WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

ZOO 4970/5970, Sec. 050, 3 credit hours

Wildlife Convservation syllabus - PDF

Description: Lectures, discussions and extensive readings concerning current and historical issues in wildlife conservation will be supplemented with field exercises designed to expose students to the important techniques used in the management and conservation of wildlife. Emphasis will be placed on critical thinking and reviews of published philosophy and research as well as the techniques necessary to make sound conservation decisions. 

Objectives:   
1) Provide a basic understanding of current and historical issues of wildlife conservation. 

2) Provide exposure to basic tools and techniques needed to address wildlife conservation questions.

Textbooks:

• Leopold, A. (1970). A Sand County Almanac: With Other Essays on Conservation . Oxford University Press.   ISBN: 9780195007770. $9.30 plus tax

• Adams, D. and M. Carwardine. (1992). Last Chance to See. Random House.
  ISBN: 9780345371980. $7.41 plus tax

• You will also receive numerous journal articles designed to supplement lectures and/or stimulate discussion.  Content from these readings is testable material on the exams.

Expectations: This course is basically a hybrid between a traditional theoretical wildlife conservation class and a field techniques class.  As such, we will be reviewing topics within lecture/discussion and then visit the field to use techniques relevant for addressing the subject.  As a result, participation in field activities is expected.  In preparation for such activities, plan on getting wet and dirty.  The location of the biostation is ideal for us to examine the effects of different sampling regimes on various calculations useful for wildlife conservation, such as diversity.  We will be doing some aquatic sampling.  So, bring either waders or clothes and wading shoes for getting wet.  Make sure you also bring a good flashlight or headlamp, because we will also be doing some activities at night.  You might also want to bring a pair of well-fitting gloves, because there may be an opportunity to handle various kinds of wildlife that might bite.  I prefer leather, but cloth gardening gloves are useful for handling small mammals.

Because we might encounter mud or wet grass during some of our field activities, a few people in the past have recommended having a pair of  rubber boots for hiking around.  This is a matter of personal preference.  If you do not bring such boots, make sure you have footwear that you don’t mind getting wet and muddy.

Grading: Grading will be based upon 2 exams (20% each) and participation in field activities and discussions (60%).  Discussions will be based around outside readings and are particularly important to solidify ideas concerning conservation.  It must be recognized that conservation is very complex and opinions about various topics vary widely.  I expect each of you to freely express your opinions during these discussions.  Each exam will be "take-home" with essay questions designed for you to express your opinion and to interpret conceptual issues about conservation.

For Graduate Credit :Graduate students will be required to conduct a mini-research project and present their results as an informal presentation during the last day of class.  The goal is to design a project dealing with a particular species or community that has merit for wildlife conservation. The project could be either basic or applied in approach, but should be hypothesis driven.  The purpose of this project is to assist students in the development of skills necessary to do "good" science.  I must approve projects in advance and I will provide as much guidance as necessary for the completion of the project.  Assistance with these projects from other students in the class will be available on a voluntary basis. 

Very Tentative Schedule

Day 1 - Monday, 23 May:

Morning -        Introduction; What is wildlife conservation?  A brief history of wildlife conservation in North America; What is baseline inventory and monitoring?  Baseline inventory and monitoring techniques part 1 (plants)

Discussion:      outside readings TBA

Afternoon -     Baseline inventory and monitoring techniques part 2 (invertebrates); Field sampling for invertebrates

Day 2  - Tuesday, 24 May:

Morning -        Baseline inventory and monitoring techniques part 3 (fishes, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals)

Discussion:      outside readings TBA

Afternoon -                 Declines, extinctions, diversity and biodiversity; Field sampling for vertebrates
                       
Discussion: Sand County Almanac: January, February, March

Day 3  - Wednesday, 25 May:

Morning -        Protection status; conservation genetics; landscape ecology

Discussion:      outside readings TBA

Afternoon -     Pollution, Climate change

Discussion: Sand County Almanac: April, May, June

Day 4 - Thursday, 26 May:

Morning -        Estimating abundance (total counts, line-transect theory, capture-mark-recapture theory)
           
Discussion:      outside readings TBA

Afternoon -     Estimating abundance, continued

Discussion: Sand County Almanac: July, August, September

Day 5 - Friday, 27 May :

Morning -        Radiotelemetry and movement analyses

Discussion:      outside readings TBA

Afternoon - Home range analyses; Habitat selection

Discussion: Sand County Almanac: October, November, December

Day 6 - Tuesday, 31 May :

Morning -        Demography and demographic techniques; PVA

Discussion:      outside readings TBA

Afternoon -     Habitat fragmentation, recovery plans

Discussion: Last Chance to See: Twig Technology; Here Be Chickens
           
Night activity: powder tracking.

Day 7 - Wednesday, 1 June:

Morning -        Parasites and disease; Nutrition and conservation; condition indices, and diet analyses
                       
Discussion:      outside readings TBA

Afternoon -     The exotic invasion; Weeds

Discussion:  Last Chance to See: Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat

Day 8 - Thursday, 2 June:

Morning -        Habitat manipulation

Discussion:      outside readings TBA

Afternoon -     Zoos as conservation tools; Reintroductions and headstarting

Discussion: Last Chance to See: Heartbeats in the Night

Night activity: spot lighting

Day 9 - Friday, 3 June:

Morning -        Commercialization of wildlife

Discussion:      outside readings TBA

Afternoon -     Human-wildlife conflicts

Discussion: Last Chance to See: Blind Panic

Day 10 - Saturday, 4 June:

Morning -        Graduate student presentations; Future of conservation

Discussion:      outside readings TBA                                                

Afternoon -     Final thoughts.

Discussion: Last Chance to See: Rare, or Medium Rare?; Mark’s Epilogue; Sifting Through the Embers

Reasonable Accommodation:  Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from demonstrating his or her abilities should contact Richard Kazmaier, Janet Isaac, (405) 325-7431 and the Disability Resource Center, Goddard Health Center, Rm. 166, (405) 325-3852, as soon as possible so that accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities can be discussed.

Richard Kazmaier
West Texas A & M University
Dept. of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Canyon, TX 79016
Phone: (806) 651-5278
E-mail: