2012-13 Master of Environmental Studies (MES)
Application and acceptance to the program is required for core classes and thesis. Special students may take elective courses. Upper division undergraduate students may take elective courses with faculty permission. All course descriptions and times are subject to change.
Looking for Undergraduate Environmental Studies offerings?
| Title | Standing | Credits | Schedule | F | W | S | Su | Description | Preparatory | Faculty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Year Core | ||||||||||
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graduate Conceptualizing Our Regional Environment (gCORE)
Carri LeRoy, Kevin Francis and Martha Henderson |
GRGraduate | 8 | 6-10p Tue/Thu | F 12Fall | This program provides a framework for understanding current environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will begin to develop the skills to become producers of new knowledge, rather than being strictly learners of information already available. Multiple methods of data acquisition and analysis will be introduced through examples drawn from many fields of study. The philosophy of science and the problematic relationship between science and policy are also introduced. The will meet in C1107 (on Tues, Sept 25). For the rest of the quarter the class will meet in . studied biology and philosophy at Reed College. After graduating, he spent several years working as a wildlife biologist for Mt. Hood National Forest. His graduate studies at the University of Minnesota focused on history of science and medicine. His historical research concerns scientific efforts to understand the mass extinction of North American megafauna (e.g. mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth) around 12,000 years ago, especially the way that various disciplines approach this problem. , is a geographer interested in social aspects of environmental conditions and transformation of Earth by humans over time. She is currently the Director of the Graduate Program on the Environment. Her primary research and teaching interests are in ethnic identities as revealed in cultural landscapes. Her teaching areas and research interests include Greek landscapes of wild land fire, Native American reservation landscapes, and Western American public lands and landscapes. is a Member of the Faculty at The Evergreen State College and a Co-Director of the Sustainability in Prisons Project. As a stream ecologist, she is fascinated by interactions between forests and streams and has studied riparian systems in Washington, Arizona, and Utah for the past 10 years. Dr. LeRoy has published over 25 scientific research articles with students and collaborators in the fields of stream ecology, ecological genetics, riparian forest ecology and prairie plant community dynamics. For the MES program she teaches in gCORE and RDQM where she gets to teach about the ecology of the Pacific Northwest as well as the applications and theory of statistics and quantitative methods. Her interests in non-formal education are based in her experience with environmental and place-based education, her work with incarcerated students and her desire to facilitate environmental stewardship in broad audiences. | Carri LeRoy Kevin Francis Martha Henderson | ||||
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Ecological and Social Sustainability
Ted Whitesell, Erin Ellis and Kevin Francis |
GRGraduate | 8 | 6-10p Tue/Thu | W 13Winter | Addresses central issues in contemporary sustainability studies on theoretical and practical levels. Emphasis is on ways to promote both environmental and social sustainability. Areas covered may include environmental quality at regional, national and global scales; energy use and alternative energies; resource availability and access to resources; social and cultural issues of sustainability; and indicators to guide policy. As part of this program, students write and present a research paper to provide evidence of their readiness to advance to . is an aquatic biogeochemist whose research focuses on examining the role of rivers in the global carbon cycle. Rivers are large sources of carbon to both the atmosphere and the ocean and are consequently critical to our understanding of the global carbon cycle. While working in the Amazon Basin, her research demonstrated that bacteria living in the river produce high levels of carbon dioxide through respiration, and this carbon dioxide is subsequently lost to the atmosphere. Her current research in the Mekong Basin (i.e. Cambodia) focuses on characterizing the type of organic carbon that is exported by large rivers to the ocean. Specifically, she uses molecular tracers to determine where in the watershed the carbon originates from, and uses radiocarbon analyses to determine the age of this material. Such information is necessary in order to understand the preservation of terrestrial carbon in the ocean, which can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long time scales. Through her training (Erin received her masters and doctoral degree from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington), Erin has research experience working in streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Additional interests include ocean acidification, estuarine ecology, evaluating the impacts of dams on downstream processes, and microbial ecology. Her past and present research has been conducted through collaborations with colleagues in Brazil, Cambodia, and the Pacific Northwest. is a historian and philosopher of science, with particular interest in the development of the environmental sciences. Kevin studied biology and philosophy at Reed College. After graduating, he spent several years working as a wildlife biologist for Mt. Hood National Forest. His graduate studies at the University of Minnesota focused on history of science and medicine. His historical research concerns scientific efforts to understand the mass extinction of North American megafauna (e.g. mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth) around 12,000 years ago, especially the way that various disciplines approach this problem. is a broadly trained cultural geographer with special interests in political ecology and conservation. As a freshman at the University of Colorado, Ted co-founded the CU Wilderness Study Group. After