Advanced GIS is a fast-paced course designed to teach graduate students to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping, spatial data management, and spatial data analysis. Instruction is based on reading assignments, lectures, and weekly hands-on labs using ArcGIS 10.1, including both desktop and online mapping tools for collaboration and presentation.
Evaluations are based on the quality of student-produced map and analysis products and two quizzes. Students should have experience with quantitative software and must be able to demonstrate a solid understanding of MS Windows file management practices. Students will be expected to use the Esri software suite outside of class, for performing hands-on mapping assignments. Student versions of the ArcGIS software will be made available, but support is limited to college computers (note: ArcGIS Desktop software runs only under MS Windows, see requirements: http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/system-requirements/10.1 ).
Faculty Biography
Mike Ruth, M.Sc.,
is a professional GIS practitioner for Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc). Mike has been a project manager and consultant for Esri, helping a wide variety of agencies learn and exploit geographic information systems. His clients have included major non governmental organizations, tribal and state governments, and US federal agencies. Mike studied Environmental Science in college, later specializing in Geology at George Washington University. For his Masters degree, Mike completing a field mapping project studying the geology of the western Dominican Republic along the Haiti border area. After completing his Master of Science degree, Mike worked for the Spot Image Corporation, developing GeoTIFF and other satellite imagery methods for GIS integration. Now at Esri, Mike has focused on Africa projects for non-profit organizations over the past few years. Recent projects address the applications of GIS technology for improving polio vaccination success in Nigeria, agricultural improvement for small holder farmers in Tanzania, and participatory community conservation activities in the western Serengeti, among other projects.
Email MES Director for approval (Kevin Francis, francisk@evergreen.edu ).
The fourth program in the core sequence allows students to deepen their understanding of the research process as they make decisions about their own thesis research design and methodology. Activities and assignments help students understand how their thesis builds upon and fills gaps they identify in previous research. Students will complete a literature review to guide their their own research framework and study design. They will write a prospectus in collaboration with a reader assigned in the course of Case Studies to facilitate the thesis research process. Through this course, students will improve their ability to communicate academic research to a broad audience via posters and oral presentations. Successful completion of this program is required to enroll for thesis credits.
This course focuses on the biology that underlies conservation and restoration issues around the world. There are many ways to approach the study of conservation and restoration biology and this course will mostly emphasize the scientific elements of these disciplines. The course will also will provide you with a practitioner's perspective of the relationship between biology and policy from work done in Washington State. This course will introduce students to the literature, controversies, and promising methodologies for a variety of conservation/restoration biology applications. In addition, a number of local experts will come in and provide perspectives on their work in applied fields of conservation. We will read, discuss, and write on various conservation topics. Course assignments will include written and oral exercises with peer evaluations to help students develop ideas and improve communication skills. This course will introduce students to the principal concepts and methodologies of conservation and restoration biology, enrich their understanding of the scientific contributions necessary for solving conservation problems, and further their powers of analysis and communication.
Faculty Biography
Timothy Quinn, Ph.D., has served as chief scientist of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s habitat program since 1999. Quinn recently served on the Science Working Group that came up with scientific underpinnings and a technical framework for the development of the Puget Sound Partnership. He has a B.S. in Biology from Western Washington University (1979), an M.S. in Physiological Ecology of Marine Fish from Western Washington University (1987), and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from University of Washington (1993).
The modern industrial food system has dramatically increased agricultural productivity, reduced the cost of food production, and provided an almost unlimited range of consumer choices. The corporations and organizations that control this system are some of the wealthiest and most politically powerful forces on the planet. Despite this success, the environmental, social, and economic consequences of the system have led many to question its long-term sustainability. This class will examine the origins of the modern industrial food system and the economic and policy framework that supports it, both internationally and in the United States. Through readings, lectures, films, discussions, written assignments, and a day-long field trip, we will consider both the costs and benefits of the current system as well as potential alternatives and strategies for change. Students will also complete an individual research project examining their own relationship with the food system and the forces and policies that shape their choices as consumers and citizens.
