Geo 470 / Geo 570 / Law 777 (Fall 2011):
Integrated Environmental Management -
Interdisciplinary Case Studies from WNY and around the World
Class Project Focus: Clear Creek Watershed Strategy
"Water management is multidimensional. It embraces planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance. Its ingredients include technological capability, social attitudes, economic realities, political viewpoints, and environmental goals." - W. Viessman Jr., in Water management: challenge and opportunity, Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management 116 (1990) (2), pp. 155–169.
Instructor: Chris S. Renschler (rensch@buffalo.edu)
Co-Instructor: Barry Boyer (boyer@buffalo.edu)
Class Time (Fall '11): Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 am - 10:50 am (144H Wilkeson)
Office Hours (Fall '11): Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 am - 12:00 pm (116 Wilkeson)
Audience: Graduate and Undergraduate Students in Geography, Geology, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Law, Planning, Environmental Studies, Business Administration and Management Science, or permission by instructor. According to the New York State Education Department, this course can count towards continuing education requirements to maintain your professional engineering license (please contact the instructor for more details).
Goals & Objectives: This interdisciplinary course introduces an integrated framework for environmental management that addresses biophysical, social, and economic issues affecting natural resources such as water, soil, air, plant and animal communities and their use through agriculture, forestry, fishery, mining, human settlements and industry. The multidisciplinary approach equips the participants with the necessary approaches and techniques to communicate effectively and develop sound management policy and practice in the context of the watershed scale ranging from small watersheds to large basins. The course presents detailed case studies and outlines methods for problem definition and goal setting to elect management strategies and procedures for monitoring and implementation.
The course includes the following topics:
- Environmental properties and processes/watershed components and processes
- Establishing management plan parameters and objectives
- Stakeholder identification and consultation
- Development of practical management options
- Methods and modeling tools for the assessment of management alternatives
- Techniques for determining the legal implications
- Environmental, economic, and social impact assessment, and
- Choosing the best plan and implementing it.
Recommended Textbook: Heathcote, Isobel W. 2008. Integrated Watershed Management: Principles and Practice. 2nd edition. Wiley. 453 p. (1998 edition also acceptable).
Class Project: This year all students will focus in their individual projects on the Clear Creek as part of the Cattaraugus Creek Watershed Strategy. Students will communicate with a project partner or stakeholder to investigate their specific interest and specific plans in managing water quantity and quality in the Clear Creek – a sub-catchment of the Cattaraugus Creek Watershed.
Throughout the course students will get to know through discussions and presentations the details about all other stakeholders' interests and plans from project partners involved in the project. As a consequence of that interaction, the students will outline in their individual report Part A) the position of their assigned project partner/stakeholder (this portion of the report should be approved by the stakeholder contact) and Part B) propose possible solutions on how that position fits into an integrated watershed management plan that fits all stakeholders. The contributions to this project will offer not only a real contribution of all students as consultants outlining and designing an integrated watershed management plan that could be potentially implemented sometime in the future, but also the experience and contacts that will help students to potentially land internships or other future career opportunities in integrated environmental management.
Final Student Reports for 2007, 2009, and 2010.
Schedule: The official course webpage is only accessible through UBlearns - enrolled students must check on UBlearns for the latest updates in schedule and syllabus. Please note that this schedule for the fall 2011 will most likely change!!!
