WILD - Fish & Wildlife Science & Mgmt

WILD 201  Intro to Fish and Wildlife: 1 Credits (1 Other)

An introduction to the career opportunities and current issues associated with management of fisheries and wildlife. For Fish and Wildlife Majors or those interested in the profession. Offered in fall.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Identify a range of career opportunities and pathways toward careers in Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management.

WILD 290R  Undergraduate Research: 1-3 Credits (1-3 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Consent of instructor and approval of department head. (F, Sp, Su) Directed undergraduate research which may culminate in a written work or other creative project. Course will address responsible conduct of research. May be repeated
Repeatable up to 6 credits.

WILD 291  Special Topics: 1-4 Credits (1-4 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: None required but some may be determined necessary by each offering department. Courses not required in any curriculum for which there is a particular one-time need, or given on a trial basis to determine acceptability and demand before requesting a regular course number
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

WILD 292  Independent Study: 1-3 Credits (1-3 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Consent of instructor and approval of department head. Directed research and study on an individual basis
Repeatable up to 6 credits.

WILD 298  Internship: 1-4 Credits (1-4 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Approval of intern program by consent of instructor and approval of department head. An individualized assignment arranged with an agency, business, or other organization to provide guided experience. May be repeated
Repeatable up to 8 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Have a foundational understanding of a line of work that they may wish to pursue in the future
  2. Have built new professional relationships and gained experience with practical business communications after working under supervision of an organization
  3. Have developed individual responsibility in their internship work and in their responsibility to check in bi-weekly with their Ecology faculty member supervisor
  4. Have demonstrated their ability to work independently or as a team
  5. Have gained business or field skills specific to the internship (skills will vary)

WILD 301  Princ of Fish & Wildlife Mgmt: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 160 and BIOB 170IN. (Sp) Junior standing. Overview of history and ecological principles underlying fish and wildlife management. In-depth discussion of current issues. Offered in spring

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Compare and contrast the different history of wildlife and fisheries management in the United States, and explain how their respective management practices have changed over time.
  2. Describe the basic ecological concepts that underlie management of wildlife and fish populations and the habitats that support them.
  3. Explain the function of the key tools used to manage fish and wildlife populations and habitats, and give examples of how to evaluate their effectiveness.
  4. Describe the emerging issues in fish and wildlife management, including climate change and adaptive management.

WILD 325  Wildlife-Livestock Nutrition: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: ANSC 100 and NRSM 101 and NRSM 102. (Sp) Nutrition of free ranging ungulates including deer, elk, antelope, bison, sheep, cattle and feral horses. Topics will include digestive systems, intake, food habits, feeding behavior and management on rangelands. Offered spring

View Course Outcomes:

  1. To apply, analyze and evaluate principles of nutrition to free-roaming ruminants like a professional.
  2. To synthesize the scientific literature and present findings in written and oral form.
  3. Calculate the nutritional requirements and supply.
  4. To improve your CRITICAL THINKING about how to manage natural resources.
  5. Improve your PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

WILD 355  Wildlife and Livestock Habitat Restoration: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 2 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: NRSM 101 or ENSC 110 or WILD 301, and BIOO 230, and NRSM 240 or BIOE 370. (F) Improvement and rehabilitation of rangeland, forest, and desert habitats used by wildlife and free-ranging livestock in the western United States. Topics include methods used to improve wildlife habitat as well as livestock forage. Design criteria for stock ponds, off-site water development, construction of bird/small mammal guzzlers, use of prescribed fire, mechanical, chemical and biological techniques to rehabilitate and improve rangeland, forest, and desert vegetation communities

WILD 401RN  Fish and Wildlife Capstone: 4 Credits (2 Lec, 2 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: Completion of STAT 216Q or BIOB 318, and BIOE 370, and WILD 301, and Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management option, or consent of instructor. Senior capstone course. Course emphasizes solving problems related to management of fish and wildlife. Students will be introduced to field techniques, analysis approaches, and scientific literature used to answer questions related to conservation and management of terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates. Offered in spring

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Improve their ability to put concepts and facts into practice.
  2. Increase their understanding of the processes and dynamic nature of knowledge.
  3. Strengthen their habits of critical and creative thinking while seeking and synthesizing information from broad and diverse sources.
  4. Become familiar with common methods and techniques for collecting biological information, as well as recording, organizing, and retrieving data.
  5. Deepen their understanding of the importance of team work and collaboration.
  6. Develop responsibility, competency, and confidence.
  7. Expand intellectual curiosity and interest in fish and wildlife ecology and management.