graduation, Ted ran the Colorado Wilderness Workshop, the only statewide preservation organization at the time. From 1975 to 1985, he was a leader of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, campaigning to secure designation of the first wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest. He was recognized as the most accomplished environmental leader in the country of 25 years of age or less by the Tyler Foundation. Later, he earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, investigating grassroots proposals for conservation and development in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil . Ted came to The Evergreen State College in 1998 and is affiliated with two planning units – Environmental Studies and Sustainability & Justice. His students published a major book in April 2004, called Defending Wild Washington (The Mountaineers Books). His most recent research was a collaborative investigation of tribal perspectives on marine protected areas in western Washington. | Ted Whitesell Erin Ellis Kevin Francis | ||||
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Research Design and Quantitative Methods
Carri LeRoy and Kevin Francis |
GRGraduate | 8 | 6-10p, Tue/Thu | S 13Spring | Students learn how to integrate the use of inferential statistics and qualitative data analysis to conduct rigorous examinations of the social, biological, and physical aspects of environmental issues. This knowledge will prepare students for their own research and for understanding and critiquing research articles and reports in fields of their choosing. is a Member of the Faculty at The Evergreen State College and a Co-Director of the Sustainability in Prisons Project. As a stream ecologist, she is fascinated by interactions between forests and streams and has studied riparian systems in Washington, Arizona, and Utah for the past 10 years. Dr. LeRoy has published over 25 scientific research articles with students and collaborators in the fields of stream ecology, ecological genetics, riparian forest ecology and prairie plant community dynamics. For the MES program she teaches in gCORE and RDQM where she gets to teach about the ecology of the Pacific Northwest as well as the applications and theory of statistics and quantitative methods. Her interests in non-formal education are based in her experience with environmental and place-based education, her work with incarcerated students and her desire to facilitate environmental stewardship in broad audiences. is a historian and philosopher of science, with particular interest in the development of the environmental sciences. Kevin studied biology and philosophy at Reed College. After graduating, he spent several years working as a wildlife biologist for Mt. Hood National Forest. His graduate studies at the University of Minnesota focused on history of science and medicine. His historical research concerns scientific efforts to understand the mass extinction of North American megafauna (e.g. mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth) around 12,000 years ago, especially the way that various disciplines approach this problem. | Carri LeRoy Kevin Francis | ||||
| 2nd Year Core | ||||||||||
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Case Studies and Thesis Research
Ted Whitesell, Dina Roberts and Erin Ellis |
GRGraduate | 8 | 6-10p Tue/Thu | F 12Fall | Students will examine in detail a variety of environmental problems, using the skills they gained in their first year of MES core studies to carry out individual or small group projects. Students and faculty will also work together to apply what has been learned throughout the core sequence about interdisciplinary environmental research to design individual thesis research plans that will be ready to carry out by the end of the fall quarter of the student's second year. is an aquatic biogeochemist whose research focuses on examining the role of rivers in the global carbon cycle. Rivers are large sources of carbon to both the atmosphere and the ocean and are consequently critical to our understanding of the global carbon cycle. While working in the Amazon Basin, her research demonstrated that bacteria living in the river produce high levels of carbon dioxide through respiration, and this carbon dioxide is subsequently lost to the atmosphere. Her current research in the Mekong Basin (i.e. Cambodia) focuses on characterizing the type of organic carbon that is exported by large rivers to the ocean. Specifically, she uses molecular tracers to determine where in the watershed the carbon originates from, and uses radiocarbon analyses to determine the age of this material. Such information is necessary in order to understand the preservation of terrestrial carbon in the ocean, which can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long time scales. Through her training (Erin received her masters and doctoral degree from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington), Erin has research experience working in streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Additional interests include ocean acidification, estuarine ecology, evaluating the impacts of dams on downstream processes, and microbial ecology. Her past and present research has been conducted through collaborations with colleagues in Brazil, Cambodia, and the Pacific Northwest. is a conservation biologist with broad field experience as an ornithologist and wildlife biologist, as well as experience in species management and forest policy development. Her background in field research spans more than two decades and includes studies in temperate and tropical forests to understand the impacts of forest fragmentation and land use change on biodiversity. Dina completed her Master’s research from University of Georgia in collaboration with Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center in Panama looking at the importance of shade coffee plantations for tropical ants and birds. Dina received an IGERT Fellowship from the NSF to complete interdisciplinary doctoral research in a team of researchers looking at the importance of sustainable development and biodiversity protection in Costa Rica. She has since worked as a Postdoctoral Researchers at Washington State University, as an Endangered Species Biologist with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and