October 2009 Archives

I've had a couple of questions about Project #2. In the interest of keeping everyone on the same page, I'm posting the questions and my answers to them here.

1. Is the selected historical target an appropriate one? Is this asking if a historical target is an appropriate method of the possible coarse filter strategies, or is it asking specifically about the choice of 1000 years pre-European settlement as a baseline for the specific types of ecological sites that should be present and their associated disturbance regimes?

I had in mind the specific historical target mentioned in the plan, i.e., the 1000 years prior to European settlement. If you wanted to argue against that target you could argue that either (a) the specific time period that was chosen isn't the best one (you'd need to explain what time period you think would be better and why) or (b) it doesn't make any sense to pick a particular historical period as a target for rmanagememnt (you'd need to clarify whether you're making that argument for any management plan or just for this one, in particular).

2. What criteria can be used to determine whether the target is appropriate? Again, is this referring to the criteria for the selection of the historical target method from different types of coarse filter strategies, or why 1000 years pre-European settlement was chosen as the specific target for disturbance regimes and ecological sites?

   The answer to this question depends on the tack you're taking on the first question. If you're going to argue that historical targets are never appropriate, for example, you'll need to explain what criteria you use in making that judgment. If, on the other hand, you argue that they picked the wrong historical target, you'll need to explain what criteria would have led you to pick a different one. If you think they got things just right, you'll need to explain what criteria led you to that judgment.
   

I hope that helps. If it doesn't, let me know.

Notes for the ecosystem management case study on Wednesday are now posted. We're returning to the western U.S. yet again. There's a lot more material posted than you can possibly read before lecture on Wednesday, assuming you have a life, but please read the Executive Summary carefully and look over a couple of the other things I suggest. Feel free to read or skim other parts of the plan if you're so inclined (and thank your lucky stars that I didn't make the 2nd project an analysis of this plan).

I recently learned about an event at UConn Avery Point that may interest some of you. If you're driving from Storrs, please carpool!

STORRS, Conn. - A symposium entitled "Indigenous People and The Environment"
is being held at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28, in the Branford House on UConn's Avery Point
campus. This event is part of a year-long Learning Community initiative called
"Looking for Indians: Indigenous People and the Environment," coordinated by
Campus Director of Academic Services Susan Lyons and Assistant Professor of
Anthropology Margaret Bruchac.

The Learning Community is centered on two INTD (inter-disciplinary) courses for
freshmen and sophomores taught by Lyons and Bruchac. In addition, twenty faculty
from thirteen disciplines have devised new teaching units to assist students in exploring
Native American issues from various disciplinary perspectives. For more information,
visit: http://www.averypoint.uconn.edu/avery_point/learning_community.htm

Bruchac serves as the Coordinator of Native American Studies at the Avery Point
Campus. For the symposium, she will be joined by panelists Sandy Grande (Associate
Professor of Education at Connecticut College), William Green (Director of the Logan
Museum), Syma Ebbin (Research Coordinator for the Connecticut Sea Grant Program
at Avery Point), Jason Mancini (Senior Researcher at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum
and Research Center), and Greg Stone (Adjunct Professor of Journalism at Avery Point).
The panelists will discuss how professionals from different backgrounds and academic
disciplines and Native American peoples approach these topics through a variety of
methods, and how conceptions of natural resources and sustainability and territory
shape our understandings of indigenous people, past and present.

For a map and directions, visit: http://averypoint.uconn.edu/avery_point/direct.htm

For more information:
Margaret Bruchac, (860) 405-9059, Margaret.bruchac@uconn.edu

From today's Science:

On 3 October, a few weeks after Montana opened its first legal wolf-hunting season in decades, a hunter killed the alpha female of Yellowstone Park's Cottonwood Pack, whose behavior, travels, life history, and genealogy had been studied in detail by scientists for years. Her death, and that of five other pack members also shot outside Yellowstone, has irrevocably changed what had been a unique long-term study, the researchers say.

Andre Felton pointed out a really nice article on ecosystem management that I've added to the suggested reading for Monday. My plan is still to focus on the south Florida example, but please take a look at Goldman and Tallis to see what we can learn from them that might cause us to think about south Florida differently.

I've fiddled with the lecture schedule to accommodate our recent excursion into landscape change and historical ecology. (Next time I teach this course, I'm going to change the sequence of lectures to match what we just did. I think it makes more sense this way than it did the way I originally scheduled it.) The lecture for next Monday is the ecosystem management lecture I had originally planned to get started two days ago, and the readings are the same. So we're actually a bit ahead. 

As promised, I've rearranged the lecture schedule a bit. Notes on landscape change and conservation objectives are available now. I'll post a few readings in the morning.

There's a good chance that we won't cover everything on Wednesday and that we'll continue the discussion of historical ecology on Monday. If so, I'll have to do some further juggling of lectures, but I still plan to assign Project #2 on Monday the 26th.

