Natural Resource Management
Biology 54
Fall 2004

Professor:  Dr. Travis Perry
Plyler Hall Room 217
Campus Phone:  294-3009
E-mail:  Travis.Perry@furman.edu

Office Hours:  My office hours will be 11 to 12 Monday through Friday.  If these hours are not convenient,
 I will be happy to make an appointment.  You can always contact me via e-mail.  I will check my account frequently for student messages.

Course Objectives:  Biology 54 is a technical introduction to fisheries, forestry, wildlife and land management. 
It is also an introduction to conservation biology.  It is the goal of this course 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) and 
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) 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.

Grading:  Your grade in the course will be assessed based on the following items:
Item
 Percent
Lab
 15
Exam 1
 10
Exam 2
 10
Book Discussion
 5
Exam 3
 20
Exam 4
 20
Exam 5 (Final)
 20


Letter grades will be assigned on a 10-percentage-point scale:

98-100 A+
 78-79 C+
 59 or below F
93-97 A
 73-77 C
90-92 A-
 70-72 C-
88-89 B+
 68-69 D+
83-87 B
 63-67 D
80-82 B-
 60-62 D-


Lectures:  You are expected to attend every lecture. If you do miss a class it is your responsibility to recover the information you missed. 
Three successive absences will be reported to the Associate Academic Dean.

Laboratories:   Do NOT miss lab!  It will often not be possible to make up or recover the material covered in lab. 
It is during lab that you will receive the most practical and hands on training in natural resource management.  Lab will be
held each Monday afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00 unless otherwise scheduled.

Field Trips:  Field trip attendance is REQUIRED.  Exam material WILL include information provided to the class during these trips.
The field trips provide the opportunity for students to experience various aspects of natural resource management that are not possible
to replicate in the classroom.  The class will take AT LEAST two extended, overnight field trips.  The field trips are an integral part of the
academic training provided in thiscourse.  If you anticipate scholarship activity or academic conflicts with these dates let me know
by the 22 of September.

Quizzes and Examinations: Your first two grades in the course will come from “quizzes” early in the semester.   These quizzes
will be short and soon!  It is hoped that they will introduce you to my style of testing well in advance of major exams and that they will
motivate you to have a firm grasp of the historical, legislative, and institutional context of the remainder of the course material.  
Quizzes and exams will consist of short answer, multiple choice, and essay questions.  That is NOT to say that every exam will necessarily
have each type of question.  Quiz and exam dates will not change unless there are uncontrollable events that affect the majority of the class.   

Other Policies:  E-Mail - Each student is required to maintain a university e-mail account and check it at least once a week, in case of
important announcements regarding the class.  Safety -   Laboratory safety rules must be followed – food and drink are NEVER to be
brought into the lab.
 
Academic Dishonesty (Don’t even think about it!) - General university policies regarding academic dishonesty will be strictly observed.
Integrity gives the educational enterprise its legitimacy.  Honesty, respect, and personal responsibility are principles that guide academic life
at Furman, in and out of the classroom.  Academic misconduct in any form (plagiarism, cheating, inappropriate collaboration, and other efforts
to gain an unfair academic advantage) threatens the values of the campus community and will have severe consequences,
such as failure in the course, and/or suspension or dismissal from the university.

If you have any question about what constitutes plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct, it is your responsibility to consult with me
so that you will fully understand what I expect of you in this course.  If you have any doubts, ask!
 
Special Considerations  – Students who need academic accommodations should contact Donna Taylor, Coordinator of Disability Services at 294-2322.
 After a meeting with her, contact me during regular office hours.  DON’T procrastinate: do this during the first week of the term.

 Proposed Schedule
Week 
 Date
 Lecture Topics
 Exam
 Lab Topics
 Field Trips
1
 14-17 Sept.
 Value of living resources / Social context:  History, legislation, and agencies
No Lab
2
 20-24 Sept.
 Social context:  History, legislation, and agencies
 1st Exam
 State Preserve
3
 27 Sept. - 1 Oct.
 Utilitarian management:  Basic ecological principles
Timber
 1-3 Oct. Cradle of Forestry
4
 4-8 Oct.
 Utilitarian management:  Utilitarian management techniques
 2nd Exam
 To be announced
5
 11-15 Oct.
 Utilitarian management:   Case studies
Fisheries
6
 18-20 Oct.
 Class Project
Project
7
 25-29 Oct.
 Preservationist management:  Population genetics and the biology of extinction
Wildlife ID
8
 1-5 Nov.
 Preservationist management:  Preservationist management techniques
 3rd Exam
 Small Mammals
9
 8-12 Nov.
 Preservationist management:  Case studies
Waterfowl
 12-14 Nov. SC Coast
10
 15-19 Nov.
 Ecosystem management:  Ecosystem ecology
To be announced
11
 29 Nov. - 3 Dec.
 Ecosystem management:  Ecosystem management techniques
 4th Exam
 Biodiversity
12
 6-10 Dec.
 Conclusion
 Final: 15 Dec. 9:00am
 Discussion