as a Staff Scientist working at the science/policy interface to increase understanding of the global importance and increase protection of boreal forest of North America. She most recently taught Tropical Rainforest at TESC. is a broadly trained cultural geographer with special interests in political ecology and conservation. As a freshman at the University of Colorado, Ted co-founded the CU Wilderness Study Group. After graduation, Ted ran the Colorado Wilderness Workshop, the only statewide preservation organization at the time. From 1975 to 1985, he was a leader of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, campaigning to secure designation of the first wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest. He was recognized as the most accomplished environmental leader in the country of 25 years of age or less by the Tyler Foundation. Later, he earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, investigating grassroots proposals for conservation and development in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil . Ted came to The Evergreen State College in 1998 and is affiliated with two planning units – Environmental Studies and Sustainability & Justice. His students published a major book in April 2004, called Defending Wild Washington (The Mountaineers Books). His most recent research was a collaborative investigation of tribal perspectives on marine protected areas in western Washington. | Ted Whitesell Dina Roberts Erin Ellis | ||||
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MES Thesis
MES Faculty |
GRGraduate | V | Evening | W 13Winter | S 13Spring | To complete their degree, MES students are required to complete a 16 credit thesis,* the prospectus for which is finished immediately after Case Studies, the second year core class. During Case Studies, students are assigned a faculty mentor, or "reader." Each reader is assigned a CRN (course reference number), and students will be notified of their reader's CRN by email from the MES office prior to registration. In addition to the thesis, students are required to attend a bi-weekly thesis workshop, as described below. Thesis presentations are given in week 9 and 10 of the Spring quarter. Faculty Leader: Martha HendersonRoom: Sem 2 B1107 Dates: Tuesdays, 6-8p, Jan 8 & 22, Feb 5 & 19, March 5, Apr 9 & 23, May 7 & 21 The goal of Thesis Workshop is to support thesis students through their projects by presenting and inviting issues and concerns that all thesis students face as they complete their projects. Workshop activities and assignments support students while students work one-on-one with their faculty thesis reader. Faculty reader expectations of student progress is primary, the Workshop supports students and readers and does not supersede the relationship between reader and student.Workshop will cover:All thesis students are required to attend Workshop. Attendance will be taken. Thesis readers will be kept up-to-date on student performance in Workshop. Failure to achieve goals identified in Workshop will be forwarded to thesis readers. Workshop will meet on the following Tuesday evenings 6-8pm: January 8 Establishing a thesis completion schedule/project management January 22 Gathering data February 5 Writing process: seminar on February 19 Writing context and content – beyond description March 5 Data analysis April 9 Writing – filling in the blanks April 23 Writing analysis and conclusion chapters May 7 Obtaining permission to present/Presentation guidelines May 21 Organize panel presentations – final schedule/Procedures for turning in final documents *This requirement applies to all students who started MES in Fall 2011 or later. If you started in a prior year, please see your MES student handbook for your specific requirements. | MES Faculty | |||
| Electives | ||||||||||
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Climate Change, Greenhouse Gasses, and Our Environment: A World Reinvented
Paul Pickett |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | F 12Fall | Focus: the science and policy of global and regional climate change. This elective will address: Paul Pickett's career in water resources engineering spans over three decades. His career focus has been on water quality, hydrology, water supply, watershed functions, and climate change. He received a Bachelor of Science in Renewable Natural Resources from the University of California at Davis in 1984, and a Masters of Engineering in Environmental Civil Engineering from U.C. Davis in 1989. Since 1988 he’s worked for the Washington Department of Ecology as an environmental engineer. From 2001 through 2012 he served as an elected Commissioner for the Thurston Public Utility District, a water utility with about 3,000 customers in 5 counties. He has taught at TESC since 2009, and also occasionally writes feature articles for local publications. He lives with his wife on acreage in rural Thurston County, along with cats, chickens, blueberries, fruit trees, noxious weeds, and mud. | Paul Pickett | ||||
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Coastline Management
Doug Myers |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon | F 12Fall | This course will cover the philosophy, structures, policies and implementation practices of the Washington Shoreline Management Act including its context within Integrated Coastal Zone Management, The Public Trust Doctrine, Best Available Science, Local Enforceable policies, and Marine Spatial Planning. Emphasis on hazard planning and response as it relates to coastal natural resource protection in an era of changing climate. Doug Myers is an experienced coastal ecologist, manager and educator with geographically diverse background, grasp of multidisciplinary approaches and ability to communicate complex scientific subjects to lay audiences. He has professional backgrounds in government, non-governmental and entrepreneurial sectors. Doug’s academic interests include animal behavior, landscape ecology, climate change, public policy and sustainability education. His Personal Interests include SCUBA diving/Snorkeling, Percussion, Choral singing, Mass transit, Gardening, Landscape Scale Travel Experiences, and Science/Religion Interfaces. | Doug Myers | ||||
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Fall 2012 Approved MPA Courses for MES Students