|
Week |
Dates |
Tuesday |
Thursday |
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Textbook Chapter (Ch.) + Invited Speaker or Case Study (CS.) |
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|
1 |
Aug 30/1 |
Introductory Lecture (Ch.1) + Clear Creek & Cattaraugus Creek Projects (CS. 1) |
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|
2 |
Sep 6/8 |
Environmental Inventory & Consultation (Ch. 2+4) + PEOPLES Resilience (CS.2) |
|
|
3 |
Sep 13/15 |
Problem Definition & Scoping (Ch. 3) + Water Wars (Movie) |
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|
4 |
Sep 20/22 |
Best Management Practices & Options (Ch. 5) + John Whitney (USDA-NRCS) |
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5 |
Sep 27/29 |
Stakeholder Interaction + Discussion of Student Projects Topics |
No classes (Rosh Hashanah) |
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6 |
Oct 4/6 |
Simple & Detailed Assessment Methods (Ch. 6+7) + Environmental Models (CS.4) |
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7 |
Oct 11/13 |
Environmental & Socio-Economic Impacts (Ch. 8+10) + Trina Hamilton (UB Geogr.) |
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8 |
Oct 18/20 |
Legal and Implementation Issues (Ch. 9+11+12) + Barry Boyer (UB Law School) |
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|
9 |
Oct 25/27 |
Student Project |
Student Project |
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10 |
Nov 1/3 |
Student Project |
Student Project |
|
11 |
Nov 8/10 |
Student Project Q&A |
Final Q & A on Student Project Presentation |
|
12 |
Nov 15/17 |
Individual Student Project Presentations (Part B)** during GAW (Geography Awareness Week) 8:30 am-Noon - All project partners/stakeholders are invited |
Final Q & A on Student Project Reports |
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13 |
Nov 22/24 |
Project Report due Nov 23 9 am *** No classes – (double class on Nov 15) |
No classes - Thanksgiving/Fall Recess |
|
14 |
Nov 29/1 |
Project Report Review: Distribution of Assignments |
No classes – (double class on Dec 6) |
|
15 |
Dec 6/8 |
Project Report: |
Q & A on Revision of Final Student Projects Class Review and Conclusions |
Required Activities: Students are evaluated [% of total grade] based on their performance in
- [10%] a 200 word project abstract + a list of references (due Sep 23 5 pm),
- [20%] *a student seminar introducing their stakeholder and project idea (Part A of final report; 4 min presentation + 1 min discussion; due previous day),
- [20%] **a final project presentation (one Part A info slide and Part B report; 4 minutes presentation + 1 minute discussion),
- [30%] ***a final project report (Part A and B; max. 2,000 words; due by Nov 22 9 am by hard copy (Wilkeson 105) and Word/PDF file through UBlearns; send me an email confirmation that you submitted your report electronically),
- [10%] project review comments (pickup for review packages in class Nov 29 or in the Geography main office (Wilkeson 105) thereafter; filled out review sheets and marked up reports are due in class Dec 6),
- [ 5%] attendance (missing without excuse will reduce the 5 % by 1% per occurrence missed), and
- [ 5%] participation in class including discussions.
The final letter grades are A (90-100%), A- (85-89%), B+ (80-84%), B (75-79 %), B- (70-74%), C+ (65-69%), C (60-64%), C- (56.6-60%), D+ (53.3-56.6%), D (50-53.3%), and F (0-50%). PowerPoint presentations for seminar and project presentations need to be submitted through UBlearns drop box and email notice to instructor at 5pm the day prior to the scheduled presentation. Failure to submit in time will result in a point reduction (10%; 25% if provided in class). Make-up presentations have to be presented in the following class. Late submission of abstract, project report, and review comments will result in a point reduction of 10% per day.
Each seminar presentation, abstract, project presentation, and final project report are evaluated based on the following key (you have to address all five aspects):
- Introduction/Problem Definition (20%),
- Approach/Methods (20%) (Represents Project Partner/Stakeholder Position),
- (Expected/proposed/achieved) Results/Discussion (20%),
- (Expected/proposed/achieved) Conclusions/Recommendations (20%), and
- Graphic Support/Tables/References (Format for Citations) (20%).
Students registered at the undergraduate level (Geo 470) will not be evaluated as the advanced graduate level (Geo570). As a consequence graduate students are required to an additional 30% of words in their final project report and are expected to cover additional reading material in their list of references and for their review sessions.
For incomplete work, academic integrity, and disability services refer to the University undergraduate Incomplete Policy, Integrity Policy, and the University's Disability Service Office (you must register with the office to receive accommodation for physical and learning disabilities), respectively.
Stakeholders that participated in the past are: Seneca Nation of Indians (Jody Clark, Jerry Printup, Mike Gates, …), US Army Corps of Engineers (Tony Friona, Craig Forget, Byron Rupp), Natural Resources Conservation Service (John Whitney), Soil and Water Conservation District (Brian Davis for Cattaraugus County and Mark Gaston for Erie County), Sierra Club (Larry Beahan), Forecon (Rick Constantino), Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes (Judy Einach), WNY Chapter of the Society of American Foresters (Matt Smith), Cattaraugus Creek Watershed Task Force & Zoar Valley Nature Society (Julie Broyles), Cattaraugus County Dept. of Economic Development Planning & Tourism (Chris Crawford), Cattaraugus Co. Ag. & Farmland Protection Board & PDRs (Joan Petzen), The Nature Conservancy (Pat McGlew), and WNY Land Conservancy (Patricia Szarpa). Also invited are the following: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Erie County Fisheries Advisory Board, Erie County Department of Environment & Planning, Village of Gowanda, Town of Evans, Town of Sardinia, USDA Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Brown Swiss Association, New York Rural Water Association, Department of Environmental Protection for Cattaraugus County, Zoar Valley Paddling Club, etc. In case you are a stakeholder we are not aware of please contact the instructor.