NRMT 489F Restoration Ecology

Fall 2005

Instructor:                 Dave Tilley

Office:                    1449 Animal Sciences Bldg. (#142)

Hours:                    T 1:00 – 3:00; W 2:00-4:00, H 10:00-11:30, other times by appointment.

Contact:                 301.405.8027 , dtilley@umd.edu

Location:                 0422 An. Sci./Ag. Engr. Bldg.

Time:                      Tu & Th 11:00–12:15

Web:                      http://www.nrm.umd.edu/courses/restoration2005.htm

 

Course Description

Discussion of the philosophies, principles and practices of ecosystem restoration.  Presentation of restoration case histories include wetlands, lakes, streams, coastal systems, mined lands, and new ecosystems.  

Goals

To develop an understanding of how the driving forces and dynamics of ecosystems can be studied, quantified and used to promote ecosystem restoration. To think critically about the ecological, economic, and social issues surrounding ecosystem restoration.

Objectives

Students will learn:

·      needs for land restoration.

·      fundamental properties of ecosystems pertinent to restoration.

·      roles of natural processes in restoration.

·      engineering of restoration.

·      measurement of restoration success.

·      case histories of a variety of restored ecosystem types.

·      types of new ecosystems for today’s industrialized, urban world.

Texts and References

Ecological Engineering and Ecosystem Restoration (2003), W.J. Mitsch and S.E. Jorgensen, John Wiley and Sons, 396 pp.

Environmental Restoration: Ethics, Theory and Practice (2000), W. Throop (ed.), Humanity Books, Amherst, New York.  240 pp.

Semester Projects: See attachments

Homework

Homework assignments will be due seven days from the date given. Students are encouraged to work together to answer questions and solve problems. At least one homework problem will involve manipulating an Ecological Simulation model in spreadsheet software. Thus, knowledge of spreadsheets will be helpful. 

Site Visits

We will visit ecological sites on and off campus during class. Be sure to wear proper clothing and bring along a bottle of water. Our time for off-campus trips will be tight, so students should try to keep the time after class free, if possible.

Grading:

·         Class Participation and Quizzes………...……………………………………………             10%

·         Homework…………………………………………………………………………...            15%

·         Ecological Microcosm Restoration………………………………………………                 15%

·         Ecosystem Assessment………………..…………………………………………….…        15%

·         Mid-term exam ………………………………………………………………………             20%

·         Final Exam………………………………………………………………………..…               25%

 

Timeline

#

Week

Topics and Assignments

1

9.01

tHurs: Introduction

2

9.5

Tues: Campus Tour: Raingardens, Stormwater Wetlands, & Paint Branch Cr.;

Assignment: Read Mitsch and Jorgensen (M&J) Ch. 1; Environmental Restoration (ER): Ch. 14;

H: Ecological life support; History of the nature-human relationship; A new Environmental Paradigm; Basic restoration concepts; Land Ethics; Restoration Goals;

A: Read handouts “A Land Ethic”, Aldo Leopold and J. Cairns (2000); M&J Ch. 2&3.

3

9.12

T: Tour Campus ‘Tornado’ forest, Research Greenhouse Complex

H: Ecosystem Basics-Energy Flow and Trophic Structure, Biogeochemical Cycling, Limiting Factors, Scales and Hierarchies, Systems Languages.

A: Read: M&J Ch. 4; ER: Ch. 4 Elliot & Ch. 8 Ralston.

4

9.19

T: Build microcosms, take to Campus Research Greenhouse Complex

H: Ecosystem Basics-Organization and Communities, Biodiversity & Stability, Succession and Disturbance, Age Structures.

A: Read M&J Ch. 4

5

9.26

T: Design Principles; Is there a role for “exotics?”

H: Boat Tour of Anacostia R. & Marsh Restoration (weather permitting)

Read: M&J Ch. 5; ER Ch. 11, Scherer; Ch. 12, Throop;

6

10.03

T: Ecosystem dynamics and modeling

H: MID-TERM (10/6)

A: Read: M&J Ch. 14; Homework problems

7

10.10

T: Ecosystem dynamics and modeling (cont’d);

H: Ecosystem dynamics and modeling (cont’d)

A: Read: M&J Ch. 14, Handouts

8

10.17

T: Stream Restoration        

H: Visit UP Stream Restoration site

A: Read: M&J Ch. 7, Handouts

9

10.24

T: Wetland Creation and Restoration

H: Open Topic

A: Read: M&J Ch. 8,

10

10.31

BOO!