Faculty Biography (forthcoming)
The first program in the core sequence provides an interdisciplinary framework for understanding Pacific Northwest ecosystems, environmental history, and regional identity. In addition to developing a foundation in the methodologies and perspectives of core environmental disciplines, students will assess the value of particular disciplines for framing and solving environmental problems. We will focus on a few major environmental challenges, such as salmon recovery and forest management, through readings, lectures, workshops, seminar discussions, writing assignments, and field trips. A central part of this quarter's work is an interdisciplinary group project, which assumes that many critical environmental issues cannot be solved by individuals working alone or even by teams from a single discipline. This project provides an opportunity for students to develop their research, writing, presentation, and collaborative problem-solving skills.
Quantitative methods of research typically focus on answering questions about the extent or significance of relationships between variables. In contrast, qualitative research seeks to answer questions that usually start with "Why. . . " and "How . . ." through nuanced descriptions and explanations. This elective introduces students to both the theory and methodology associated with diverse kinds of qualitative research. Students will explore the social construction of reality, what it means to participate in "self-full" research, phenomenology, and grounded theory through reading and seminar discussions. Students will also examine environmental studies that use observational research, archival searches, case studies, interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Finally, students will develop skills on specific tools for data analysis and interpretation, including the use of Atlas.ti for coding. Students can expect to complete exercises throughout the quarter that help them discover key features and techniques of qualitative research. This course provides a strong conceptual and practical foundation for students who want to employ qualitative methods in their thesis or subsequent research.
Faculty Biography
Kathleen M. Saul, M.A., M.E.S.,
received her BA in French and BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and MA in Management from the Wharton School of Business (University of Pennsylvania) before turning her attention to environmental issues and eventually joining the MES program at Evergreen. After completing her degree in 2009, she taught Statistics in the Evening and Weekend studies program and Qualitative Methods, an Energy elective and gCORE in the Graduate Program on the Environment. Kathleen then moved to the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware to pursue her PhD. Her dissertation research focuses on the displacement of people that results from large scale technology projects, with a focus those involving nuclear technology. While at Delaware, she participated in research projects looking into the energy policy implications of the Fukushima nuclear disaster as well as alternative administrative forms for organizations devoted to energy conservation, efficiency, and sustainable energy options. She also taught in the undergraduate Introduction to Energy Policy and Sustainable Energy Policy and Planning courses. Her engineering acumen, business sense, and environmental awareness all come together in understanding modern energy systems and the green energy economy.
Our public lands are a resource far beyond monetary value. Washington’s forested and shrub steppe landscapes represent a vulnerable and irreplaceable natural resource that fosters vital wildlife habitat, forage, clean water, oxygen regeneration, carbon storage, fiber and building materials, recreational opportunities, personal solace and much more. In the first phase of this class, we will look at the complex management plans currently deployed on state, federal, and tribal lands across Washington State. Students will also engage directly with a diverse spectrum of land managers in both field and classroom settings. Course work will include analyzing research papers and land plans that detail many of the current strategies managers use. A mid-term paper summarizing these various and sometimes contrasting management methods will be required. The second phase of the course will focus on climate change and the threat this presents to all public lands and, thus, the imperative of adaptive strategies. Students will consider a range of climate models and consensus predictions presented by climatologists. We will also focus on innovative management strategies that will enhance the resilience of public forests and rangelands to mitigate warmer temperatures and more frequent natural disturbances. Visiting experts from Native American tribes and federal and state agencies will lead discussions on potential approaches to the enormous threat that climate change presents. We will examine and debate management strategies to increase resilience of forests and rangelands, improve carbon storage, enhance water retention of landscapes, and dramatically increase the fire resistance of embedded communities. A final paper and oral argument on each student’s suggested potential adaptation plans for public lands will be required. There will be a minimum of 4 field trips, including meetings with scientists and senior agency staff in the field.
Faculty Biography
Peter Goldmark has a lifelong involvement with agriculture, conservation, science, education, and public service. In January 2017, Peter completed his second elected term as Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands. He obtained his B.S. from Haverford College in 1967 and went on to complete a PhD in Molecular Biology at UC Berkeley. He has published research papers in national and international journals and instructed class at Heritage college and UC Berkeley.