WILD 420  Range & Wildlife Policy and Planning: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOE 103 or NRSM 101 or ENSC 110 and Junior Standing. (Sp) Course explores primary rangeland and wildlife policy in North America, how it developed and how it is currently administered. Emphasis will be on the multidisciplinary application of policy for land resource and wildlife management planning

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to describe key legislation establishing and affecting public and private rangeland and wildlife resources (e.g., Lacey Act, Pittman-Robertson Act, NEPA, ESA) in the U.S. and especially the West.
  2. Students will be able to list the federal and state agencies that set and administer wildlife and land management policy.
  3. Students will know the processes of establishing natural resource law, statutes, and regulations; how these processes differ, and how they are administered.
  4. Students will be able to describe the diverse natural resource constituencies that influence wildlife policy in the U.S., and the democratic process required for consensus
  5. Students will be able to describe the legislative and regulatory requirements that should be considered when developing rangeland and wildlife management plans.

WILD 426  Wild Habitat Management: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: NRSM 240 or BIOE 370 or consent of instructor. (Sp) Emphasis is placed on wildlife habitat management in coordination with other land uses (i.e. agriculture, recreation, and development). Students gain insight into the details of wildlife habitat management by delving into historic and contemporary literature. Students develop proficiency in applied wildlife management through consideration of the three components (animal, habitat, human) common to all successful wildlife management efforts. Real world issues and solutions based on case study examples are emphasized

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:
    - Demonstrate familiarity with the basic historical; policy; legal; and economic aspects of wildlife habitat management;
    - Explain obligatory habitat relationships, interrelationships of land-use patterns (agriculture, livestock grazing, timber harvest) and wildlife habitats;
    - Explain the implications of the socio-ecological interaction of wildlife habitat with current policies (wolf recovery, bison management), agriculture, and land ownership.

WILD 438  Wildlife Habitat Ecology: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: NRSM 240 or BIOE 370 or consent of instructor. (Sp) Principles of habitat importance and management. Habitat requirements within wildlife population constraints will be emphasized with consideration of other natural resource demands. Students will be required to learn the ecological characteristics and gain proficiency in the identification of 40 important woody plants

WILD 490R  Undergrad Research: 1-6 Credits (1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Junior standing, consent of instructor and approval of department head. (F, Sp, Su) Directed undergraduate research which may culminate in a research paper, journal article, or undergraduate thesis. Course will address responsible conduct of research. May be repeated
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

WILD 491  Special Topics: 1-3 Credits (1-3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Course prerequisites as determined for each offering. Offering dependent on topic. Courses not required in any curriculum for which there is a particular one-time need, or given on a trial basis to determine acceptability and demand
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

WILD 492  Independent Study: 1-3 Credits (1-3 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Junior standing, consent of instructors, and approval of department head. (F, Sp, Su) Directed research and study on an individual basis
Repeatable up to 6 credits.

WILD 494  Seminar: 1 Credits (1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Junior standing and as determined for each offering. () Offered as needed based on student demand. Topics offered at the upper division level which are not covered in regular courses. Students participate in preparing and presenting discussion material
Repeatable up to 4 credits.

WILD 498  Internship: 1-4 Credits (1-4 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Junior standing, approval of intern program by consent of instructor and approval of department head. An individualized assignment arranged with an agency, business, or other organization to provide guided experience in the field. May be repeated
Repeatable up to 8 credits.

