Hermosa Program
Fall 2007
Required Texts and Materials
General
The Outward Bound Wilderness First-Aid Handbook by Jeffrey Isaac, P.A. –C. 1998.
ISBN 1-55821-682-0.
Silva Ranger Ultra Compass with Built in Clinometer.
Field Zoology
Course Objectives:
Biology 49 seeks to give the student an understanding of: the natural history, the taxonomic characteristics,
and the phylogenetic relationships among vertebrates of the United States, with
focusing on both southeastern and southwestern species.
The emphasis is on amphibians, reptiles and mammals; however, a number of the more common bird species will be examined.
The course also seeks to give the student a practical understanding of field research techniques and the role of biological collections,
particularly as these relate to diversity and conservation studies.
Required Materials:
- Books required for this class include:
- A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians: Field Marks of All Species in Western North America,
Including Baja California (Peterson Field Guide Series) by Robert C. Stebbins, Houghton Mifflin
Co., Boston and New York
3rd edition (March 27, 2003)
- Mammals of North America, 2002, by Roland W. Kays and Don E. Wilson. Princeton University Press,
Princeton and Oxford;
- Sibley Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2003, by David Sibley
- Key to the Skulls of North American Mammal Genera, 1992, by J. Knox Jones and Richard W. Manning.
Texas Tech University Press.
- Additional readings from other books and the primary literature will be assigned and used in laboratory work, class discussions
and examinations.
Specimen Preparation Kit:
- Scalpel (handle and blades)
- scissors
- hemostat
- 100% cotton thread
- sewing needles
- roll of thin steel wire, fine pointed tweezers
Field Notebooks: Recommended: Ben Meadows Company Field Book (#101595)
Pens: Required: Uniball, Micro, black ink. Bring at least 10!
Natural Resource Management
Course Objectives:
Biology 54 is a technical introduction to fisheries, forestry, wildlife and land management. It
is also an introduction to conservation biology. The goal of this course is to give the student an understanding of the
historical development of these disciplines, the agencies charged with resource management, the current legislation that mandates their
policies, and most importantly, a working knowledge of management practices within each discipline.
Required Materials:
- Conserving Living Natural Resources: In the Context of a Changing World, by Bertie Josephson Weddell, Cambridge
University Press; 2002 (ISBN: 0521782708)
- A Sand County Almanac: with essays on conservation from Round River, by Aldo (da man) Leopold, Ballantine Books,
New York, (ISBN: 0-345-34505-3)
- Both books in their entirety are required reading for the class. Additional readings will be assigned during the semester.
You may be called upon in class to thoughtfully discuss topics in the reading. Your performance in these discussions will
constitute 5% of your grade.
Ecology
Course Objectives:
Biology 40 seeks to give the student an understanding of: the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environments, the
consequences of these interactions for population dynamics, community structure, and the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems,
all within the context of evolutionary processes. The course will also consider environmental issues and conservation.
Required Materials: The text book required for this class is Manuel C. Molles’ Ecology: Concepts and Applications,
4th Edition, by McGraw-Hill Publishers. ISBN 0072951710. Students are expected to read the chapters listed in the
weekly syllabus. Any material presented in the text will be considered testable material whether or not it has been discussed in
class. Other readings from the primary literature will be assigned and used in laboratory work and class discussions.