Wolves and Human
Communities
DESCRIPTION: This online, web course, "Wolves and Human Communities", explores the natural history, ecology, and conservation of wolves in North America. It is based on the new book "Wolves and Human Communities: Biology, Politics, and Ethics" from Island Press, which grew out of a conference held at the American Museum of Natural History. The book explores the ecological and social considerations of a proposal to reestablish wolves into the Adirondacks in the eastern, United States.
From the book: "Like wolf restoration activities in the West, this proposal has generated intense public debate on issues of property rights, land use, obligations to present and future generations, animal rights, wildlife management, biodiversity and the health of ecosystems, and natural recovery .... versus reintroduction."
The book includes a chapter written by noted wolf biologist, L. David Mech: "The first time I ever saw a wolf in New York State's Adirondack Mountains was in 1956. It was a brush wolf, or coyote (Canis latrans), not a real wolf, but to an eager young wildlife student this distinction meant little. The presence of this large deer-killing canid let my fresh imagination view the Adirondacks as a real northern wilderness."
"Wolf reintroduction, as distinct from natural recovery, is an especially contentious issue, for it entails dramatic, deliberate action that must be open to public scrutiny, thorough discussion and review, and highly polarized debate. This is as it should be because once a wolf population is reintroduced to an area, it must be managed forever."
Students complete a series of five analytical assignments guiding them through this new book, explore web sites devoted to wolves, participate in online web-based discussions, and prepare a concluding technical report on a selected aspect of their text and internet studies of wolf ecology and management.
This course is suitable for a general university audience - both science and non-science majors, but it will particularly appeal to those with an interest and some background in conservation biology, ecology, and wildlife biology.
SCHEDULE: Begins: 14 May; Ends by: 3 August, 2001.
FORMAT: Online and web-based (requires a computer with internet and email); Self-paced; Online discussions and information sharing with classmates and the instructor.
ASSIGNMENTS: Five short analytical worksheets covering the text, participation in online discussion forum, one graded paper, no exams.
SUMMER REGISTRATION: Natrs 417, section 2, 1 credit. Register through the WSU Summer Session: (http://www.summer.wsu.edu). After you register, send a confirming email to the NRS summer session coordinator to receive additional course instructions: R.D. Sayler (rdsayler@wsu.edu).
- Political and Policy Perspectives on Wolf Restoration.
- Wolf Restoration in the Adirondacks.
- Facilitating Citizen Participation.
- The Need for Wolf Control.
- Legal and Policy Challenges.
- Lessons from the Greater Yellowstone.
- Leopold's Wildness: Can Wolves and Humans be at Home in the Adirondacks?
- Sustainability, Evironmental Policy, and the Reintroduction of Wolves.
Biology, Politics, and Ethics
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SAMPLE WEB
SITES USED IN
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