I've posted notes and readings for Monday's lecture. Sorry for not getting them up sooner. It's been a crazy week.

I've posted links to some papers on diversity/stability issues that you may want to take a look at. I've also posted a short PDF identifying three issues about gray wolves that I'd like to spend a little time discussing at the start of class. If you have a chance, please take a look at the issues and think about them a little before 10:30.

I made it -- with 10 minutes to spare. The diversity stability notes are now posted. I'll post links to a few key papers tomorrow morning, and I'll also post a few thoughts about Project #1 that we can discuss tomorrow at the beginning of class.

First, I've decided not to assign Project #2 tomorrow as originally planned. I did so not only because I haven't had time to put it together yet,¹ but also because by not assigning it until the 26th of October, I can make it focus on ecosystem-level conservation. I think that will balance the assignments better than having a second one that's species focused.²

Second, I'll have some notes on diversity and ecosystem functioning posted by sometime tonight, probably no later than 9:00pm, but maybe not much before.

Third, I think we'll spend the first part of the class period talking about the wolf assignment. In grading the papers, I noticed several issues that I'd like to talk about. Some are just factual, i.e., me clarifying a bit what the ESA does and doesn't require, but others are points where there were different conclusions. We won't discuss all of them, but I think it might be instructive to air a few of the differences and talk about them together. We may or may not agree in the end, but at least we should have a better understanding of the issues. I'll try to post a few notes outlining the points I think we'll want to discuss.

I threw my back out yesterday afternoon while doing some yard work, so I had to spend most of the evening lying down, and I wasn't able to finish grading last night. I'll have nearly all of the papers graded, but not all, by the time lecture rolls around this morning. Those of you who handed in paper copies can pick them up after lecture. I'll be e-mailing copies with embedded comments to the rest of you by the end of the day.

Just a couple of comments in the meantime...

First, I use an expanded scale for grading in this course to allow me to make finer distinctions:

• 90-100: A
• 85-89: A-
• 80-84: B+
• 75-79: B
• 70-74: B-

I'm pleased to report that (so far at least) I haven't had to worry about any grade lower than a B-.

Second, If the comments I've written on your paper don't explain to you why I scored your paper as I did, feel free to ask me about it. If I've written something like "You asserted your opinions without providing much evidence for them" or "You need to analyze the arguments of each side", take another look at the Criteria used in judging projects (scroll down to the bottom of the page). That may give you a better idea of what I meant. If you still don't understand, feel free to ask.

We are seeking three qualified undergrads and two qualified graduate students to participate in a field-based research expedition to study biodiversity, ecology, and evolution in selected plant groups in South Africa. The field portion will extend over about 5 weeks from ~July 20-August 24, and will involve research at 4-5 different field sites where students will conduct independent projects and will participate in group projects.  Students will also be expected to enroll in a weekly seminar (1 credit during Spring semester of 2010) covering both cultural and scientific background, to be held on the UConn Storrs campus.  Travel, lodging and field expenses will be paid for by a grant from the National Science Foundation for International Research Experiences for Students.

This will be the third such trip we have made to South Africa and a number of UConn undergrads and grads have participated in the past.

Interested students should submit /transcripts, resume/ (with contact information), /one //letter of recommendation/ (in a sealed, signed envelope), and /a cover letter/ that describes previous research experience, previous international experience (if any), a list of relevant courses, and a brief statement /explaining why you are interested in this experience/.
Please submit application materials by *November 2* to *Carl Schlichting*, U 3043, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut.   

Students interested in participating in the course are encouraged to contact Carl Schlichting for more information before application materials are due.

Carl Schlichting
Professor
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, U 3043
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT   06269 

I posted the notes and associated reading for the case study on the black sea turtle last night. Sorry for not getting them up sooner, but I think you'll find that there's not too much reading involved (though there is a lot of thinking).

I decided that we should focus on the black sea turtle alone, rather than trying to discuss the issues about definition of distinct population segments that I alluded to in lecture on Wednesday. I'm still working out the details for the next project, but I am thinking that it's likely to involve some analysis of the distinct population segments debate. I'll keep you posted (obviously).

Posted -- finally. I am gradually catching up. I'll have notes for Monday posted by tomorrow night, and I'll have readings posted (reasonably) early tomorrow morning.

I've posted links to several resources on bay checkerspots that you may find interesting. A couple of them are papers that I'll refer to in lecture. I won't have much to say about the McGlaughlin et al. paper in <em>PNAS</em>, and I probably won't say anything about the Bean paper in the <em>Idaho Law Review</em>, but I encourage you to skim them.

For any of you particularly interested in endangered species policy, the Bean paper will be particularly interesting.

Sorry these are getting up so late, but the last week has been crazy. I'll post a couple of background readings tomorrow morning. For technical reasons I can't do it (easily) from off campus.

As you can probably guess, I won't be getting your papers back to you tomorrow. I'm afraid it will be next Monday before I can. I apologize for the delay.