MESM: Wetland, Watershed, and

Transcription

1 MESM: Wetland, Watershed, and Ecosystem Science This specialization focuses on the science and management of ecosystems at all scales from landscape to interstitial. Students may concentrate studies in the ecology, management, and conservation of inland or coastal wetlands; in watershed science and management, particularly land use water resource interactions, in the ecology and management of forests for human use and biodiversity, or in soil ecology, including bioremediation of organic pollutants.

2 Program Overview Students take courses from four key areas: ecosystem science and management; earth science, soils, and spatial analysis, statistics, and environmental planning, policy, law, and economics. T kch i D AtG ld Track Chair: Dr. Art Gold

3 Ecosystem Science Ecosystem science is the study of interrelationships among the living organisms, physical features, bio chemical processes, natural phenomena, and human activities in ecological communities, including freshwater wetlands, watersheds, salt marshes, forests, grasslandsand and rural urban urban gradients. (NOAA, NOS).

4 Key Ecological Services (UNEP) Regulating services: climate, water, natural hazard and disease regulation, water purification and waste treatment Provisioning services: freshwater, energy (especially issues around biofuel production) and capture fisheries; Cultural services: Recreation and ecotourism service; Supporting services: nutrient cycling and primary production

5 Ecosystem Science and Management UNEP: United Nations Environmental Programme

6 Scale ranges from microbial to watershed hdand global l Areas of Interest: Environmental monitoring Ecohydrology Ecosystem services Pollution assessment and abatement Lake and estuarine eutrophication Habitat and hydrologic restoration Watershed ddynamics of flow and nutrients Climate change adaptation

7 Track Requirements Core courses (21 25 credits), including: Natural Sciences (12 16 credits) Ecosystem Science & Management (at least 6 credits) Earth thsi Science, Soils & Spatial lanalysis (tl (at least t3 credits) Social Sciences (6 credits) Quantitative Methods (3 credits) Elective courses (6 10 credits) Independent study (3 credits: EVS 597) Graduate seminar (2 credits)

8 Track Requirements con t Natural Science Core Courses NRS 423 Wetland Ecology NRS 525 Wetland Field Investigations NRS 461 Watershed Hydrology & Management NRS 424 Wetlands and Land Use NRS 592 Ecohydrology NRS 450 Soil Conservation and Land Use NRS 471 Soil Morphology & Mapping NRS 426 Microbial Ecology NRS 526 Microbial Ecology of Soils and Sediments NRS 501 Restoration Ecology GEO 482 Innovative Subsurface Remediation GEO 484 Environmental Geohydrology 4 cr. 1 cr 4 cr. 4 cr. 3 cr. 3 cr. 3 cr. 3 cr. 3 cr. 3 cr. 3 cr. 3 cr.

9 Internship and Major Paper Opportunities NRS dept (live links) CE WQ NEMO : Nonpoint Education for Nonpoint Education Publications i Storm water Training Manual Workshops Home A Syst: Pollution Prevention at thehousehold Scale Private Wells (workshops): Landscaping for Water Res Protection Small Acreage Livestock Watershed Watch: Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program Info Water Quality Fact Sheets Monitoring Data Onsite Wastewater Training Center Course Schedule Innovative and Alternative Systems (Creating a Mgmt Plan)

10 Internship and Major Paper Opportunities i NRS dept (live links) Management of RI Forests for Wildlife Habitat Coverts Habitat Mgmt Conservation Stewardship Today s Forest, Tomorrow s Legacy

11 Internships and Opportunities with NRS Faculty labs lb (live links) URI Watershed Hydrology Lab The Laboratory of Soil Ecology and Microbiology Laboratory of Pedology and Soil Environmental Science

12 Internships and Opportunities with URI Partners (live links) URI Outreach Center Landscape Restoration Coastal Buffers Environmental Ed Sustainable Systems Rhody Native URI Coastal lresources Center URI Coastal Institute Narr Bay Indicator Development

13 Internships and Opportunities with State, Federal and NGO Partners (live links) RI DEM Office of Water Resources EPA Atlantic Ecology Lab Save the Bay NRCS RI

14 Potential Focus Areas Green Infrastructure (LID) Wetlands assessment and management Water Quality Monitoring Watershed modeling Stream flow analyses Soil Interpretations Groundwater Protection Pollution abatement strategies

15 Past Major Paper Topics Name Topic Audience Patricia Hickey Mapping onsite wastewater treatment needs, risks, and management options EPA; State and Local Officials Rob bhancock Sea Level lrise Impacts on Salt Local lofficials, i Conservancies Marshes Caitlin Chaffee Benthic Indices of Biota Integrity Volunteer, Local and State Water Quality Assessment Programs Eivy Monroy Water Use Conflicts in East Africa International Development NGOs

16 Patricia Hickey, Stewardship Director for Marin Agricultural Land Trust 40,000+ acres in Land Trust: Habitat restoration; nutrient mgmt, easements; carbon sequestration Recommended Courses: GIS/RS; Wetlands, Soils, Hydrology and Community Planning Interned with CRC and URI NEMO Major Paper: Guidance document on community based wastewater mgmt EPA

17 Patricia Hickey, MESM

18 Rob Hancock, VP, Education and Public Engagement, Coalition for Buzzards Bay Duties: Youth education; workshops for decision makers; manages education centers (New Bdf Bedford, d Woods Hole); coordinates all communications and media relations will host MESM Interns Recommended Courses: Watershed Hydrology; GIS; Wetlands; Landscape Ecology, Coastal Zone Law Part timestudent; time worked withstb My major paper, Sea Level Rise Impacts on Salt Marshes, didn't directly lead to my job but it provides credibility. I can address issues on several levels Advice: Start Major Paper early, define and refine your topic

19 Rob Hancock, MESM

20 Caitlin Chaffee, Coastal Policy Analyst, RI CRMC Coastal habitat and restoration; stormwater mgmt; shoreline buffers CRMC will host interns Courses: Watershed Hydrology, GIS, Wetlands, Envir. Law Interned with CE Water Quality program. First job after MESM was with URI Outreach Center to improve mgmt of shoreline buffers Major Paper: Temporal variability and subsample size on macroinvertebrate indices of stream quality My MESM major paper helped me with statistical methods, and how to write a major research paper the subject was less important. I would recommend a topic with greater implications for management.

21 Results Caitlin Chaffee, Major Paper

22 Eivy Monroy, Environmental Scientist/Engineer; t/e i Horsley Witten Group Projects: Stormwater control, low impact development designs; GIS. Recommended Courses: Watershed Hydrology; GIS; Wetlands; Ecohydrology, Soils Major Paper: Should be a topic of interest, but don t presume it must set your professional direction. Find a tractable question. Suggestionsfor MajorPaper Clear objectives If it requires data, it would be better these data are readily available Communication with adviser as much as possible Focus on why is this important and why others should care? Major paper Water Use Major paper, Water Use Conflicts in East Africa, used an existing UN model analyze a multi faceted problem.

23 Careers Graduates find employment with federal and state resource management and regulatory agencies, municipal government, nongovernmental conservation organizations, and private environmental consulting firms. State Agencies Department of Environmental Management; Coastal Resources Management Council Federal Agencies United States Geologic Survey; Natural Resources Conservation Service Private Consulting Firms Geospatial Information Systems; Soils; Wetlands; Hydrology expertise often sought NGOs Conservancies; Watershed Councils