Watershed Ecology with Focus on the Hudson, Spring 2009
EFB 496/sec03, EFB 796/sec05
Instructor: K. Limburg, 470-6741; Klimburg@esf.edu
Date Topic Assignments/Remarks Student Discussers Notes
I.  Introduction and Background Advice on proposal writing
Advice for proposals to the National Science Foundation
15-Jan What this course is about; Intro to Hudson River; Review of ecology HR Book Chapt 1 Everyone 
Extra reading - The Stream and its Valley (Noel Hynes) < A really nice paper to introduce why watersheds are worth studying
22-Jan Physical aspects of the Hudson (students) Chapter 2 (geology) Sarah Barnes
Chapter 3 (physical oceanography) Craig Tompkins
Chapter 4 (Sedimentary processes) Hilary Stern
29-Jan KL is away
5-Feb Biogeochemistry: N, P, C cycling HR Book Chapts 8, 9 & 10 (productivity and nutrients)[1] Steve Wohl (Ch.8), Katherine Mann (Ch.9), Manivone Samatmanivong (Ch.10)
Ideas for student projects due!
II.  Anatomy of a watershed
12-Feb Upland areas HR Book Chapts 12 (larval migrations), 16 (zoops) & 17 (SAV) Nick Remer (Ch.12), Marysol Villanueva (Ch.16), Kelly Souva (Ch. 17)
19-Feb Wetlands and riparian zones HR Book Chapts 5 (benthic mapping), 6 (sediment chronologies) & 20 (tidal wetlands) Melanie Werenczak (Ch.5),Vuong Nghia (Ch.6), Sam Quinn (Ch.20)
26-Feb Tributaries & Lotic Systems River Ecosystems (download here);   HR Book Chapts 13 (diadromous fish) & 15 (tribs) April McEwen (River Ecosystems) Jason Garritt (Ch.13), Jaime Walker (Ch.15)
III.  Watershed assessments
5-Mar Biological indicators; watershed health Karr 1991 (download here); Limburg et al 2005 (on my CV website), Hong et al. (access through my CV website) Amanda Giangiobbe (Karr 1991), Will Condon (Limburg et al), Nathan Turk (Hong et al.) 
Research proposal progress reports are due Mar. 5
12-Mar SPRING BREAK
19-Mar Being an ecological detective: the use of tracers to figure out what is going on in watersheds HR Book Ch. 18 (Benthos in NY Harbor), 19 (Benthos in tidal FW), 21 (Alien spp) Meredith Pochardt (Ch.18), Regan Demin (Ch.19), Michael Delillo (Ch.20)
IV.  Issues and management
26-Mar Fisheries HR Book Chapts 14 (fisheries), 22 (management), and 30 (toxicity effects) Steven Tysko (Ch.14), Theresa Burkard (Ch.22), Corrie O'Dea (Ch.30)
2-Apr Ecological effects of dams Freeman et al. 2003 (download here); HR Book Chapt 23 (Sewage) & 29 (impacts of piers) Sarah Sumoski (Freeman), Goodman (Ch.23), Owen Barbour (Ch.29)
9-Apr Watershed management Swaney et al. 2006 (download here); HR Book Chapt. 24 & 28 Tyler Talucci (Swaney), Ben Lane (Ch.24), Liyang Shao (Ch.28)
16-Apr KL is away  Work on projects
23-Apr Student project reports FINAL PROJECTS DUE! Everyone!

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By this time, you should all have access to copies of the book…no more uploaded pdfs