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Course Descriptions

Currently accepting applications Apply now >> Next program starts: Autumn 2008 Program location: UW campus, Seattle Next information meeting: Tues., June 24 (see details >>) Sign up to receive e-mail updates >> Contact a program representative >>

Interested in taking a single class? Some courses (designated by a below) may be open on a space-available basis to professionals who are not seeking the certificate. See Single-Course Enrollment for details.

Classes meet two evenings per week on the UW campus, Seattle. Several one-day weekend field trips are also included, and replace some of the evening sessions. Instructors who are listed served during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Autumn Course

Wetland Science

Schedule: (20 sessions) Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-9 p.m., Sept. 30 - Dec. 11, 2008 (no Class Nov. 27), plus three one-day field trips to be arranged. Each field trip replaces an evening session; $980; 6 CEUs.

Instructors: Stephen Stanley and Kim Harper

An overview of wetland genesis and development, including field visits to Pacific Northwest wetland sites. Participants design their research projects and begin activities at their chosen wetland sites. Topics:

• Physical, chemical and biological characteristics of wetlands, including hydrology, soils, vegetation and wildlife
• Wetland classification and rating
• Wetlands in a landscape context
• Introduction to landscape characterization and analysis
• Introduction to wetland functions and functional assessment
• Wetland management

Winter Courses

Wetland Law and Policy

Schedule: (10 sessions) Tuesdays, 6-9 p.m., Jan. 6 - Mar 10., 2009; $490; 3 CEUs.

Instructor: Dyanne Sheldon

A general overview of the history and fundamental premises of land-use law in the U.S. Course examines federal, state and local policy and regulations relating to aquatic resources. Participants learn the multiple layers of land-use laws; gain understanding of multiple perspectives on land-use laws; and are challenged to examine and defend various advocacy positions. Topics:

• Where land-use law comes from, the premise of the law, and the implication of legislation vs. court findings
• History and current status of various federal regulations
• State and local land-use laws related to aquatic resources
• The complexity of issues related to land use and regulations

How to sign up for individual enrollment in this course

A Landscape Understanding of Wetland Setting, Processes and Management

Schedule: (10 sessions) Thursdays, 6-9 p.m., Jan. 8 - Mar. 12, 2009, plus two one-day field trips to be arranged. Each field trip replaces an evening session; $490; 3 CEUs.

Instructors: Charles Simenstad

Applicartion of landscape ecology concepts to wetlands as integrated mosaics of patches and corridors integrating watershed and coastal ecosystems;understanding the function of wetlands beyond their jurisdictional boundaries; and, landscape-based rationale for wetland management, protection and restoration. Topics:

• Concepts and terms describing wetland landscape elements and processes
• Fundamental ecosystem processes affecting wetlands, with strategies to restore and enhance wetlands
• Effect of modifications to wetland processes and biotic communities at increasing scales
• Diagnostic tools for assessing wetland landscape modification and effects on wetland function, as well as differentiating natural from human/cultural stresses, based on scientific concepts of system organization and ecological integrity
• Landscape bases for understanding cumulative impacts, compared with attempts to manage and regulate wetlands at diverse spatial and temporal scales
• Comparison of strategies to preserve and maintain and restore wetland systems at landscape scales

How to sign up for individual enrollment in this course

Spring Courses

Restoration and Field Botany

Schedule: (10 sessions) Tuesdays, 6-9 p.m., Mar. 31 - June. 2, 2009; $490; 3 CEUs. Weekly evening lectures held on campus and at off-campus locations.

Instructors: Tina Miller and Catherine Conolly

Emphasizes thorough understanding of the process for designing wetland restorations, including design parameters, construction considerations and long-term management. Field identification of the most common freshwater and estuarine plants in the Puget Sound region is also emphasized. Three class meetings are conducted exclusively in the field. Woody and herbaceous plants commonly found in wetland sites and their upland buffers are examined by students, who are required to identify approximately 70 plants by the end of the term. Fieldwork includes visits to constructed fresh and saltwater restoration sites. Topics:

• Review of restoration theory
• Unified approach for planning
• Developing performance standards
• Managing restored systems
• Preparing a restoration plan
• Reviews of case studies

How to sign up for individual enrollment in this course

Identification and Delineation

Schedule: (9 sessions) six Thursdays, 6-9 p.m., Apr. 2 - June 4, 2009, plus field trips; $490; 3 CEUs.

Instructors: Kristie Dunkin

Largely conducted in the field, this course focuses on methods for wetland identification and delineation. Students are required to write a wetland delineation report and pass a field wetland delineation practical. Topics:

• Field orientation, including safety
• Wetland criteria and documentation
• Formal methods of field evaluation for identifying wetland hydrology, wetland vegetation and hydric soils
• Wetland boundary determination protocols
• Evaluations of atypical situations
• Preparation of wetland delineation documentation

How to sign up for individual enrollment in this course

Practicum Project

The practicum is an exercise intended to synthesize the content of the Wetland Science and Management Certificate Program by involving students in characterizing a wetland and evaluating a research question. Students choose from a list of suggested sites and research topics, or select their own site and topic with the consent of their practicum adviser. The topic addressed may be either basic wetland science or a more applied management emphasis.

Students are encouraged to "team-up" on projects to address different but interrelated questions on the same wetland complex.

Examples of past student research topics:

• Water quality at the mouth of Miller Creek
• Avian use of Gazzam Lake, Bainbridge Island
• Forest practices in forested wetlands
• Soil and hydrologic mapping in the Mercer Slough
• A wetland management plan for Kelsey Creek

Practicum coordinator: Diane Hennessey