Wetland & Riparian Ecology & Management - Waitlist Available for Next Offering!
Meets: M from 12 M to 12:00 AM
Sorry, the signup deadline has passed.
This course is co-sponsored by the Land Resources and Environmental Sciences Department and the Water Center
Topics covered include:
Wetlands and Riparian Areas of the Rocky Mountain Region
From the mountains to the plains, our region has forested wetlands, willow carrs, fens, marshes, alpine snow glades, wet and salt meadows, and prairie potholes as well as riparian areas along small and large rivers. These account for about 4% of our regions surface area, but provide essential ecosystem goods and services that benefit our population. However, we have lost between 30-60% of our wetlands over the last 150 years and they continue to feel pressure from agriculture and urban development. Changes in our irrigation practices have potential to both increase or decrease wetland area depending on management choices. The composition of our riparian areas also responds to our water management choices. Our region has 6 of the top 10 fastest growing states resulting in the expansion of our human footprint. Larger populations and changes to land use put great pressures on wetland and riparian resources and will require your education, regulatory, or consulting services.Wetland and Riparian Ecology
As a student in the course, you will become acquainted with wetland and riparian ecosystem fundamentals by studying the interrelationship of ground water and surface water hydrology, hydric soils, and aquatic flora and fauna. You will cover the geographic distribution of freshwater wetlands and riparian areas, particularly in the Northern Rockies and Northern Great Plains, with a strong emphasis on how these systems and their associated organisms adapt to the region’s unique environmental challenges, as well as the nature of larger-scale ecosystem processes (succession, nutrient cycling, and biotic interactions).
Topics covered include: • Wetland and Riparian Hydrology • Hydric Soils • Biogeochemistry • Aquatic Plants • Habitat Support • Ecosystem FunctionsWetland and Riparian Management
The course will examine how wetland and riparian ecosystems influence ecological services that are important to our region. You will become acquainted with how these wetland and riparian systems interact with federal, state, local and tribal regulations. We cover the management process from mapping wetlands, assessing their condition, what impacts are permitted, and what is acceptable mitigation for those impacts. There will be a strong emphasis on how ecological fundamentals are applied to wetland creation, restoration, or enhancement especially in terms of their design, implementation, and monitoring. Topics covered include: • Classification • Desktop Remote Sensing Data • Federal and State Regulations • Ecological Impact Assessment • Mitigation and Restoration • Wetland and Riparian Ecosystems in a Changing World• Ecosystem Services
Continuing Education Options - This course has been approved for OPI Renewal Units and Montana State University CEU's. Please contact Janine at 406-994-5240 or email at jhansen@montana.edu to register.
4.2 CEU Units
42 OPI Renewal Units
Refund Policy: Full refunds for drops before the course begins minus a $25.00 processing fee. No refunds after the course begins.
Syllabus
Syllabus (PDF)
Instructors
| Fee: | $500.00 |
Rebecca Diehl
REBECCA DIEHL, PH.D. has more than10 years of experience researching, teaching, and consulting on the physical processes that shape river systems and the characteristics of riparian upland/wetland complex.William Kleindl
Bill Kleindl has more than 30 years of academic and consulting experience within public and private sectors in the science, policy and management of aquatic environments, including extensive experience in assessing, restoring and managing degraded wetlands and rivers across multiple scales. During his career, he has always aimed to provide a straightforward analysis of ecological data to facilitate a translation for management applications to solve tangible problems that intersect natural and human environments. Bill is currently the president of the Society of Wetland Scientists, where he is interested in bridging the multiple disciplines that engage with wetland science, management and economics. At Montana State University, his research focuses on assessment and management questions that address combined anthropogenic and natural disturbances and how these drive aquatic structure, function and services.William Kleindl Rebecca Diehl
We will be using several chapters from:
Ecology of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands
Publisher: University of California Press; 2 edition (December 6, 2014)
ISBN-13: 978-0520278585
ISBN-10: 0520278585
Price: approx $74 new
(Less expensive used copies and electronic versions are available online)
This course is intended for educators; tribal, state and local regulatory staff; consultants; and anyone who is interested in these ecosystems. The course is fully online and open to participants across the U.S. The course is designed to be flexible with your weekly schedule. Certain assignments are required during the week and have a due date, but the student is not required to be online at a specific time.