Over the course of the semester, students will become familiar with wildlife census and survey techniques for conservation of wildlife species and will meet wildlife professionals in the field .We will explore the ecological principles that govern the abundance and distribution of wildlife species and the management practices set in place to achieve those goals/measures. Case studies will be presented so that students can challenge their understanding of ecological principles and be able to suggest the best management practice. Students will learn about the threats to wildlife both past and present in an attempt to better understand their role as future scientists in the conservation and preservation of these animals and their habitats. Wildlife Ecology will be taught as full day course at Miner Institute; it is a a course that fulfills one of the Applied Environmental Science Program course requirements. The course will combine morning lecture with afternoon data collection, and evening analysis and presentation. Students in the course will become familiar and proficient with the new technologies which have been facilitating the management of wildlife (e.g., geographic information systems-GIS, GPS tracking technology, and passive integrated transponder PIT tags). In lecture, students will cover topics in wildlife-habitat relationships, animal movement, foraging behavior, and interactions with other community members. Primary literature, both past and present, will be read critically and discussed as a group as a way to integrate applications, controversy for discussion, and experimentation. As a major project, students will perform independent field research from literature search, to written term paper and oral presentation as a means of conveying scientific findings as wildlife professionals are accustomed.

Click here to view some student research posters.