The second program in the core sequence examines sustainability at theoretical and practical levels. We will examine how sustainability is understood from multiple perspectives, emphasizing systems thinking and complexity theory at regional, national, and global scales. Students will develop a foundation in climate science, development theory, and energy policy to help them assess current strategies of climate mitigation and adaptation. Seminars, lectures, and workshops will help students refine their critical thinking, writing, discussion, and presentation skills. By the end of the quarter, each student will produce a professional quality research paper (candidacy paper) and presentation based on current scholarship. Candidacy is outlined in the student handbook .
Maintaining a reliable energy system is vital to a healthy society and economy. However, energy extraction, production, and transportation practices across the globe have created serious social and environmental harms, and the United States has not escaped these problems. Although existing and emerging renewable energy technologies promise to help alleviate some of these issues by greatly reducing pollution and being conducive to a more democratic energy production system, the existing energy regime holds much economic and political power to influence the capacity and rate of the clean energy transition. This elective will examine the social and environmental justice implications of various energy production systems, including fossil fuels, nuclear, hydroelectric, and renewables. Through the study of historic and contemporary case studies primarily in the United States (but also in Canada), we will identify broad patterns of injustice and power inherent to the current energy regime complex. We will explore issues of justice and resistance in the larger societal shift toward a cleaner energy economy, as well as forces of change and obstruction in the energy transition, including technology, infrastructure, economy, politics, and social movements. We will spend considerable time studying the impacts of energy development on indigenous or native peoples and consider the role of indigenous rights in the energy transition. We will conclude by exploring pathways toward a just energy transition.
Faculty Biography (forthcoming)
Environmental literacy and engagement are considered essential to furthering goals of sustainability, environmental protection, and climate justice – but how is such literacy developed? This course examines a variety of recognized disciplines within Environmental Education (EE), including outdoor leadership, K-12 education, and citizen science. While exploring the history and development of these fields, we will also critically examine their goals and limitations and consider possibilities for improvement and change. Guest speakers and field trips will contribute to our understanding of EE and how it is interpreted and practiced by multiple stakeholders. Students should expect to gain a more historical understanding of EE, develop insights into real-world challenges to implementing good EE, and add new tools to their educator/communicator toolbox. Note: We will have two all-day Saturday field trips (dates TBA).
Faculty Biography:
Andrea Martin is the Assistant Director of Evergreen’s Master of Environmental Studies program. She has been leading and participating in outdoor and environmental education programs since 2009 all over the western United States. As an MES student from 2011-13, she investigated the long-term influence outdoor education opportunities have on environmental decision making. After completing her MES, Andrea worked with the non-profit Washington Trails Association, where she led their state-wide youth stewardship and leadership programs and supported the development of their equity and inclusion initiatives.
To complete their degree, MES students are required to complete a 16 credit thesis. Students are assigned a faculty mentor or "reader" in fall quarter of their second year. Each reader is assigned a CRN (course reference number) for Winter quarter and a different CRN for Spring quarter, and students will be notified of their reader's CRN by email from the MES office prior to registration for each quarter. Students will take eight thesis credits each quarter. In addition to the thesis, students are required to attend an evening thesis workshop, which is usually offered on occasional Tuesday or Thursday evenings throughout the Winter and Spring quarters. Students will be notified of exact details during Fall quarter. See our Thesis Resources page for more information.
Reader must approve thesis registration by allowing signature override in their my.evergreen.edu account, emailing registration@evergreen.edu with permission for student to register, or signing a course registration form.
Reader must approve thesis registration by allowing signature override in their my.evergreen.edu account, emailing registration@evergreen.edu with permission for student to register, or signing a course registration form.
This class explores Costa Rican tropical ecology, research, and culture through preparatory classes, readings, and a two-week trip to southern Costa Rica. Students will be introduced to organisms and ecological processes of lowland, pre-montane and cloud forest tropical forests through a series of forest walks, lectures, and independent field studies. Each student will develop, implement, and report on an independent field study exploring concepts from class, lectures, and reading. The class will travel by private transport and stay at three research stations. Resources and staff at each station will help students maximize their time in country.
