Courses

RENR 8201 – Terrain and Stream Channel Assessment for Ecological Restoration

This course provides an outline of the physical processes that control how watersheds function; it provides the necessary geophysical link with biology required to successfully plan, undertake and complete ecological restoration. Both terrestrial and fluvial processes are considered. Because these processes require understanding of general geoscience principals, this course includes selected basic introduction to earth science concepts. The first section of the course covers general earth science principals leading into terrain assessment, including a wide range of terrain attributes, with mapping and related interpretations such as landslide and erosion hazards from the point of view of the map user and according to current provincial (British Columbia) standards. Topics covered include an overview of watershed assessment approaches, morphometry, hydrological concepts, surficial materials and landforms, principles of soil physical behavior (e.g., drainage and strength), use of terrain maps, terrain map symbols, and developing terrain maps landslide and other slope processes. The second section, dealing with fluvial processes, covers the collection and interpretation of stream channel data. Other topics will include: the provincial Channel Assessment Procedure and the effects of land use on stream channel, gully and alluvial fan morphology, and channel restoration strategies.

RENR 8202 – Stream Assessment and Restoration

This course develops the foundational skills needed to link geomorphic processes and freshwater aquatic habitat in efforts to successfully evaluate and restore freshwater stream habitat in a changing climate. This course focuses on data collection methods and analysis techniques used to determine stream function and health in the Pacific Northwest. Topics include physical stream processes and their link to signs of habitat degradation, evaluating fish habitat and channel substrate for spawning suitability, and using digital tools to evaluate historical channel changes. Students will also learn methods for increasing stream habitat complexity, designing off-channel habitat, evaluating barriers to fish passage, low-tech restoration strategies, and effectively communicating about restoration with the public. ​

ECOR 9220 – Restoration of Lentic Ecosystems

This course will give an overview of limnology and focus on specific aspects of applied limnology and environmental engineering required to undertake ecological restoration of lakes and reservoirs. The overview lectures discuss lake formation and basin morphometry, stratification and circulation, water chemistry (including nutrient and carbonate chemistry), BOD tests, and hypolimnetic oxygen depletion. Applied aspects of the course include experimentally determining re-aeration rates and sizing of hypolimnetic aeration/oxygenation and destratification systems, calculation of nutrient loading programs for lake and reservoir enrichment, calculation of heat budgets, and use of nutrient-loading models to assess eutrophication risk. Students will participate in lectures and group sessions and design a restoration proposal for a eutrophic winterkill lake. Prerequisite: ECOR 9100 and ECO 611 and ECOR 9110

ECOR 9301 – Wetland and Estuary Restoration

This course covers the fundamentals of wetland and estuary form, function, classification and restoration in Canada. The wetland section of the course covers wetland classification, examines mechanisms of wetland loss and the importance of wetlands in storing carbon, and the physical, chemical and biological mechanisms by which constructed wetlands remove pollutants from urban storm water. The steps for building groundwater wetlands, surface water wetlands, wetlands with liners and floating wetlands will be examined, in addition to the steps for building and maintaining constructed wetlands. The estuary section of the course covers estuary classification, reviews the high ecological importance of estuaries and reviews the physical, chemical and biological nature of estuaries. Procedures for restoring estuaries is covered, including dealing with invasive species (plant and animal) and legacy contaminants. The course will focus on re-establishing the carbon flux and storage in the estuaries through re-planting of sub tidal eelgrass, emergent sedges and strategic placement of large woody debris. Students will participate in a one-hour seminar discussion each week with specific emphasis on critically reviewing the concepts and their application to ecological restoration. Seminar topics will follow directly from the lecture material and be guided by leading questions. Students will prepare and lead each seminar discussion with guidance from the instructor. Students that have taken RENR 8106 would not be able to take this course for credit in the M.Sc. program. Students will participate in a field trip to design a wetland for construction, construct a wetland, or monitor the performance of a recently constructed wetland. This trip is typically scheduled during the second or third week of class.

ECOR 9304 – Restoration of Lotic Ecosystems

This course will give a detailed overview of freshwater restoration techniques used primarily to mitigate losses of salmonid habitat and stocks. The spectrum will examine physical, chemical, thermal, and biological restoration technologies used in this province, some of which are new and innovative, while others have been used extensively over the last 100 years. Aspects of this course will include; spawning channels, fish ladders, development of off-channel habitats, in- stream woody debris placement, lake fertilization, stream fertilization, hypolimnetic cold-water withdrawal, mitigation of Total Gas Pressure (TGP) supersaturation at dams, lake destratification, hypolimnetic aeration/oxygenation, fish passage and culvert re-design, and biomanipulation. Students will participate in a one-hour seminar discussion each week with specific emphasis on critically reviewing the concepts and their application to ecological restoration. Seminar topics will follow directly from the lecture material and be guided by leading questions. Students will prepare and lead each seminar discussion with guidance from the instructor. Students that have taken RENR 8102 would not be able to take this course for credit in the M.Sc. program. Students will require a laptop and access to the internet to complete some in-class assignments. Field trips will emphasize the concepts discussed in class.