Apr 19, 2024  
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2015-2016 
    
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2015-2016 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.

NSCI 521 - Watersheds: Stream Ecology, Water Quality and Land Use

(4 or 6 credits)
Prerequisite: A course in ecology or environmental science and one course in either chemistry, earth science or geography
Part I, spring semester workshops two weeks in Summer Session II; Part II, fall semester workshops and/or watershed project. This is an interdisciplinary course primarily for teacher professional development in stream ecology, water quality and land use impacts in local watersheds. The RiverNet Watershed Access lab will be used to advance local community watershed initiatives that improve water quality and protect watershed resources. Workshops and projects will emphasize hands-on training in stream ecology, aquatic insect identification, water quality assessments and the use of Massachusetts GIS (Geographic Information Systems). The project goal will be to evaluate land use impacts on the water quality of a stream or river in the local community of each team. A local watershed initiative project will be developed by each participant and presented in a Watershed Access Lab one-day conference. Four credits require Saturday workshops, eight-day summer institute and a one-semester watershed project presented at the WAL Conference. Six credits require Saturday workshops, eight-day summer institute and summer research project report, and an academic year watershed project presented at the WAL Conference. Offered spring and fall semesters, and summer II.