Class topics will explore (1) biogeographical and ecological explanations for species diversity and distribution, (2) alternate hypotheses and explanations for high diversity tropical forests, (3) ecological interactions and coevolution, (4) pollination and fruit dispersal mechanisms, (5) land use change, forest fragmentation and sustainable development models, (6) Costa Rica’s forward-thinking ecosystem services programs, and (7) forest restoration.
Faculty Biography
Richard Bigley, Ph.D., is a forest ecologist who teaches sustainable forestry and on occasion a forest ecology class. His current work focuses on the restoration of riparian forests to older forest conditions in western Washington, and the ecology and management of headwater streams and wetlands. He works for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Over the last 21 years with DNR, he has served as the team leader for the Forest Ecology, Wildlife Science and the Habitat Conservation Plan Monitoring and Adaptive Management Teams. He also advises other organizations on the development of conservation plans. Before DNR, he worked as an ecologist for the Forest Service PNW Experiment Station and private industry. Richard earned a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology and Silviculture and a M.Sc. in Botany from the University of British Columbia. He has been an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, College of the Environment, School of Forestry since 1994. As member of the Northern Spotted owl “5-year review” panel in 2004, Richard was a contributor to the first comprehensive evaluation of the scientific information on the Northern Spotted owl since the time of its listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990. After his family, his passions are the science of natural resources management and conservation, and boating.
Sabra Hull (forthcoming)
How do different patterns of urban development affect biodiversity, ecosystem function, human health, and social well-being? Can we accommodate urban growth in the face of environmental changes, while maintaining and restoring urban green spaces and habitats? Why do some species adapt to urban environments while others do not? These are examples of the “big questions” that urban ecologists ask. Answering them requires collaboration across diverse disciplines.
In this course we will examine urban areas as socio-ecological systems, in which humans and their actions are a component of ecological systems. Students will learn relevant principles, methods and approaches from ecology, geography, economics, history, urban studies and public policy development, and use them to assess case studies of environmental problems and solutions in urban areas. Students will also read and discuss contemporary scientific articles and books, visit local restoration and green infrastructure projects, and address a critical urban ecological issue of their choice through a final project.
Faculty Biography (forthcoming)
Native American Tribes represent a powerful force for environmental and social progress in an age that can seem to be dominated by negative forces within our political economic system. To a significant extent, the Tribes are leaders in fields such as conservation, ecological restoration, and adaptation to climate change. In addition to managing a significant part of the land base, the Tribes possess unique legal tools and the only long-term cultural memory of environmental conditions in this continent. This elective will be of interest to students who will be working as scientists, resource managers, policy makers, and educators addressing pressing environmental issues such as climate change, habitat conservation, ecological restoration, recovery of endangered species, and challenges to human health and environmental quality posed by water, soil, and air pollution. Working in or collaborating with the resource agencies, scientists, and governance structures of American Indian Tribes is increasingly a central task of all environmental professionals. Yet, most of these newly minted environmental professionals have little to no preparation for such work. To be effective, environmental scientists, resource managers, policy makers and educators must understand: (1) treaty law and policy, and Indian land tenure; (2) Tribal accomplishments and current projects in such areas as ecological restoration, habitat conservation, and recovery of endangered species; and (3) the fields of Native science and Indigenous knowledge, and how practitioners engage in what is known as “two-eyed seeing” – a special case of interdisciplinarity that encompasses knowledge acquisition using Western and Native American traditions. The course will address these topics, using a combination of lectures, seminars, case studies, guest lectures and panels, plus a weekend field trip.
Faculty Biography:
Linda Moon Stumpff, a member of the Apache Tribe, is emeritus faculty who has dedicated her long and varied career to protecting the land and Indigenous knowledge and values.
Ted Whitesell, Ph.D., is a broadly trained cultural geographer with special interests in political ecology and conservation. As a freshman at the University of Colorado, Ted co-founded the CU Wilderness Study Group. After graduation, Ted ran the Colorado Wilderness Workshop, the only statewide preservation organization at the time. From 1975 to 1985, he was a leader of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, campaigning to secure designation of the first wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest. He was recognized as the most accomplished environmental leader in the country of 25 years of age or less by the Tyler Foundation. Later, he earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, investigating grassroots proposals for conservation and development in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. Ted came to The Evergreen State College in 1998 and is affiliated with two planning units – Environmental Studies and Sustainability & Justice. His students published a major book in April 2004, called Defending Wild Washington (The Mountaineers Books). His most recent research was a collaborative investigation of tribal perspectives on marine protected areas in western Washington.