Various MPA Faculty Members |
GRGraduate | 4 | Evening and Weekend | F 12Fall | MES students have the option of taking up to two 4-credit MPA electives for MES elective credit. Each quarter, MES will publish approved MPA courses that MES students can take. This quarter, students are eligible to take: (2 credits)MPA electives fill very quickly, so MES students should not be surprised if they are waitlisted at first. | Various MPA Faculty Members | ||||
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GIS and Spatial Analysis
Gregory Stewart |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon | F 12Fall | In this course, we will focus on creating and analyzing spatially-referenced data using ArcGIS. Instruction will be offered through a combination of lecture and lab. Weekly lab assignments are likely to require to use of computing facilities outside of class. By the end of the term, students will have identified and completed a geo-spatial analysis project, which they will present to the class. Students should be well-versed in Microsoft Windows file management, but the course requires no previous experience with ArcGIS. Greg Stewart is a fluvial geomorphologist who teaches as adjunct faculty in the Evening and Weekend Studies and Masters of Environmental Studies programs. Greg is an applied researcher working on issues related to the interaction between humans and fluvial and ecological systems. He currently works for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. Greg has various teaching interests including the use of geographic information systems theory and practice, fluvial geomorphology, geology, and statistics. Greg holds a B.S. from The Evergreen State College, an M.S. in Watershed Science from Colorado State University, and a Ph.D. in Geology from Oregon State University. | Gregory Stewart | ||||
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MES Individual Learning Contract
Various MES Faculty |
GRGraduate | 2, 4 | F 12Fall | W 13Winter | S 13Spring | Su 13Summer | An MES student may arrange an individual learning contract with an MES faculty member if available elective courses or internships do not satisfactorily meet the student's academic program design. This is a negotiated agreement between the student and faculty for the student to pursue independent, individualized study. Please see the Individual Learning Contract section of the for more information. Contracts can either be 2 credits or 4 credits, depending on the content. MES does not offer contracts for more than 4 credits. Also note that no more than eight credits can be accumulated through individual learning contracts and/or internships.To sign up for an individual learning contract, students should find a faculty sponsor from among the MES faculty to help them write their contract. Contracts are created on my.evergreen.edu. Once the contract is signed off by the faculty sponsor and MES director, the student is registered for the number of chosen credits. There are no CRNs for contracts. | Various MES Faculty | ||
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MES Internship
Various MES Faculty |
GRGraduate | 2, 4 | F 12Fall | W 13Winter | S 13Spring | Su 13Summer | MES students are strongly encouraged to complete an internship after their first year in core classes in conjunction with their thesis, especially if they do not have prior professional-level experience in environmental work. An internship is a learning experience designed to aid students in achieving specific academic and professional objectives. Please see the for more details. Internships can be either 2 credits for 10 hours per week or 4 credits for 20 hours or more per week. MES does not offer internships for more than 4 credits. Also note that no more than eight credits can be accumulated through internship and/or individual learning contracts.To sign up for an internship, students should find a faculty sponsor from among the MES faculty and an internship field supervisor to help them write their internship contract. Contracts are created on my.evergreen.edu. Once the contract is signed off by the MES faculty, field supervsor, and MES Director, the student is registered for the number of chosen credits. There are no CRNs for internships. | Various MES Faculty | ||
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Sustainable Forestry: A Study in Natural Resource Management
Richard Bigley |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | F 12Fall | Sustainable Forestry: a study in Natural Resource Management is lecture and field-based introduction to forests of the Pacific Northwest, the science of forests and associated aquatic habitat management and the forces of change on their management. Case studies from forest, wildlife and fisheries management will examine 1) how society catalyzed, and forest science has fueled, recent developments towards a sustainable forestry; 2) the role of habitat restoration in sustainability of both forests and fisheries; and 3) insights into the future of ecosystem-based management. Weekend field trips will provide an insider's perspective into the fount line of natural resources management science and policy. The course will provide background, and an introduction to analysis skills to help evaluate policies and strategies for management, restoration and protection of forests and the services they provide. (Fall 2010) Richard Bigley is a forest ecologist who teaches as adjunct faculty in the Evening and Weekend Studies and Masters of Environmental Studies programs. Richard teaches sustainable forestry and on occasion a forest ecology class.After his family, his passions are the science of natural resources management and conservation, and boating.His current work focuses on the restoration of riparian forests to older forest conditions in western Washington, and the ecology and management of headwater streams and wetlands. He works for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in Olympia. Over the last 21 years with DNR, he has served as the team leader for the Forest Ecology, Wildlife Science and the Habitat Conservation Plan Monitoring and Adaptive Management Teams. He also advises other organization on the development of conservation plans. Before joining WADNR, he worked as an ecologist for the Forest Service PNW Experiment Station and private industry.Richard earned a Ph. D. in Forest Ecology and Silviculture and M Sc. in Botany from the University of British Columbia. He has been an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, College of the Environment, School of Forestry Since 1994. As member of the Northern Spotted owl “5-year review” panel in 2004, Richard was a contributor to the first comprehensive evaluation of the scientific information on the Northern Spotted owl since the time of listing of the as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990. | Richard Bigley | ||||
