ENV308 Ned J Knight
Water Resources: Ecology, Management, and Policy Phone (leave message): 503-883-2567
Spring 2006 e-mail: nknight@linfield.edu
"It is not until the well runs dry that we know the worth of water"
- Benjamin Franklin
Welcome! Water resources, as you'll soon see, is an enormous topic that can be approached from a number of angles. Not only is water essential for all organisms to keep them from drying out, but also we have for centuries made extensive use of surface and groundwater supplies for a variety of purposes. Water has been used as a medium of transportation of people and goods, as a source of energy, and for industrial, agricultural, and municipal purposes. But along the way, we have seriously impacted water quality and quantity, often without regard of these impacts on others. Though recently there has been awareness and recognition of many of the water resource problems we have caused, and today there are numerous examples of preservation, clean-up, and restoration proijects.
We'll examine these and other issues surrounding water resources, from both historical and contemporary perspectives. We'll consider many examples as we proceed, from locally to across the country to around the world.
The first part of the course will provide some general background on water, including its importance and the variety of aquatic ecosystems around us. Next we'll consider the myriad of uses we've put much of that water to. Then we'll examine the major impacts we've had on those resources, including recent efforts to correct past indiscretions.
The textbook for the course is Principles of Water Resources(2nd ed.) by Thomas Cech, a comprehensive, objective, and very readable treatment of the subject.
OBJECTIVES
After completing this course, you should be able to
1. Appreciate the importance of water for all organisms
2. Understand the major natural sources of water around the world
3. Focus on the magnitude and variety of uses we make of water
4. Recognize the impacts we have had on water quality and quantity
5. Realize numerous efforts to improve water quality and conservation
PARTLY PERSONAL
Interest in the aquatic environment began at an early age. My parents were boating enthusiasts and we spent years poking around the bays of the south shore of Long Island, New York and southern New England. We would be out on the water every weekend from April through October - fishing, clamming, rowing, swimming, and lots of R&R!
Then it was off to college at Oregon State University with aspirations to go into oceanography. But I soon found out I could get my hands wet a lot sooner across the street in Fisheries and Wildlife. I graduated from there in 1977 with two B.S. degrees (fisheries and zoology), and 2 years later with an M.S. degree (fisheries). Then it was down to the University of California at Davis for 5 more years and a Ph.D. (ecology) in 1985, where the summers were way too hot and I couldn't wait to get back up here!
Since 1986 I've been teaching introductory biology laboratories at Reed College in Portland, covering a range of subjects each year.
I started teaching at Linfield on the McMinnville campus in 1992. I've been teaching environmental science there, and from one section initially, it's grown to three sections and over 150 students each year!
The DCE program advertised for an instructor up at the Portland campus for the summer of 1994, and after filling that role, it's built up to several courses each year, including at least one travel one each summer. So far, I've taught Human Ecosystems, General Ecology, Ecology of Ecosystems, Human Ecology, Environmental Issues and the Physical Sciences, Environmental Problem Solving Seminar, Global Issues, Field Zoology, and Shoreline Ecology, at the Portland, Salem, Albany, and McMinnville campuses, plus the wonderful Oregon coast in the summer!
In this online format, this is my third attempt at a "full-scale" course, so hopefully you'll find it to be somewhat smoother and more refined!
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Date Topics Assignment Due
Week 1 - Feb 13 1. Water - essential for life Brief Profile (Monday)
2. Climate, weather, tides Paper Topics (Friday)
Week 2 - Feb 20 3. Water cycling and balances Chapter 1 (p. 20)
4. Marine ecosystems
Week 3 - Feb 27 5. Ocean resources Chapter 2 (p. 52)
6. Freshwater ecosystems
7. Wetlands - conversion, preservation, restoration
Week 4 - March 6 8. Groundwater resources Chapter 3 (p. 80)
9. Irrigation - historical to present
Week 5 - March 13 10. Water for energy Chapter 4 (p. 109)
11. Dams - from construction to removal
12. Water for transportation
Week 6 - March 20 13.. Case Study I - Columbia River Chapter 5 (p. 148)
14. Water use and overuse
Week 7 - March 27 15. Case Study II - Colorado River Chapter 7 (p. 207-208)
