Field Ecology: Documenting Natural Areas of the Bennington Region (BIO4127.02)

Kerry Woods

The class will be dedicated to intensive study of the ecosystems of the Bennington region and direct observation and documentation of natural areas in the region. Each Thursday afternoon will be dedicated to intensive field study of selected natural areas. Students will be responsible for compiling descriptive documentation, to be published on-line to initiate a ‘base-line’ archive of regional natural history. Monday class meetings will revolve around reading, discussion, and summation of existing scientific resources, including technical publications and papers from the primary research literature, concerning natural history of the region. Students must be prepared for field-work in moderately challenging terrain (from swamps to rocky hill-tops) and in all weathers.

The class will meet Students should have prior or concurrent experience/coursework in field-oriented natural science (ecology, plant biology, geology, etc.)

NOTE: If, by the 2nd 7 weeks of spring term, off-campus field-trips remain logistically impossible because of Covid-19, this course will be replaced by an iteration of the “Bennington Biodiversity Project”. Prerequisites, schedule and general expectations will be similar; the objective will be intensive study and documentation of selected groups of organisms on the Bennington College campus, adding to the existing ‘All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory’ (http://wiki.bennington.edu/Bennington_Biodiversity_Project).


Learning Outcomes:



Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Prerequisites:Previous work/study in some area of field-oriented natural science, or permission of instructor.
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 2
M 1:40PM-3:30PM, Th 1:40PM-5:20PM (2nd seven weeks)
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Course Frequency: One time only

Categories: All courses , Biology , Earth Science , Environment , Fully In-Person
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