Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
campus buildings themselves were constructed on the hillside above. At the time, it
was one of the larger floodplain restoration projects in the region, and it was unique in
the degree to which hydrogeomorphic principles and theories of ecosystems and res-
toration ecology were used to guide the work. It was a bold attempt to restore highly al-
tered pastureland to a sustainable, functioning floodplain ecosystem within an urban-
izing watershed.
Ecological recovery at the North Creek wetland site has been dramatic. It provides
a living laboratory for our students to observe and study the elements and mechanisms
of restoration success and failure, as well as the opportunity to interpret such features
for the public in surrounding communities. The restoration of North Creek has
proven an excellent educational and scientific resource.
Conclusion
In a rational world, students would take Introduction to Restoration, then Restoration
Design, then the Capstone sequence. They would find time, before the end of their
stay at the university, to take courses on plant production, invasive species, landscape
plant management, or plant propagation. After the Capstone, they might take the
Ecosystem-Based Restoration course to see how the work they have done in one eco-
systemmight translate to another ecosystem. In reality, however, students take courses
when they can be fit into their schedules. They often take the introductory course si-
multaneously with the first quarter of the Capstone. They may take the restoration
design course at the end. Graduate and undergraduate students from a variety of aca-
demic departments are together in the same classes. Because of all of these confound-
ing conditions, we have found that all of these courses need some built-in overlap, a
little review, and considerable generality. Each course needs to stand on its own be-
cause there will be someone in the course for whom this is the introduction to the
field. This means that there will be students of different skill levels in most courses;
the team approach to problem solving turns this into an experience in mentoring and
division of responsibility rather than hindering group effort. The team approach in-
volving students from across academic units fosters interdisciplinary learning in stu-
dents through peer exchange and mentoring rather than through contact with nu-
merous faculty in each specialty area.