16. Increasing water supplies - potential?
17. Water conservation
Week 8 - April 3 18. Water treatment - inputs and outputs Chapter 12 (p. 378)
19. Aquatic species - declines, status, protection
20. Salmon - wild, hatchery, farmed
Week 9 - April 10 21. Aquaculture Chapter 6 (p. 178)
22. Case Study III - marine fisheries in trouble
23. Marine reserves
Week 10 - April 17 24. Aquatic bioinvasions Interview
25. Case Study IV - Great Lakes
26. Water pollution - surface and groundwater
Week 11 - April 24 27. Oil pollution Chapter 11 (p. 344)
28. Case Study V - Prince William Sound
Week 12 - May 1 29. Marine pollution Chapter 13 (p. 392)
30. Coastal "dead" zones and red tides
31. Case Study VI - Gulf of Mexico
Week 13 - May 8 32. Coastal erosion - man vs. nature Research Paper
33. Water policy - state issues and players
34. Water policy - national issues and players
Week 14 - May 15 35. Water policy - international issues and players Peer critique
36. Global warming - water resource impacts?
37. Future prospects and challenges
Week 15 - May 22 Final exam
EARLY ASSIGNMENT!
Profile - this will only take a few minutes. I'd like to get to know just a little bit more about you. From the Course Menu, click on Assignments, and you'll see one called Brief Profile. This can be done any time, but no later than Monday February 13.
CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS
At the end of each chapter in the textbook are several Questions for Discussion. We will cover some of the basic information at least one week prior to when each assignment is due (see the schedule above).
For each assignment, read the appropriate chapter, and choose one (1) of the Questions for Discussion that's of particular interest to you, to answer according to the simple guidelines here:
1. State the question at the top of the page.
2. Try to answer the question in one page or so, if possible.
3. No outside research is required, but do support your answer with information from the chapter.
4. Lastly, each assignment is worth 10 pts and due (submitted into the Assignments function) by midnight at the end of the corresponding Monday in the schedule above.
RESEARCH PAPER
A relatively short (5 page maximum, 1.5 or double spaced) research paper will be required on one of the following topics (in no particular order):
El Nino - storm and weather patterns Wetland mitigation
Floodplain management Sedimentation
Sinkholes Groundwater mining
Drip irrigation Solar ponds
Dryland farming Dam breaching
Water rights Flood control
Oregon watershed councils Irrigation districts
Eutrophication Biological oxygen demand
Biological amplification US Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Zebra mussels Desalinization
Sustainable Maine lobster fishery Tidal power
Oregon groundfish fishery Atlantic cod
Atlantic bluefin tuna International Whaling Commission
Deep ocean manganese nodules Soil salinization
Spartina - as an invasive species Phytoremediation
Many, but not all, of these are described in the textbook, but there is quite a bit of information "out there" on each topic. Therefore, your paper should include information from a minimum of three (3) outside sources beyond the text and class notes.
To get this going, which topics interest you? Choose four (4) potential topics, in your order of preference, from the list above, and get them to me (again, through the Assignments function) no later than Friday, February 17. I'll compile a master list of everyone's topics and let you know which one you can pursue by the next Monday (February 20).
The format of the paper is up to you, but one general approach is the following:
historical background
current situation
future prospects
Guidelines for your paper:
1. If using the Internet, choose reputable sources (not just someone's opinions!) and cite in your text where appropriate. See the Citations and References section at the end of this syllabus for appropriate formats (CBE style here) for in-text citations and reference listings at the end.
Addendum: Professor Notes - An increasing number of college professors across the country are putting their notes online,
and they frequently show up in the major search engines. It is muchmore preferable to use primarysources
(i.e. articles, agency websites, etc.), so these topic summaries should be avoided for our purposes here.
