Course information
SCENIC NATURAL RESOURCES POLICY & ASSESSMENT
TOP:SCENIC RES POLICY & ASSESS - ENVS 591 004 (CRN 37529)
Credits: 3
Time: F 9:00 - 11:30
Location: Trani Life Science Bldg 103
Instructor: Dr. James Vonesh, VCU CES
Course summary: In this class students will be introduced to broadly to scenic resource policy and assessment in the classroom while engaging the learning topics more deeply through a collaborative experiential learning approach focused around the Virginia Scenic River Program. Through the scenic rivers project students will implement the concepts and tools they have learn to examine Virginia State Code as it pertains to Scenic River designation, use remote and in the field approaches to complete a scenic river assessment for a specific river segment, produce a technical report & GIS Storymap summarizing the assessment findings, and present their findings to a community audience from a county bordering the river segment they assessed.
Learning objectives:
> Develop an understanding of what constitutes a scenic resource
> Develop a better understanding of the cultural, ecological, and economic value of scenic resources
> Gain familiarity with government policies that regulate & recognize visual resources
> Be introduced to approaches for the inventory and management of scenic resources
> Develop basic skills for using remote sensing and spatial analysis tools in scenic resource inventory and assessment
> Gain experience in-field assessment of a scenic resource
> Develop proficiency in technical writing as pertains to the scenic assessment program
> Practice professional communication of scenic assessment findings
STREAM SURVEY METHODS
TOP: STREAM SURVEY METHODS - ENVS 591 003 (CRN: 40586)
Credits: 3
Time: F 12:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: LFSCB 0232
Instructor: Dr. Dan McGarvey, VCU CES
Course summary: This course will cover basic and advanced methods used to study fishes and benthic macroinvertebrates in small, wadeable streams. Topics covered will include qualitative and quantitative field surveying methods, fish and invertebrate specimen identification, data analysis of original field data. Class time will be a combination of lecture, field trips (including two weekend overnight trips), processing of specimens in the laboratory, and data analysis.
Learning objectives:
> Use a variety of surveying methods and tools to collect fishes and aquatic macroinvertebrates in wadeable streams
> Identify stream fishes (species or genus level) and macroinvertebrates (family level) from the Mid-Atlantic region
> Apply fish and benthic invertebrate data in biological assessments
> Conduct statistical analysis of multivariate community data with the R programming language
VIRGINIA WATER QUALITY ISSUES & CAREERS
TOP: VA WATER QUALITY CAREER - ENVS 591 905 (CRN: 40587)
Credits: 3
Time: F 5:00 - 7:30
Location: LFSCB 0116
Instructor: Dr. Joseph Wood, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Course summary: This course will cover Virginia’s approach to managing water resources. Topics covered will include the clean water act, total maximum daily loads, water quality standards and designated uses. Class time will include meeting with panels of Virginia professionals who focus on water quality-related issues, programmatic data review and analysis and
Learning objectives:
> Apply modeling tools to consider impaired waterways.
> Identify and evaluate the status of public water-related resources
> Interact and understand day-to-day challenges of water quality professionals.
> Improve understanding of Virginia’s regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to improving water quality.
If you would like to apply to be part of the "Freshwater Fridays" immersive coordinated curriculum please complete the application below.