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Conserving and Restoring Biodiversity
Timothy Quinn |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon | W 13Winter | This course focuses on the biology that underlies conservation and restoration issues around the world. There are many ways to approach the study of conservation and restorationbiology and I will mostly emphasize the scientific elements of these disciplines. I also will provide you with a practitioner's perspective of the relationship of biology and policy from work done in Washington State. This course will introduce you to the literature, controversies, and promising methodologies for a variety of conservation/restoration biology applications. In addition, I will invite a number of local experts to come and provide perspectives on their work in applied fields of conservation. We will read, discuss, and write on a variety of topics. Your assignments include written and oral exercises, and peer evaluations aimed at helping you develop your ideas and increas your ability to communicate those ideas. I want to introduce you to the principal concepts and methodologies of conservation and restoration biology, enrich your understanding of the scientific contributions necessary for solving conservation problems, foster your understanding of the scientific process in general and as applied in conservation settings, and further your powers of analysis and ability to communicate effectively. Timothy Quinn has served as chief scientist of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s habitat program since 1999. Quinn recently served on the Science Working Group that came up with scientific underpinnings and a technical framework for the development of the Puget Sound Partnership. Timothy has a B.S. in Biology from Western Washington University (1979), an M.S. in Physiological Ecology of Marine Fish from Western Washington University (1987), and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from University of Washington, 1993. | Timothy Quinn | ||||
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Contemporary Challenges to Building a Clean Energy Future
Alan Hardcastle and Anthony Usibelli |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | W 13Winter | This course will examine current trends in the clean energy sector and the intersections with efforts to develop a green and sustainable economy and environment that also enhances social equity. The class will integrate research and readings with guest lectures and seminar discussion to explore the current social, technical and political context for the shift to clean energy. The class will include a special focus on the energy labor market, human resources, education and training, and societal implications for regional alternative energy and energy efficiency initiatives. Alan Hardcastle has over 20 years of research, policy and consulting experience through public and private-sector clients in industry, organized labor, education, workforce, and economic development. He serves on the 5-state governance board of the Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean Energy-DOE-Smart Grid Workforce project and the advisory board of the Center of Excellence for Energy Technology (Centralia College). He is a member of the state’s Evergreen Jobs Leadership Team, which is advising the Governor and Legislature on federal and state investments in energy-related workforce education, training and labor markets. His current research addresses energy sector employment trends, the impact of Smart Grid technology on the energy workforce, energy efficiency/energy management education and training, and workforce development for the clean economy. He received his Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from the University of California, Los Angeles. He lives in Olympia with his spouse Karen Ray, and their two children, Eric and Kayli. He is active in various community service organizations, including the South Sound YMCA. He enjoys running, hiking, camping and fly fishing. | Alan Hardcastle Anthony Usibelli | ||||
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Freshwater Ecology
Carri LeRoy |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon | W 13Winter | In terms of providing habitat for threatened and endangered species, freshwater habitats rank as the most imperiled ecosystems on Earth. Historically and currently used for transportation, irrigation, energy production, waste disposal and recreation, it is important to understand how freshwater systems function and how we can work toward ecological restoration of freshwater habitat. This program will focus on the foundations of and research methods in freshwater ecology. Topics covered will include basic water chemistry, stream flow dynamics, primary productivity, aquatic insect ID, trophic dynamics, ecological interactions, organic matter and nutrient dynamics, current threats to freshwater ecosystems and ecological restoration. The course will focus on current research in ecosystem ecology, community ecology and ecological genetics in riparian zones, streams, rivers and lakes. Seminar readings will focus on human-freshwater interactions and regionally important freshwater topics in the Pacific Northwest. Field trips will be undertaken regardless of weather conditions to local freshwater environments and the course will include several hands-on lab activities. is a Member of the Faculty at The Evergreen State College and a Co-Director of the Sustainability in Prisons Project. As a stream ecologist, she is fascinated by interactions between forests and streams and has studied riparian systems in Washington, Arizona, and Utah for the past 10 years. Dr. LeRoy has published over 25 scientific research articles with students and collaborators in the fields of stream ecology, ecological genetics, riparian forest ecology and prairie plant community dynamics. For the MES program she teaches in gCORE and RDQM where she gets to teach about the ecology of the Pacific Northwest as well as the applications and theory of statistics and quantitative methods. Her interests in non-formal education are based in her experience with environmental and place-based education, her work with incarcerated students and her desire to facilitate environmental stewardship in broad audiences. | Carri LeRoy | ||||
