How the Course Works We rarely take time to watch what is happening outdoors. At most, we see brief snapshots of the outdoors as we hurry in a largely urbanized environment. The weather report on the evening news is important only to our comfort. Field Ecology is designed to make you aware of how nature is reacting in an unmanaged landscape.
Understanding comes from observations taken at many times and at many places.
Studying ecological processes over a single course term generally isn't long enough. A typical class usually doesn't have the resources to compare sites in different regions. In this course, we will overcome these difficulties with a collaboration of students and with extensive comparisons with historical records. Each year the course runs, the richer the database of information as the observations made during the term will be accumulated and used in subsequent course offerings. In addition, technology will be used to provide access to otherwise inaccessible sites.