You can tell that type of information if part of the web address contains ".edu" For example,
".../und.edu/eco101/wetlands.html" is lecture notes from a professor at the University of North Dakota, and
is notto be used as one of your sources. Also, Transparency S.1 shows an actual example and in the fine print
web address at the bottom, it's from the University of Michigan.
Research tip: For a wealth of more focused material on many of the research topics, click on "Linfield Library" on the right side of the Home Page,
then click on Class Research Pages (under Search the Internet), then scroll down to BIO 108 Ecology of Ecosystems.
That's for a class I teach on the McMinnville campus, but you may find it has several helpful links for your topic as well.
2. Due date: Monday May 8 and worth 50 pts.
3. When done, post it in the Research Papers topic in the Discussion function. Also, later on, if you're interested in what others have found out on their topic, you'll have easy access to them there.
4. Lastly, I'm a firm believer in providing as much feedback as reasonably possible, but another good way for you to get feedback is from someone else in class. So, for the following week's assignment, write a short peer review critique on the posted paper of the next person in the class list (to find one version of the list, in the E-Mail function, click on "Compose Message," then "Browse"). Consider this as constructive criticism - what you liked and what and/or how something could be improved (2-3 paragraphs is fine). You can initially click on " Reply Privately" below the posted paper (and I'll see it on my screen too), and either type in your review directly, copy and paste it in, or upload a file.
- due date for this: Monday May 15 and worth 10 pts.
INTERVIEW
Here's your chance to find out what's going on in one aspect of a water-related issue in your community. Choose one (1) of the following:
1. Water treatment facility, for municipal water supplies
2. Wastewater treatment facility
3. Dam operation (if nearby)
4. Local landfill - surface and groundwater protection measures, plus leachate treatment
5. Natural Resources Conservation Service - a federal agency (used to be called the Soil Conservation Service) that provides technical assistance to landowners for resoration or habitat improvement projects, with an office in nearly every county
6. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality - monitors many environmental outputs, issues permits, and oversees clean-up projects (or equivalent in your state)
7. US Environmental Protection Agency - has some regional offices
8. Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife - main ofice in Salem, and several regional offices (or equivalent in your state)
9. US Forest Service - has an office for each national forest in the state - also very involved with stream protection and enhancement issues
10. Or...? (not usually a problem, but do check with me first)
For this assignment, call up (or stop by) to make an appointment for a personal interview with one of the experts at the site of your choice. Then, focus your interview around the following, where appropriate:
a. A brief description of the operation (or involvement), as related to water quantity or quality
b. What else would or could be done if there were not budgetary constraints (that is, any projects planned, awaiting funding)?
c. Are there any back-up or contingency plans in place if we're facing a drought situation this summer (or in genaral for any drier than normal summer)?
d. What is planned to accommodate anticipated population growth in your community in the next 20 years?
In your write-up for this, it's important to include the person's name, their position, and the date of your interview. See the Personal Communication description in the Citations and References section at the end.
This assignment will be worth 20 pts and is due Monday April 17.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS
We all dislike late assignments, particularly those of us who put forth the extra effort to get them in on time. Therefore, I feel compelled to deduct 10% of the point value for each day an assignment is submitted late, without a valid reason. Then again, for your assignments, surely that won't be a problem!
MECHANICS
Let's go through some of the basics in the course functions, as they appear in the Course Menu:
1. Announcements - this link will get you directly to that topic in the Discussion function. If there are any new announcemnts, I'll let you know on the Home Page.
2. Weekly Topics - these will be available weekly and cumulatively as the course progresses. Within each, you'll see due dates on top, and an icon (i.e. link) to the Assignments (described below). If you click on the specific topic directly underneath the picture, that will open up the notes. Then, maximize the width of the window on your screen, to minimize the number of "wrap-around" lines.