WILD 501  Applied Population Ecology: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

(Sp) An in-depth review of the (1) key theories of population ecology, (2) the application of theory in contemporary population management, and (3) managing populations in the face of uncertainty. Recommended BIOE 370 or WILD 301, and a statistics class. Offered in spring.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Describe and use the key models of exponential and density-dependent population growth with and without age or stage structure and with and without spatial structure
  2. Explain the concepts of regulation limiting factors as they relate to population dynamics
  3. Explain the key concepts behind life-history trade-offs and how they relate to the diverse life histories seen across species
  4. Explain the key concepts behind life-history trade-offs and how they relate to the diverse life histories seen across species
  5. Summarize how population theories can be useful to managing real populations
  6. Analyze data and synthesize findings for diverse model types covered in the course
  7. Design, develop, and implement code for diverse model types covered in the course
  8. Evaluate recent scientific literature for topics covered in the course and critique and evaluate the quality of work presented
  9. Evaluate and critique the recent literature in population ecology for species of interest and make recommendations for future research while providing justifications for your recommendations

WILD 502  Population & Habitat Data: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in a five-hundred level statistics course. Study of the theory and methods of sampling and analyzing population data for vertebrates. Estimation of population size, survival, and recruitment using competing models that relate population states and rates to habitat conditions and other covariates of interest. Computer lab. Offered in fall of odd years

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Implement and summarize development and selection of models that represent competing hypotheses about sources of variation in population vital rates, abundance, and occupancy rates.
  2. Explain the importance of considering the observation process and imperfect detection of organisms in field studies of wild organisms.
  3. Implement and summarize the results of analyses that provide reliable estimates of survival rates, population abundance, and occupancy rates based on mark-recapture data collected on wild organisms.
  4. Summarize and explain the importance of underlying assumptions of the methods used in the course.
  5. Critique the quality of results and conclusions of published literature in population ecology that are based on mark-recapture methods.

WILD 504  Wildlife-Habitat Relationships: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Completion of a 500-level statistics course. This course will help students develop a conceptual and practical understanding of wildlife-habitat relationships and the use, application, and limitations of the analytical tools used to analyze these data. Course will be a blend of discussion and lecture; students will be responsible for written assignments based on readings and data sets. Offered in spring of even years

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Develop and synthesize a conceptual understanding about habitat selection, and related topics.
  2. Apply this foundational knowledge to answer thought-provoking questions.
  3. Develop and synthesize a practical understanding about the analytical tools used to quantify habitat and resource selection, and wildlife-habitat relationships, along with the associated assumptions and limitations.
  4. Apply this knowledge to analyze data and make inferences based on findings.

WILD 510  Fisheries Science: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

An in-depth review of fisheries data types and the analysis and interpretation of those data as it relates to freshwater fisheries research and management. Offered in spring of even years.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Examine sampling needs, structured decision-making, and adaptive management.
  2. Examine dynamic rate functions (i.e., recruitment, growth, and mortality) and\\npopulation dynamics of fish populations.
  3. Assess indices and associated assumptions commonly used in fisheries\\nscience.
  4. Compare exploitation and harvest regulations.
  5. Examine predator-prey relationships in aquatic systems.
  6. Apply ecological principles to answer questions in fisheries science.
  7. Recognize the interdependence of fisheries research and management.

WILD 513  Fisheries Habitat Management: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. Assessment and application of ecological principles and methods used to protect and restore stream, lake and reservoir habitats for management of fishes and other aquatic organisms. Offered in fall of even years

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Define fish habitat, describe how it is measured, and explain the advantages and limitations of the various approaches used for evaluating the effectiveness of habitat restoration.
  2. Describe the causes and consequences of the major land uses that degrade fish habitat.
  3. Describe the chief methods used to restore degraded aquatic habitats in streams and rivers, reservoirs, and lakes.
  4. Summarize the concepts and approaches used to monitor and restore whole watersheds.
  5. Critically evaluate scientific papers on fish habitat ecology and management.

WILD 525  Human Dimensions of Fisheries and Wildlife Management: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate standing. This course provides fisheries and wildlife management graduate students with an understanding of how social, cultural, behavioral, and demographic characteristics of humans affect fisheries and wildlife management. Offered in spring of even years

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Assess, analyze, and apply how social, cultural, behavioral, and demographic characteristics of humans affect fisheries and wildlife management and conservation biology.

WILD 548  Research Perspectives: 2 Credits (2 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. An introduction to the philosophical underpinnings of resource science and management, with the goal of helping students to develop their own ideological perspective. A broad array of interdisciplinary readings is used to survey philosophical worldviews and explore their influence on science

WILD 591  Special Topics: 1-3 Credits (1-3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Upper division courses and others as determined for each offering. Courses not required in any curriculum for which there is a particular one time need, or given on a trial basis to determine acceptability and demand before requesting a regular course number
Repeatable up to 12 credits.