Inland waters are some of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Yet they provide critical ecosystem services: providing food and freshwater, regulating climate, and detoxifying pollutants. In this course, we will examine inland waters (focusing on rivers and streams) as ecological systems that interact with their drainage basin and the atmosphere. We will also explore how physical, chemical, and biological processes operate and impact the organisms found within each ecosystem. Finally, we will study the way inland waters, as hotspots of biogeochemical activity, contribute to fluxes of greenhouse gasses. Case studies of real-world problems will be used to assess the effect of anthropogenic changes on inland waters and watersheds. This program will include lectures, laboratories, and field trips to gain experience with sampling techniques in aquatic ecology.
Faculty Biography
Erin Martin, Ph.D. , is an aquatic biogeochemist whose research focuses on examining the role of rivers in the global carbon cycle. Rivers are large sources of carbon to both the atmosphere and the ocean and are consequently critical to our understanding of the global carbon cycle. While working in the Amazon Basin, her research demonstrated that bacteria living in the river produce high levels of carbon dioxide through respiration, and this carbon dioxide is subsequently lost to the atmosphere. Her current research in the Mekong Basin (i.e. Cambodia) focuses on characterizing the type of organic carbon that is exported by large rivers to the ocean. Specifically, she uses molecular tracers to determine where in the watershed the carbon originates from, and uses radiocarbon analyses to determine the age of this material. Such information is necessary in order to understand the preservation of terrestrial carbon in the ocean, which can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long time scales. Through her training (master’s and doctoral degrees from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington), Erin has research experience working in streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Additional interests include ocean acidification, estuarine ecology, evaluating the impacts of dams on downstream processes, and microbial ecology. Her past and present research has been conducted through collaborations with colleagues in Brazil, Cambodia, and the Pacific Northwest.
This course will teach students how to use the versatile technology of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS is more than map-making. A GIS integrates computer hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information across a wide variety of disciplines. GIS technology is increasingly used by physical and social scientists, policy makers, businesses, environmental and conservation organizations, utilities, public health providers, the military, and educators, to name a few. More and more organizations are using spatial data and analysis to help them make decisions relating to acceptable land uses, allocation of resources and assets, fairness and social wellbeing, and many other needs. Instruction will rely strongly on weekly hands-on labs and homework exercises to guide students through a public policy decision process from beginning to end over the duration of the quarter. Students will learn to manage spatial data and tools, mainly using the Esri suite of software commonly known as ArcGIS. No previous experience with GIS is required. Student versions of the ArcGIS software suite will be made available for home use (but technical support is limited to college computers).
Faculty Biography
Michael Ruth, M.Sc.,
is a professional GIS practitioner for Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc). Mike has been a project manager and consultant for Esri, helping a wide variety of agencies learn and exploit geographic information systems. His clients have included major non governmental organizations, tribal and state governments, and US federal agencies. Mike studied Environmental Science in college, later specializing in Geology at George Washington University. For his Masters degree, Mike completing a field mapping project studying the geology of the western Dominican Republic along the Haiti border area. After completing his Master of Science degree, Mike worked for the Spot Image Corporation, developing GeoTIFF and other satellite imagery methods for GIS integration. Now at Esri, Mike has focused on Africa projects for non-profit organizations over the past few years. Recent projects address the applications of GIS technology for improving polio vaccination success in Nigeria, agricultural improvement for small holder farmers in Tanzania, and participatory community conservation activities in the western Serengeti, among other projects.
The third program in the core sequence explores quantitative methods for studying complex environmental phenomena. A primary focus is developing practical literacy in experimental design and data analysis. Students will learn statistical methods including graphical and tabular summaries, distributions, confidence intervals, t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Chi-square tests, linear regression, multivariate statistics, and both non-parametric and resampling approaches to these statistical methods. The program also introduces software for data management and statistical analyses. Computer lab exercises and collaborative group research projects help students develop proficiency in experimental design and statistical programs.