Reclamation & Restoration Ecology Minor & Graduate Certificate

Reclamation and Restoration Ecology (RRE) undergraduate minor and graduate certificate are now available. RRE involves the use of basic and applied ecological concepts to rehabilitate and restore processes and functions to disturbed ecosystems. Ecosystems of concern include coal and bentonite mined lands, altered wetlands, degraded rivers and streams, lands infested with exotic plants or noxious weeds, eroding range and forest watersheds, fragile arid and semi-arid rangelands, CBM product water disposal sites, lands contaminated by toxic chemicals (Pb, As, Cd, Hg, organic compounds, oils, tars, radioactive materials, etc.), and alkali/salt mudflats, etc. Rehabilitation and restoration of disturbed ecosystems requires an understanding of the edaphic, biotic, hydrologic, geologic, and topographic factors comprising these ecosystems, including the complex interrelationships that support and perpetuate ecosystem function.

Job opportunities for students specializing in RRE include management of soils and vegetation for land improvement such as in landscape design, surface mined land reclamation and site restoration; reclamation/restoration and creation of wetland, riparian, and aquatic habitats; evaluation and investigation of ecosystems as they relate to natural resource management, including rangelands, forests, wetlands, streams and rivers, environmental endangerment assessments, ecological evaluations and archeological sites; assessment and management of watershed soil erosion problems and stabilization of sand dune areas; assessment and investigation of environmental hazards to soils and plants and evaluation of chemical fate and transport phenomena and suitable remediation alternatives; evaluation and management of noxious and exotic plant, animal, and insect infestations as well as threatened/endangered plant and animal species; enhancement of edaphic, hydrologic, floral, and faunal resources on arid and semi-arid rangelands; regulation of the use of land resources (soils, water, fauna, flora) by private and public interests (government agencies); management of ecosystem soils, vegetation, and water for agricultural purposes, forest products, and erosion control; suitability studies for a variety of land development uses, including soil stability, moisture retention or drainage, sustainability and environmental impact; and research support positions related to RRE and management by public agencies and institutions, and private industry.

Reclamation and Restoration Ecology Undergraduate Minor
(click here for Reclamation and Restoration Ecology Graduate Certificate)

Required Courses	Credits
General Ecology BIOL 2400	3
Introduction to Soil Science SOIL 2010	4
Reclamation Drastically Disturbed Lands REWM 4200	3
Rangeland Restoration Ecology REWM 4580	3
Reclamation and Restoration Ecology Seminar RNEW 4900	1
Required Course Credits	14
One course that emphasizes Planning and Policy
Natural Resource Law and Policy AGEC 4710	3
Approaches to ENR Systems ENR 3000	3
Conservation of Natural Resources G&R 4040	3
Public Land Management G&R 4750	3
Environmental Politics POLS 4051	3
Federal Land Policy POLS 4052	3
Rangeland Management Planning REWM 4900	3
One course that emphasizes Below-Ground Processes
Microbial Ecology BIOL 4400	3
Hydrology CE 4800	3
Groundwater and Drainage Engineering CE 4820	3
Soil Physics SOIL 4100	3
Genesis, Morphology and Classification of Soils SOIL 4120	4
Soil Microbiology SOIL 4140	4
Forest and Range Soils SOIL 4150	3
Soil Fertility and Fertilizers SOIL 4160	3
One course that emphasizes Above-Ground Processes
Remote Sensing & Natural Resource Management BOT 4140	3
Vegetation Ecology BOT 4700	4
Weed Science and Technology CROP 5070	4
Aquatic Entomology ENTO 4678	3
Insect-Plant Interactions ENTO 4685	2
Geographic Information Sciences G&R 4200	3
Wildland Hydrology REWM 4280	3
Wildland Watershed Management REWM 4700	3
Rangeland Vegetation Management Techniques REWM 4850	3
Shrubland Ecology REWM 4540	3
Watershed Water Quality Management REWM 4710	3
Wetland Ecology ZOO 4550	4
Remote Sensing (RS) of the Environment BOT/GEOL 4111	2
and
RS Laboratory: Applications for Vegetation BOT 4112	2
or
RS Laboratory: Applications for Geology GEOL 4112	2
Selected Course Credits	8-11
TOTAL CREDITS NEEDED	22-25

Graduate Certificate Program

Reclamation/Restoration Ecology Graduate Certificate 

The Reclamation/Restoration Ecology (RRE) graduate certificate prepares the student to use basic and applied ecological concepts to reclaim and/or restore processes and functions to disturbed ecosystems. Reclamation and/or restoration of disturbed ecosystems requires an understanding of the edaphic, biotic, hydrologic, geologic, and topographic factors comprising these ecosystems, including the complex interrelationships that support and perpetuate ecosystem function. The graduate certificate will be granted to students who have completed a B.S. in an appropriate science-oriented discipline or are currently enrolled in an M.S. or Ph.D. program.

The graduate certificate will also be available to professionals working in reclamation/restoration oriented fields seeking to upgrade their training in reclamation and restoration ecology. Those interested in the graduate certificate will be required to complete the course work listed below as well as write a synopsis paper with a formal presentation advertised as an open forum seminar.

Required Certificate Courses:

Reclamation and restoration ecology courses

    Six hours

    REWM 4200, REWM 5580

Reclamation problems

    Four hours

    SOIL 5565 or REWM 5640

Reclamation process course (choose one)

    Three hours

    GEOL 5070, GEOL 5111, BOT 5700, BOT 5740, BOT 5730, BOT 5780, PLNT    
    5070, PLNT 5470, GEOL 5444, GEOL 5570, REWM 5280, REWM 5710, RNEW  
    5540, SOIL 5100, SOIL/MATH 5110, SOIL 5120, SOIL 5130, SOIL 5140, SOIL
    5150, ZOO 5550

Planning/policy courses (choose one)

    Three hours

    ENR 4900, ENR 5900, G&R 5260, LAW 6660, POLS 5050

Minimum total credits needed: 16 hours

Courses of instruction in the department are offered in agroecology, entomology,
rangeland ecology and watershed management, renewable resources, and soil
science.

 

This site is maintained by Randy L. Anderson.