3. Discussion - several features here! As mentioned, there's one called Announcements. Also, if you have any general questions about the course (i.e. set-up, mechanics, etc.), you can "Compose Message" within the Notes topic. Also, you'll see a topic called Research Papers for your postings later on. Lastly is an Out-of-Town topic - if you know of an upcoming planned vacation or business trip during the course, please let me know there (and yes, if you have any of those "unavoidable" times, that is a valid reason for a late assignment).
4. Assignments - these correspond to the schedule above. You can compose your answers on your own terminal, upload them there, and then they'll be directed my way immediately. I'll also be able to make comments on your work and send it back your way. Later, when it says "Graded," click on that word and comments from me should pop up.
5. Mail - this software package has its own internal e-mail system, which allows you to send and/or receive messages from others in the class (as well as me). It is separate from your own e-mail address, though if you like, under Message Settings is an option to forward all incoming e-mails from here to your own. Just click on "Update" when done.
Whenever you click on "Reply Privately" to any posting in the Discussion, your message goes into this e-mail system, to that specific person only.
6. Biography - if you can get past the blinding reflection of that bald guy there, you'll see some background and where I'm from.
7. My Grades - this will show your progress in the course. Column headings are set up automatically from the Assignments function, and I'll manually set up ones for your research paper and peer critique. Please check this periodically - if there's no number recorded within a few days after you've submitted an assignment, please let me know!
Note: You may see a few generic blank columns that seem to stay empty. Not to worry - those are default columns set up for every online course, that are sometimes used in other classes. Here, focus on the specific columns labelled with the assignment or research paper, etc.
FINAL EXAM
There will be a "take-home" final exam, available Monday May 15 and due by midnight Monday May 22. It will be five open-ended essay-type questions, and worth 50 pts.
OUTCOMES
The course will be worth a total of 240 pts, derived from the following: profile (5 pts), paper topics selection (5 pts), ten chapter asssignments (100 pts), research paper (50 pts), peer critique (10 pts), interview (20 pts), and final exam (50 pts). At this point, I anticipate the typical 90%, 80% and 70% cut-off levels for A, B, and C (though certainly there can be A-, B+, etc.).
ACADEMIC HONESTY
It's unfortunate that a section on this is needed at all, and this should be abundantly clear, but cheating and/or plagiarism in any portion of the course (including buying a research paper) will not be tolerated and will seriously jeopardize your grade. A very simple way to avoid this is to write your assignments and papers in your own words and cite your sources (see below) after specific details or examples.
CITATIONS AND REFERENCES - The Science Way
(adapted from the Council of Biology Editors (CBE) Style Manual. P.S. Condensed down from their 400 pages!)
In-Text Citations
These could be direct citations:
Smith and Wesson (1991) lobbied against gun control.
or indirect citations:
There was an active lobby against gun control (Smith and Wesson, 1991).
General Rules:
1. Cite your source for specific details, examples, etc. and for any direct quotes (though direct quotes are seldomused in scientific papers)
2. General format: (author, year)
a. No author? Use (Anonymous, year)
The Forest Dragons have been drawing small crowds to the Coliseum (Anonymous, 1999).
b. If two (or more) articles by the same author in the same year, use a and b after the year in the text andreference listing
at the end, to keep them distinct.
Last year's movies are back again for the Oscars (Mahar, 2004b).
c. Internet source? Use (author, year the site was last updated), or if no author, use (Anonymous, year updated)
Methyl chloroform levels have declined in the stratosphere (Anonymous, 2003).
Important Exception: If your Internet source is from a published format (newspaper, magazine, etc.), cite the
published source instead, using the year of publication.
d. Multiple authors? If two, cite bothnames: if more, use "and others" after the first author.
Mexico City has had the worst air pollution in the last decade (Talbot and others, 2002)
e. Personal interview (or communication). Format: (Person, year date, position, city. Personal communication).
