab/field
trips.
NR 822 - Advanced Silviculture
Credits:
3.00
Intensive silviculture of forest stands. Regeneration
(e.g., alternative regeneration methods and site
preparation); stand management (e.g., thinning schedules,
and fertilization). Prereq: silviculture or equivalent;
permission. Special fee. (Not offered every year.)
NR 823 - Field Wetland Ecology
Credits:
3.00
Field investigation of coastal and inland wetland types.
First half of course consists of field trips to visit sample
regional wetlands. Second half of course consists of methods
used to analyze field samples from wetlands. Enrollment is
limited. Prereq: present or past enrollment in
Wetland Resource Management. Special fee. Lab/field trips.
NR 824 - Resolving Environmental Conflicts
Credits:
3.00
Theories and practices of environmental dispute settlement.
Roles of public, non-governmental organizations and
government assessed. Effectiveness of public participation
initiatives in influencing public policy decisions and/or
resolving environmental conflicts examined. Alternative
approaches to consensus (policy dialogues, joint problem
solving; strategic planning; negotiation, mediation) as well
as litigation examined. Specific cases critiqued and
evaluated; conflict resolution skills developed. Prereq:
permission.
NR 830 - Terrestrial Ecosystems
Credits:
3.00
Processes controlling the energy, water, and nutrient
dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems; concepts of study at the
ecosystem level, controls on primary production,
transpiration, decomposition, herbivory; links to
Earth-system science, acid deposition, agriculture. Prereq:
forest ecology and introduction to botany or principles of
biology, or permission. Lab. (Also offered as EOS 830.)
NR 832 - Chemistry of Soils
Credits:
4.00
Chemical composition of soil; structure of soil minerals;
mineral solubility; contaminant sorption by minerals and
organic matter; cation and anion exchange processes; and
organic reactions in soil, their kinetics and their effects
on soil properties. Prereq: general chemistry or equivalent.
Special fee. Lab.
NR 834 - Forest Protection Seminar
Credits:
3.00
The course will attempt to develop a definition of forest
health, based upon the recognition that healthy and
functioning ecosystems must contain dead and dying trees.
The idea must be built into a forest management approach
acceptable to landowners who have economic/commercial
objectives, as well as a society which views forests as
productive units and providers of amenities and essential
natural reserves. Consideration of forest health in the
context of recent evidence concerning the effects of
atmospheric deposition and climate change on tree health, as
well as new or introduced and currently spreading insects
and diseases. Prereq: permission. (Not offered every year.)
NR 837 - Wildlife Population Dynamics
Credits:
4.00
Mechanisms that influence the characteristics of terrestrial
wildlife populations. Prereq: one course in general ecology
and statistics. Lab. Special fee.
NR 838 - Wildlife Policy and Management
Credits:
4.00
Wildlife administration and policy. Local, regional, and
national wildlife management strategies. Contemporary
management issues of land-use, commercialization of
wildlife, and wildlife professionalism. Prereq: permission.
Lab. Special fee.
NR 845 - Forest Management
Credits:
4.00
Forest land ownership; management objectives; forest
inventory regulation and policy; forest administration;
professional responsibilities and opportunities. Restricted
to Natural Resources majors. Lab. Special fee.
NR 847 - Biology Through Bugs
Credits:
4.00
Insects provide an exciting and inexpensive means of
delivering basic biology instruction. We will explore the
utility of insects for instruction in the areas of
evolution, taxonomy, form and function, behavior and ecology
through lectures and labs geared toward the middle school
and high school teacher. Prereq: General biology. Lab.
Special fee.
NR 853 - Decision Sciences in Natural Resources Management
Credits:
4.00
Application of decision-science methods (optimization,
simulation, input-output, and statistics) to natural
resources problems. Emphasis is on practical work in
evaluating projects, dealing with risk and uncertainty,
analyzing regional impacts, valuing non-market resources,
and exploring sustainability of managed forest. Prereq:
economics of forestry or intermediate microeconomics.
Special fee. Lab.
NR 854 - Wood Products Manufacture and Marketing
Credits:
4.00
Wood products from harvesting and procurement of raw
materials to finished product processes, management
decisions, marketing, and promotion problems. Case-study
approach backed up by weekly all-day field trips to wood
products manufacturing plants in the region. Prereq: Wood
Science and Technology. Special fee. Lab.
NR 855 - Regional Silviculture and Forest Management
Credits:
2.00
Extended field trip to another forest region. Prereq: forest
management or permission. Limited enrollment. May be
repeated. Cr/F. (Not offered every year.)
