FW3108: Field Methods in Research and Conservation

FW3108 is a survey of the techniques and methodologies that fisheries and wildlife biologists use to conduct research and make management decisions. This class is part of the FWCB core curriculum, taken by all FWCB undergraduate students. It covers overarching concepts and methods related to science-based fisheries and wildlife resource management that are important for all FWCB degree options. Biologists have many techniques in their ‘toolbox,’ and we will discuss current techniques we think you are likely to use early in your career. Keep in mind that we will be unable to cover the full set of ‘tools’ available in the fisheries and wildlife management ‘toolbox.’ Rather, our goal is to expose you to the applications, assumptions, and limitations of many common techniques you may encounter as a fisheries and wildlife professional. This class will also cover a variety of ecosystems (from prairies to woodlands to waters) and ecological scales (from individual organisms to ecosystems), and we will employ a variety of data collection techniques that are used to investigate ecological systems and monitor and manage natural resources. The course highlights both traditional and “cutting-edge” techniques used to study free-ranging animal populations and their habitats. A highlight of the course is the emphasis on pairing hands-on activities in the field with data organization and summary. Multiple full-day field trips or a multi-day field session is required for this course. prereq: [soph, jr, sr], FW major

View on University Catalog