Course Topics
Oregon Ecoregions
How ecoregions frame the Oregon Naturalist program and help organize Oregon’s natural diversity.
Oregon Geology and Earth Processes
The geological processes of Oregon (e.g., 400 million year history of plate tectonics, volcanism, earthquakes and tsunamis, Pleistocene floods). And the atmospheric, hydrological, and biological connections to geology.
Introduction to Watersheds in Oregon
Basic physical, biological, and chemical processes, and watershed management issues.
Principles of Ecology and Wildlife Management
Foundational ecological concepts related to wildlife and plant communities. And wildlife management history and science.
Ecology and Management in Oregon’s Forests
Forest community types, biological & successional processes, forest wildlife, sustainable management strategies, and contemporary conservation issues.
Ecology and Management in Oregon’s Rangelands
High desert sagebrush, shrub-steppe and bunchgrass ecology, dryland plant and wildlife adaptations, rangeland management concepts.
Oregon in a Changing Climate
Pre-historic climate conditions, contemporary climate trends, basic climate change science, projected impacts on Oregon landscapes.