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Restoration Ecology
Sarah Hamman |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | W 13Winter | The field of restoration ecology is fairly young, relative to other scientific disciplines. However, ecological restoration has occurred throughout human history, as various cultures have initially disrupted and then attempted to recover vital ecosystem services provided by intact, functioning ecosystems. Identifying priority restoration targets for nearly any ecosystem is one of the largest challenges for the conservation community, as it requires a complex understanding of the historical, social, political and ecological influences on restoration success.This 4 credit graduate level course will explore both the objective and the subjective facets of restoration ecology, including various cultural perspectives on the value of restoration, how economic and political realities influence restoration targets, and the integrated structural and functional components of ecosystems that contribute to the success or failure of any restoration project. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate several large-scale restoration projects throughout the world and take part in active ecological restoration here in the Pacific Northwest.“Here is the means to end the great extinction spasm. The next century will, I believe, be the era of restoration in ecology.” – E.O. Wilson Sarah is the Restoration Ecologist for the Center for Natural Lands Management. Her work is aimed at restoring rare species habitat in PNW prairies using rigorous science and careful conservation planning. Sarah holds a B.A. in Biology from Wittenberg University and a Ph.D. in Ecology from Colorado State University. Most of her training and experience has been in ecosystem ecology, with a focus on fire effects on forest and grassland soils. She has also studied climate change impacts on Minnesota tallgrass prairies, wolf behavior and demographics in Yellowstone, fire effects on invasive species in Sequoia National Park, and restoration techniques for endangered species in central Florida rangelands. At Evergreen, she teaches Fire Science and Society and Restoration Ecology for the MES program. | Sarah Hamman | ||||
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Winter 2013 Approved MPA Courses for MES Students
Various MPA Faculty Members |
GRGraduate | 4 | Evening and Weekend | W 13Winter | MES students have the option of taking up to two 4-credit MPA electives for MES elective credit. Each quarter, MES will publish approved MPA courses that MES students can take. This quarter, students are eligible to take: MPA electives fill very quickly, so MES students should not be surprised if they are waitlisted at first. | Various MPA Faculty Members | ||||
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Environmental Policy Making
Craig Partridge |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | S 13Spring | The goal of this course is to introduce students to the important concepts and to both theoretical and practical problems in the making and carrying out of environmental and natural resource policy in the U. S. Students will learn several approaches to understanding how, why, and by whom environmental policy decisions are made, and will gain experience with policy analysis and evaluation techniques, negotiation, and with the particular problems of policy implementation. This course takes a process approach to the topic, rather than a descriptive or prescriptive approach, and is aimed primarily at students who see themselves as future practitioners or researchers in this field. Some prior familiarity with the main categories of environmental and natural resource legislation and with the fundamental topics of political science will help students gain the most from this course. Craig Partridge is Policy Director for the Washington Department of Natural Resources.Background: B.S. Wildlife Science, U. of Washington Colleges of Forest Resources & Fisheries Science, 1972; M.S. Natural Resource Policy, U. of Washington College of Forest Resources & Inst. of Environmental Studies, 1981; Executive Seminar Program, Lewis & Clark College, 1984; Executive Management Program, U. of Washington Evans School, 1995; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Seattle and Washington D.C., 1977-1981; Washington State Department of Natural Resources, 1981 to present; Positions held: Special Assistant to Commissioner of Public Lands; Policy Director; Aquatic Resources Division Manager; Deputy Agency Supervisor for State Uplands; Director of Policy & Government Relations (current)Interests: Collaborative stakeholder engagement in policy-making and dispute resolution; Comparative roles of science and values in policy; Policy implementation and evaluation; Policy framing and strategic communication | Craig Partridge | ||||
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The Global Carbon Cycle
