Perspectives: Teaching Wetland Ecology: What If You Can't Take Students Into the Field?

Abstract

While on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), I recently taught a first course in Wetland Ecology to upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in biology. The lecture component was a broad survey of topics, including wetland definitions and classification, wetland indicators (hydrology, hydric soils, vegetation), biological adaptations, community and ecosystem processes, functions and values, and wetlands regulation. 1 structured the course to combine these lectures with hands-on field trips and activities, but a field laboratory is not always a feasible option for some instructors . So how can one make wetland science more “ieal” to students in a lecture course, and in a more challenging way than a term paper assignment? Here I describe a successful library-based project that directs each student to research a wetland site by using a variety of available data sources. I adapted the idea from a similar exercise developed by a UWM colleague who teaches a limnology course in which students compile data on a “favorite lake” of their choice. At the start of my course, I provided a list of potential sites from which each student selected a project wetland. Southeastern Wisconsin’s glacial geology presents a setting of numerous lakes and wetlands within reasonable distance from campus, so I developed the list by searching local maps and by consulting with knowledgeable local experts. To keep the projects manageable, I particularly looked for wetlands that: (1) were relatively small and structurally uncomplicated (typically, discrete palustrine or lacustrine wetlands), and (2) had feasible public access ( though students did not necessarily know this at first). If a student personally knew of a wetland not on the list and wanted to investigate it, we located the site on a quad map, and I approved it if I judged that the wetland was not too large or too complex for a novice to interpret. As a starting point for investigation, each student received a copy of a county highway map with the wetland’s location marked. Students were then directed to particular data sources (maps, manuals, or photos), and they completed worksheets which asked for specific information from each data source and for interpretations based on material presented in lecture (see Table 1). The worksheets were formatted to be selfguiding. I encouraged students to first try to figure out the answers on their own by carefully examining the materials and noticing what kinds of information each contained. If they were still at a loss, they then consulted me for help. Assignments were due in several parts throughout the course (Table l), and I reviewed the worksheets to provide feedback and identify problem areas. Thus, as we covered various lecture topics, students examined quad maps for location and topographic data, plat maps for land ownership, water table and flood hazard maps for hydrology, soil surveys for hydric soils identification, and aerial photos and wetland inventory maps to see how their wetlands were delineated. Graduate student enrollees were further required to make a visit to their wetlands and to compare the inventory mapping with what they saw in the field. Undergraduates were not required to make a visit, but most actually did so as they developed a personal interest in their project sites. Students visited the wetlands on their own time, typically during the weekend. I approved visits only if public access was permitted; this issue provided a good forum for discussing private property concerns about wetlands. At the end of the course, students were required to compile all data into a brief, professional-format report with an introduction, neatly-labeled tables and maps, and summary comments on their findings.