T: Treatment Wetlands;

H: Campus stormwater wetlands/ponds

A: Read: M&J 10, Handouts

11

11.7

T: Lake Restoration

H: Measuring Restoration Success

A: Read: M&J Ch. 6

12

11.14

T: Open Topic

H: Coastal Restoration

A: Read: M&J Ch. 9

13

11.21

T: Mine and disturbed land restoration

H: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

A: Read: M&J 12; Handout: Brown et al. (1992)

14

11.28

T: Reforestation

H: Open Topic

A: Handouts

15

12.5

T: Bioremediation-Guest Lecture (TBD)

H: Last Class: Presentations

A: Read: M&J Ch. 11

16

12.12

T: Course Review

H: FINAL EXAM Thursday 12/15 8:00-10:30am

Policies:

·         Missed classes: With prior arrangements, the instructor may elect to provide class notes to students who cannot attend for acceptable reasons.  Otherwise, students are responsible for obtaining class notes and assignments from classmates.

·         Missed exams: Only in cases deemed acceptable by the instructor, will missed exams be offered again as make-up.  Missing an exam without a University Accepted excuse will result in a grade of zero on that exam. 

·         Academic Honesty: Check the UM student handbook for specific policies and guidelines.

·         Homework assignments will be given one week prior to their due date.  Homework not provided to the instructor by the assigned due date will receive half of its graded credit.

·         Pop quizzes, when administered, will be given within the first five (5) minutes of class.  No chances will be provided to make up missed quizzes.  The lowest quiz score may be deleted from the semester tally.

 

NRMT 489F Semester Project Choices (choose one or create new)

Possibility One for Ecosystem Project (Ecosystem Survivor)

Students will compete in groups to create and maintain an ecological microcosm perturbed by various natural and human disturbances.  Each group will receive a container, a limited amount of fertilizer and space in the greenhouse.  Groups will collect material from campus to build the microcosm. Periodically (at least 2 times), you will compete with the other groups in a mental contest to see who knows the most about course topics. The losers’ microcosm undergoes a disturbance, while the winner’s gets a management “boost”.  You must maintain a journal that describes what you placed in the microcosm and how much time you spent constructing and managing it. The winner will be judged based on the ‘greenness’ of the microcosm, which will be measured using a hyperspectral radiometer.

Deliverables: A 1-2 page Report that describes your philosophy for building and managing the microcosm and your semester Journal that includes a weekly record of changes to your microcosm. All students will be graded based on the Report, the quality of their Journal, and their ability to answer questions about the status of their microcosms. In addition, members of the team with the ‘greenest’ microcosm will have 2 pts added to their final grades.

Project due Date: Late November (specifics to be determined).

 

Possibility Two (Watershed Ecological Design)

Problem Statement: Your group was hired by Villa de OikoUtopia (VOU), which envisions a lucrative market for ecologically and environmentally friendly developments, to help design a new type of village. However, VOU is not exactly sure how to best make their dream a reality. You are to help them.

Tasks: Your group’s tasks are (1) to develop an ecologically and environmentally friendly Site Plan (i.e., basically what piece of land should be developed for what purpose) for a large tract of land recently purchased by VOU and (2) to design a low-impact, effective stormwater management system.

Deliverables:

1. A sketch of a Site Plan that details landuse/landcover for the land tract given VOU’s specific goals (see below);

2. Layout, location and specifics of the Stormwater Management System;

3. Report that describes the site plan and stormwater management system and explains their advantages and costs (no more than 10 double spaced pages, including figures and tables using 12 point Times Roman or comparable font).

Facts and Needs.

You will be given a topographic map labeled with current land cover, land use, streams, and other features.  Total area = 200 ac. (see drawing).

Current Landuse: abandoned farmland under secondary succession (10 y), forested with pine plantation and old natural regrowth.

Hydrology and Environment: Boundaries of property are part of Cooling Spring Creek basin…two primary streams join to make Cooling Sp. Cr. (a secondary stream); Climate, hydrology and geology are similar to College Park, MD.

Landuse Needs: Residential Use: 800 privately owned units with each between 1600 and 2200 square feet of living space. Commercial Use: at least 150,000 sq. ft. of space for retail, office, lodging, etc.). Government and Institutional Use: Elementary School, Public Library, Parks and Recreational Areas. Industrial Use: Light, Eco-industrial Park. Transportation and Utilities: Roads, bridges, waste water and solid waste treatment facilities, electric power line right-of-ways, home heating/cooling system.

Business Plan: VOU bought the property for $1 million. It has another $20 million available to spend on initial construction. 

Project Due Date:  1st week of December

 

Possibility Three (Ecosystem Assessment)

In small groups conduct observational experiment of campus ecosystems (forest, streams, stormwater wetlands, rain gardens).  For example, groups could measure total biomass in stormwater wetlands and see if that is related to basin size, sediment load, type of land use in basin).

What do you want to learn?

What are objectives of your study?

How will you measure and collect data?

How will you analyze data? T-test, ANOVA, regression, etc.

Write a report which includes: Introduction with statement of problem, materials and methods, results and discussion.