According to DW anderson (1999 Oct 28, Architect, Knob Hill Designers, Beaverton, OR. Personal communication),
the 30-ft high sculpture was an appropriate entrance to the Silicon Forest.
Note: These go in your text only, not in the reference listing at the end.
References (or Bibliography)
This should appear at the end of your paper, and should be a complete listing of every source cited in your text (except Personal communications).
A. General formats:
1. Journal or magazine articles: Author(s). Year. Title. Source. Volume:Pages.
Smith IM, Wesson UR. 1991. Gun control is not for everyone. Rifleman 54:32-36.
2. Books: Author(s). Year. Title. City published: Publisher.
Brown LR. 1997. Tough choices: facing the challenges of food scarcity. Washington, D.C.: Worldwatch Institute.
3. Article within a book: Author(s). Year. Title. Pages in book editor. Title. CIty published: Publisher.
Wilson EO. 2003. What is nature worth? Pages 121-130 inAllen JL ed. Annual editions: environment 03/04.
Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
4. Newspaper articles: Author(s). Year date. Title. Newspaper; Section pages.
Eggers K, Jaynes D. 1998 Mar 29. Trailblazers have a decent season after all. Oregonian; Section E1-E2.
5. Internet: Author(s). Year date last updated. Title. <web site address> Date you accessed.
Papadopoulos G. 2001 Mar 15. Aquaculture in Greece expands rapidly. <www.grfishaq.html> Accessed 2003 Aug 29.
Important Exception: Again, if it's a publishedsource, use thatinformation here insteadof the web address, That is,
don't assume every reader has Internet access.
B. Multiple authors? List them all, in the same order they appear in the source.
Talbot GM, Svoboda PR, Payne SW, Enfield KS. 2002. Mexico City: air pollution nightmare. Environmental Science and
Toxicology 17: 433-440.
C. No authors? Start with [Anonymous]
[Anonymous]. 1999 May 28. Forest Dragons vie for recognition in Portland. Oregonian; Section E3.
D. Same author with two or more articles in the same year? Use, a, b, c, etc. after the year, to correspond with your in-text citations.
Mahar T. 2002a. Apr 1. Oscars yield few surprises. Oregonian; Section D1-D2.
Mahar T. 2002b Apr 4. Oscar winner movies see attendance rise. Oregonian; Section D5.
E. Let's put it all together:
References
[Anonymous]. 1999 May 28. Forest Dragons vie for recognition in Portland. Oregonian; Section E3.
Brown LR. 1997. Tough choices: facing the challenges of food scarcity. Washington, D.C.: Worldwatch Institutte.
Eggers K, Jaynes D. 1998 Mar 29. Trailblazers have a decent season after all. Oregonian; Section E1-E2.
Mahar T. 2002a Apr 1. Oscars yield few surprises. Oregonian; Section D1-D2.
Mahar T. 2002b Apr 4. Oscar winner movies see attendance rise. Oregonian; Section D5.
Papadopoulos G. 2001 Mar 15. Aquaculature in Greece expands rapidly. <www.grfishaq.html> Accessed 2003 Aug 29.
Smith IM, Wesson UR. 1991. Gun conrol is not for everyone. Rifleman 54:32-36.
Talbot GM, Svoboda PR, Payne SW, Enfield KS. 2000. Mexico City: air pollution nightmare. Environmental Science and
Toxicology 17:433-440.
Wilson EO. 2003. What is nature worth? Pages 121-130 in Allen JL, ed. Annual editions: environment 03/04.
Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dishkin.
Notice the overall listing is alphabetized, by the first author's last name (or word, like Anonymous)
F. Now that you have all the "Do's", just a few brief "Don'ts":
1. Don't use footnotes in your text for sources.
2. Don't cite more than (author, year) in your text (except Personal communications).
3. Don't include complete references at the end for sources you did not cite in your text.
4. Don't cite sources in your text without giving the complete listing at the end (again, except for Personal communications).
Note: The italics used above are just for clarity - they're not needed in your papers.