Applied Wildlife Science

How many animals are in a wildlife population?  Are their numbers increasing, stable, or declining?  What are the primary threats to population persistence, and what management options do we have to counter those threats?  What information do we have, and how best can we use it to make effective management decisions?  These are the questions students are equipped to answer after completing Applied Wildlife Science - an essential course for conservation professionals.  This upper division course is offered every spring semester to undergraduates in the Wildlife Science major and is open to graduate students.   
Online offering
Animal Tracks and Sign
Wild mammals are among the most elusive animals in the world, and their monitoring, research, and conservation relies heavily on interpreting the physical sign animals leave in their wake.  With a little training and practice, and the right tools, students learn to identify a large number of animal species from tracks, scats, vocalizations, beds/lodges, vegetation damage, and prey remains.  This 1-credit, field-intensive, home-study course helps students build the skills to effectively record, identify and interpret animal sign, not only to discern what species left it but also to gain a little insight into the individual’s behavior.    

Roosevelt Wild Life Station
Wildlife Field Techniques

A two-week field immersion into the practice of wildlife conservation. 
​Offered intermittently.

Graduate offering
Landscape Ecology

Landscape ecology focuses on spatial patterning - its causes, development and relevance to ecological systems.  In this course students become familiar with the conceptual foundations of landscape ecology as well as the quantitative and modeling tools that facilitate our understanding of landscape patterns and processes.  Offered in even years (fall semesters)

Graduate offering
Statistical Modeling in R for Ecologists (SMoRE)

Progressing from data to valid ecological inference requires the use of statistical models.  Recent years have seen an explosion in statistical tools, yet too little practical guidance is available for choosing among and applying these tools.  In this course students hone their modeling skills in labs and through the book "Statistical Rethinking" by McElreath.  Offered in odd years (fall semester).