Erin Ellis |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | S 13Spring | The global carbon cycle is fundamentally tied to many of the most important environmental issues of the twenty-first century, including climate change, energy consumption, ocean acidification, deforestation, and the pollution of freshwater ecosystems. As such, an accurate understanding of the carbon cycle is necessary to guide policy to work towards an effective solution to many of these complex issues. Accordingly, this program will explore the fundamentals of the global carbon cycle. We will examine how the carbon cycle has operated over different geological time scales. With this background, we will study how carbon is distributed between different reservoirs on Earth today (i.e. the atmosphere, the ocean, and the land), and then examine the sequence of processes that control the cycling of carbon between these reservoirs. We will use case studies of current hot research topics to explore how anthropogenic activities are altering the global carbon cycle in both terrestrial and marine settings. Finally, we will examine the strengths of weaknesses of different technological solutions posed to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide. Additional topics to be covered include the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on terrestrial and aquatic organisms, the “missing sink” on land, ocean acidification, and deforestation. Seminar readings will be based on primary literature in addition to the required program text. This class provides a more in-depth exploration of the carbon cycle relative to that encountered in Ecological and Social Sustainability. No prerequisites are required. Erin Ellis is an aquatic biogeochemist whose research focuses on examining the role of rivers in the global carbon cycle. While working in the Amazon Basin, her research demonstrated that bacteria living in the river produce high levels of carbon dioxide, and this carbon dioxide is subsequently lost to the atmosphere. Her current research in the Mekong Basin focuses on characterizing the type of organic carbon that is exported by large rivers to the ocean. Specifically, she uses molecular tracers to determine where in the watershed the carbon originates from, and uses radiocarbon analyses to determine the age. Such information is necessary in order to understand the preservation of terrestrial carbon in the ocean, which can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long time scales. Erin has experience working in streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. | Erin Ellis | ||||
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Marine Mammal Ecology in the Pacific Northwest
John Calambokidis |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon | S 13Spring | We will examine the ecology and natural history of marine mammals (seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins, and whales) in the Pacific Northwest and especially the Salish Sea (including Puget Sound). The class will have a focus on current and recent research findings as well as well as on management and conflicts with human activities. Students will also conduct more detailed research on a specific topic that will be chosen working with the faculty and will prepare a research paper summarizing their findings as well as make a presentation to the class at the end of the course. Course will include at least one field trip and labs including a trip to a harbor seal haul out area and a marine mammal necropsy to allow direct exposure to marine mammals in the wild and research techniques. Lectures will be conducted during evening classes but at least one field trip will involve a half day additional session conducted during the week. Timothy J. Ragen 2005. John Hopkins Press ISBN: 0801882559 . Annalisa Berta, James L. Sumich, and Kit M. Kovacs. 2nd Edition, 2006. Academic Press. ISBN: 978-01208855 John Calambokidis is a research biologist and a co-founder of Cascadia Research, a non-profit research organization formed in 1979 based in Olympia, Washington. His primary interests are the biology of marine mammals and the impacts of humans. As a Senior Research Biologist at Cascadia Research he has served as Project Director of over 100 projects. He has authored two books on marine mammals (the award-winning Guide to Marine Mammals of Greater Puget Sound with R. Osborne and E.M. Dorsey and Blue Whales with G.H. Steiger) as well as more than 150 publications in scientific journals and technical reports. He has conducted studies on a variety of marine mammals in the North Pacific from Central America to Alaska and has directed long-term research on the status, movements, and underwater behavior of blue, humpback, and gray whales. His work has been featured on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic TV specials. | John Calambokidis | ||||
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Protected Areas and Environmental Justice
Ted Whitesell |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon | S 13Spring | This graduate elective is focused on the following question: Can protected area policies achieve conservation objectives while respecting and furthering the rights and interests of peoples with long historical and cultural ties to such areas? We now stand at a critical juncture in the history of protected area designation and management, at home and abroad. As the human capacity to transform the landscape, the waters, and the atmosphere of the planet reaches unprecedented levels, the isolation of natural areas from human occupation and use is being increasingly challenged as an inappropriate or misguided policy. Resident (especially indigenous) peoples often see the traditional, exclusionary model of nature protection as a form of environmental injustice. For protected area managers, regulatory enforcement has become difficult or impossible in traditional nature reserves of the world’s poorest countries. Within academia, increasing numbers of scholars are challenging the conceptual basis of wilderness preservation and national parks, while other scholars staunchly defend preservation as the best policy by which to stem the massive tide of global extinctions. As a result, an impasse has been reached in protected area policy. The choice of conservation strategies today will have lasting consequences for future ecosystems and peoples. Endangered species and cultural traditions can be lost by a misstep in either direction, i.e., through precipitous policy shifts or through stubborn adherence to misguided policies. In this course, we will attempt to first understand this impasse and then to look beyond it, toward the most likely short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies for achieving lasting natural area preservation with social justice. Readings will be drawn from fields such as geography, history, conservation biology, and political ecology. Theoretical debates will be grounded in case studies from North America and other world regions. Ted Whitesell is a broadly trained cultural geographer with special interests in political ecology and conservation. As