SNR 535: Sustainable Management of Aquatic and Riparian Resources (1 credit)
Instructor: Guillermo Giannico
Timeframe: 5 two-hour sessions

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to integrated strategies and policies for the sustainable management of watersheds, estuaries, coastal zones and aquatic resources. Special emphasis will be on aquatic ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest, and in the links between land uses and aquatic habitats.

Class sessions will consist of lectures from the instructor and from guest speakers, discussions about sustainable resource management, and student presentations on case studies from other parts of the country and the world. At the end of the course, students will present either a watershed management, a coastal zone management or a fish habitat restoration plan that incorporates the sustainability principles discussed in class.

Desired Learning Outcomes

• Ability to identify management tools that contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of aquatic resources.
• Ability to identify actions that can be taken to reduce the negative effects of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.
• Ability to understand the advantages of using watersheds as natural units for both information gathering and decision-making plans regarding the management of natural resources.
• Ability to develop an integrated watershed or coastal zone management plan.
• Ability to design an implementation strategy for a management plan.

Lecture Topics

1. Introduction: definitions; why an ecosystem approach?; watershed response to land use; watershed analysis approach; history of watershed management.
    
2. Methods, Techniques and Tools: stream focus; land focus, human focus, integrated focus; approaches; environmental review; ecological risk assessment.
    
3. Hydrology: the hydrological cycle; precipitation; evaporation and evapo-transpiration; storage; runoff; water balance.
    
4. Sediment Dynamics: sediment cycle; sediment sources; transport processes; deposition.
    
5. Water Quality: water quality monitoring; monitoring strategy; sources of contaminants; water quality indicators; water quality regulations.
    
6. Aquatic Biota: fish, invertebrates, habitats and their components; community processes; food webs and energy flow; habitat evaluation and assessment.
    
7. Land Use – Water Issues: agriculture; forestry; mining; the urban environment; reservoirs and hydropower developments; stream buffer zones; wetlands; groundwater.
    
8. Habitat Restoration: the importance of fish habitat protection and restoration. How to plan and evaluate habitat restoration projects.
    
9. Community Based Resource Management: organization of watershed community groups; development of integrated watershed management and action plans.
    
10. Conclusions: management philosophies; traditional and new (sustainable)) approaches; what is needed; the challenges