NR 857 - Photo Interpretation and Photogrammetry
Credits:
4.00
Practical and conceptual presentations of techniques for
using remote sensing, specifically aerial photographs, in
natural resources. Includes photo measures of scale, area,
parallax and object heights; flight planning; photo
geometry; an introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum;
and photo interpretation and mapping. Concludes with an
introduction to digital remote sensing including
multi-spectral scanners, radar, and thermal imagery and a
brief discussion of geographic information systems (GIS).
Applications to forestry, wildlife, land-use planning, earth
sciences, soils, hydrology, and engineering. Prereq:
algebra. Special fee. Lab.
NR 859 - Digital Image Processing for Natural Resources
Credits:
4.00
Introduction to digital remote sensing including
multi-spectral scanners (Landsat and SPOT) radar and
thermal imagery. Hands-on image processing including
filtering, image display, ratios, classification,
registration, and accuracy assessment. GIS as it applies to
image-processing. Discussion of practical application. Use
of ERDAS image processing software. Knowledge of PCs and
DOS required. Prereq: Photo Interpretation and
Photogrammetry or equivalent and permission.
NR 860 - Geographic Information Systems in Natural Resources
Credits:
4.00
Theory, concepts, and applications of geographic information
systems (GIS) for use in natural resources and related
fields. Discussion of database structures, sources of data,
spatial data manipulation/analysis/modeling, data quality
standards and assessment, and data display/map production
including many examples and practical applications. Hands-on
lab exercises using ArcGIS 8.x software. Permission. Lab.
NR 864 - Vegetation Sampling and Analysis
Credits:
4.00
Methods for sampling plant populations and communities,
especially estimation of abundance. Analysis of pattern,
measurement of species diversity, and relation of abundance
to environmental factors. Ordination and classification of
communities. Modeling of succession. Prereq: statistics; and
general ecology or equivalent. Lab. Special fee.
NR 865 - Community Ecology
Credits:
4.00
Properties of biotic communities, especially biodiversity.
Effects of physical stress, disturbance, competition,
predation, positive interactions, and dispersal on community
properties. Community dynamics, including succession and
stability. Prereq: applied biostatistics and general
ecology. Special fee. Lab.
NR 872 - Wildlife Energetics
Credits:
2.00
Energy requirements of wildlife species and the manner in
which these needs are met in their natural environment.
Thermodynamics in ecological systems, factors influencing
metabolic rate, food habits, food-use efficiency, food
availability. Prereq: permission. Special fee.
NR 880 - Earth as a System for Educators
Credits:
4.00
Exploration of the Earth as a system. Topics include
ecosystems, habitats, biomes, biodiversity, weather,
climate, water and air (environmental) quality, watersheds,
remote sensing, the flow of matter and energy through the
universe, water and nutrient cycles, wildlife
identification and monitoring, wetlands, seasons,
interdependence, and changes over time. Course
focuses on content being taught through Project WILD, WET,
Learning Tree and Project HOME activities. The GLOBE
protocols are an integral part of all lab exercises, and
provide an opportunity to learn science methods and content
through the use of classroom friendly techniques used to
integrate into units for elementary and middle school
students. For elementary and middle school teachers.
Permission.
NR 883 - Forest Communities of New Hampshire
Credits:
4.00
A hands-on, field course designed to introduce students to
the diverse forest community types of New Hampshire. Topics
include: 1) field identification of forest types using
different classification systems and keys, 2) identification
of characteristic plant and animal species, 3) the roles of
climate, geology, soils, natural disturbance, forest
management, and biotic factors in determining forest
community type, 4) primary and secondary succession,
including old-growth. Prereq: 1 course in ecology or
environmental biology or permission. Special fee.
NR 884 - Sustainable Living
Credits:
3.00
Concepts of living within ecosystem limits explored in a
learning-community format. The importance of human
communication, sense of place and time, and the health and
longevity of our human species and natural systems
emphasized. Examination of governance, education, economic,
agricultural, and ethical systems while asking, "What makes
one system more or less sustainable than another?" to lead
to directions for sustainable society. Field trips and small
research projects conducted. Special fee.
NR 885 - Systems Thinking for Sustainable Living
Credits:
3.00
Introduction to systems thinking from a sustainable living
perspective. The course is a collaborative inquiry using a
problem-solving approach. After study of different types of
systems and learning a variety of tools useful in systems
analysis, we ask "In what ways can systems thinking be
employed to understand and begin to resolve the complex
problems that face us as we move toward living within limits
of natural systems?" Prereq: sustainable living or
permission.
NR 896 - Summer Institute in Environmental Education
Credits:
8.00
The Summer Institute is an intensive (8 credit), team-taught
educational experience that immerses students in a process
of inquiry explicitly designed to connect and integrate work
in the focus areas of: Pedagogy, Environmental Science, and
Human Patterns and Environmental Transformations. Classroom
and field-based activities help students experience the
interdisciplinary nature of environmental education
firsthand, while beginning to construct a plan for deepening
their understanding through an individually designed program
of graduate study. Prereq: Bachelor's degree, permission.
(Also offered as EDUC 896.)
NR 897 - Special Topics
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Course is designed as an "Experimental Course", for the
purpose of introducing a new course or teaching a special
topic for a semester in Environmental Conservation,
Forestry, Soil Science, Water Resources, and Wildlife
Management. Permission required. Special fee on some
sections.
NR 899 - Master's Thesis
Credits:
1.00 to 10.00
Usually 6 credits, but up to 10 credits when the problem
warrants. Cr/F.
NR 902 - Ecological Ethics and Values
Credits:
4.00
Increasingly fundamental philosophical questions, including
spiritual values questions, are posited concerning the
ecological/environmental challenge of our time, its causes,
and its resolution. Examination of these questions, put
forth with ethics and values approaches. Students work to
develop responses to both problem identification and
resolution. Lab.
NR 903 - Approach to Research
Credits:
3.00
The meaning of science and the application of logic in the
scientific method. Principles and techniques of scientific
research. Survey of experimental design procedures.
Organization of investigative work, problem analyses,
working plans, and scientific writing. Prereq: permission.
NR 905 - Contaminant Fate and Transport in the Subsurface
Credits:
4.00
Processes controlling contaminants in soils and groundwater;
sorption and desorption of inorganic and organic
contaminants; leaching of inorganic contaminants and
pesticides; runoff of agricultural chemicals; biological
factors affecting contaminants; soil flooding effects on
water quality; groundwater contamination; bacteria and virus
transport in groundwater. Prereq: groundwater hydrology and
soil chemistry or equivalent/or permission. Special fee.
NR 910 - Forest Stand Dynamics
Credits:
4.00
Discussion and presentation on forest dynamics to include
soil-site quality evaluation, individual tree growth, stand
growth and yield, stand and forest management, and related
resource politics. (Not offered every year.)
NR 918 - Advanced Forest Biology
Credits:
3.00
Topical orientation following a workshop-type format.
Presentations by faculty, students, and outside speakers.
Emphasis is placed on management impacts on biological
systems. Sessions on theory and current literature are
followed by data analysis and practical sessions, as
appropriate. Subject areas include conservation biology,
conservation genetics, climate change, old-growth forests,
and the impact of management on natural forest ecosystems.
Prereq: permission. (Not offered every year.)
NR 930 - Modeling of Forest Ecosystems
Credits:
3.00
Computer modeling of energy, water, and nutrient dynamics of
forest ecosystems; review of existing ecosystem models,
modification of an existing model. Original programming of
new model required as course project. Prereq: Terrestrial
Ecosystems or permission. (Also offered as EOS 930.)
NR 947 - Current Issues in Ecosystem Ecology
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Examines current issues in ecosystem ecology and
biogeochemistry by weekly discussion of primary research
articles. Topics covered include elemental interactions in
biogeochemical processes, mechanisms regulating nitrogen
losses from terrestrial ecosystems, and hydrologic-chemical
interactions in streams and groundwater. Special fee. Cr/F.
NR 993 - Natural and Environmental Resources Seminar
Credits:
1.00
Presentation and discussion of recent research, literature,
and policy problems in the natural and social sciences
influencing resource use. Cr/F.
NR 995 - Investigations
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Investigations in Natural Resources may include topics in
environmental conservation, forestry, soil science, water
resources, and wildlife management. Permission required.
NR 996 - Natural Resource Education
Credits:
1.00
Responsibilities include set-up, teaching, and grading of
one lab section per week or equivalent lecture experience.
Required of all M.S. degree students in the department.
Cr/F.
NR 997 - Special Topics
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Course is designed as an "Experimental Course", for the
purpose of introducing a new course or teaching a special
topic for a semester in Environmental Conservation,
Forestry, Soil Science, Water Resources, and Wildlife
Management. Permission required.
NR 998 - Directed Research
Credits:
4.00
Student designs and conducts original research that
culminates in a paper of publishable quality. Alternative to
NR 899 for those choosing non-thesis degree option. Cr/F.
IA (continuous grading).