a freshman at the University of Colorado, Ted co-founded the CU Wilderness Study Group. After graduation, Ted ran the Colorado Wilderness Workshop, the only statewide preservation organization at the time. From 1975 to 1985, he was a leader of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, campaigning to secure designation of the first wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest. He was recognized as the most accomplished environmental leader in the country of 25 years of age or less by the Tyler Foundation. Later, he earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, investigating grassroots proposals for conservation and development in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil . Ted came to The Evergreen State College in 1998 and is affiliated with two planning units – Environmental Studies and Sustainability & Justice. His students published a major book in April 2004, called Defending Wild Washington (The Mountaineers Books). His most recent research was a collaborative investigation of tribal perspectives on marine protected areas in western Washington. | Ted Whitesell | ||||
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Spring 2013 Approved MPA Courses for MES Students
Various MPA Faculty Members |
GRGraduate | 4 | Evening and Weekend | S 13Spring | MES students have the option of taking up to two 4-credit MPA electives for MES elective credit. Each quarter, MES will publish approved MPA courses that MES students can take. This quarter, students are eligible to take: MPA electives fill very quickly, so MES students should not be surprised if they are waitlisted at first. | Various MPA Faculty Members | ||||
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Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in Cuba
Martha Henderson agriculture climate change community studies ecology environmental studies geography land-use planning marine science political economy political science study abroad |
JR - GRJunior - Graduate | 2, 4 | Friday, July 5 - Sunday, July 14 with virtual class meetings Monday, June 24 - Friday, June 28. | Su 13Summer | As the largest island in the Caribbean, with the highest percentage of environmental scientists and engineers and a long-standing commitment to policies that promote environmental protection and sustainable development, Cuba is uniquely positioned to provide leadership in enlightened environmental policy and practice in our shared ecosystem. The rationale and potential for mutual collaboration between US and Cuban environmentalists in this vital and shared ecosystem is considerable.This course will be joining for its biannual research program on environmental protection and sustainable development in Cuba, which includes an opportunity for interchange with participants in the IX International Conference on Environment and Development hosted by the . Trip dates are 7/5/13-7/14/13. Course requires separate registration in April through Eco Cuba Network; please contact Gail Wootan at wootang@evergreen.edu if interested in this course.For more information about the research program, please see . For more information on the conference in Cuba and conference schedule: Students may choose to take this course for two credits or four credits. Two credit students will be required to complete reading assignments and virtual meetings in June prior to leaving for Cuba. Two credit students are required to submit their field notebooks with a reflective essay by July 29. Four credit students are required to complete reading assignments, short paper assignment and all virtual class meeting times prior to leaving for Cuba. Upon returning from Cuba, four credit students are required to submit a 15 page paper based on field and archival work by July 29. All students are required to write a short autobiography and short essay on their trip expectations. They must also submit a resume. Students will ‘meet’ in the virtual classroom. A Moodle site will be set up for virtual class meetings.The cost of the Eco Cuba Network program, including flight from Cancun, Mexico is $2600. Students are responsible for purchasing airfare to Cancun. Students may also choose to arrive early or stay late for personal travel. If enough students are interested, a service project after 7/14/13 may be organized.NOTE: Students interested in this course must register through Eco Cuba Network separately sometime in April. Please contact Gail Wootan, Assistant Director of the Graduate Program on the Environment, at wootang@evergreen.edu if interested in this course. | Martha Henderson | ||||
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Research Methods in Environmental Studies
Martha Henderson |
JR - GRJunior - Graduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri (June 24-June 28) and 9a-5p Sat (June 29) | Su 13Summer | Research at the graduate level in environmental studies is an important step for students working towards undergraduate and masters degrees. The sum total of the research work requires thoughtful definition of a problem, identification of theoretical and appropriate methods for data collection, use of standard tools of data analysis, and a desired logical conclusion. This class will help students articulate good research questions, determine methods of analysis with special emphasis on qualitative methods, and assist students in developing a reasonable research agenda. Students engaged in individual research projects or beginning work on their masters’ theses are welcome. We will collaborate and develop research strategies that will be effective in the pursuit of major individual research projects.The class will be a one week intensive class meeting in the evenings from 6-10pm. We will also meet on the last Saturday of the week. | Martha Henderson | ||||
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Summer 2013 Approved MPA Courses for MES Students
Various MPA Faculty Members |
GRGraduate | 4 | Evening and Weekend | Su 13Summer | MES students have the option of taking up to two 4-credit MPA electives for MES elective credit. Each quarter, MES will publish approved MPA courses that MES students can take. This quarter, students are eligible to take: MPA electives fill very quickly, so MES students should not be surprised if they are waitlisted at first. | Various MPA Faculty Members | ||||