For example, a turkey hunter realizes that the best place to hunt will have both roosting trees and feeding areas in close proximity. At Mars Hill College, GIS and spatial data are used in teaching and research related to landscape ecology topics. The Biology department at Mars Hill College offers courses that deal with topics in ecology and conservation biology at introductory and advanced levels. In the introductory course students learn the importance of spatial patterns. Students in this course learn to evaluate maps of habitats and identify sites that are suitable for different species, from orchids to salamanders to migratory songbirds.
More advanced students tackle more interesting and sophisticated problems.
For example, they compare maps from different time periods to measure changes in the amount and spatial arrangement of forest in the Southern Blue Ridge. Activities using GIS are integrated into these courses to help students become familiar with this technology and to provide students with a perspective on nature that is otherwise impossible to achieve. Whether slowly or quickly, they change through time in response to natural or human-related forces. Dr. Scott Pearson is one of the scientists collaborating in research on the effects of natural and human-caused changes to ecosystems in the Southern Blue Ridge mountains. This research is coordinated through the Coweeta Long-term Ecological Research Site located near Franklin NC, and includes researchers from seven different colleges and universities.