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.