Instructor: Dr. S. Isiorho, Office: SB 236, Phone: 481 6254, (TR 3:00 - 4:15 p.m. SB 209 )
E-mail: isiorho@ipfw.edu.Do not use my regular
email for any class
related discussions...will not reply to any email sent here.
NOTE:
Use Blackboard email section.
Wetlands are important to society as they provide
sanctuary for
wildlife
and water resources for streams and aquifers and act to mitigate the
severity
of flooding.
With myriad definitions, it becomes difficult to say
what
is a wetland. Three criteria; hydrology, hydric soil, and hydrophytes
are
necessary to define an area as a
wetland.
The course is designed to give students the basic
understanding of
wetlands
from a hydrologic point of view. The demise of wetland and replacement
wetlands
are of concern as understanding their
relationship to
groundwater
is still difficult and the link to everyday living is even more remote
for many people. Hydrology
is the most important factor in the
establishment
and persistence of wetlands. Students will learn to assess wetland
through
the understanding of water and
solute sources, pathways, and process.
The
effect of human activities on wetlands' hydrology will be examined
through
lecture, laboratory, and field
experiments/measurements.
Laboratories/field exercises are essential to the
course. Students
should
develop skills in assessing and measuring the structure and function of
wetland
hydrology; visit several local wetlands
(natural and created),
and examine the unique flora and fauna of these systems.
Class Project: Students will work in teams
to evaluate the
wetland
along the 'stream' near Walb. The class project will examine the
relationship
between
surface water and groundwater. The class will
also do sediment
analysis and examination of the flora and fauna of the area.
Field Trips: There will be a minimum of
two and a maximum of
five
field trips during this course and all students are encouraged to go on
all
trips. The class
will visit wetlands and other areas of interest in
NE
Indiana (Fox Island, Mackay Farm, Fen). Field trips will be on
Thursdays
during class time except for the
special trip to the
'county'
trip. A special saturday field trip through Allen
County
will take place April 2, 2011 (To leave Campus at 8:30 a.m.
and return
at about 5
p.m.).
THIS
TRIP IS NOT OPTIONAL.
Term Research Project: Students will be
required to conduct research
on a
topic
related
to this course. The student may choose any suitable topic,
but must
get
the Instructor's approval before starting on the project.
I strongly encourage students to choose a
research topic before
Spring Break
(March 7-13, 2011). Students should consult with the instructor weekly
concerning
their projects and students should submit rough drafts before the final
copy is turned in. Submit all reports through Blackboard
assignment section.
Objectives:
Provide students with a basic understanding of the
geological
foundations of wetland issues (rock type, geomorphic settings, and
hydrology)
Provide an understanding of wetland environmental
issues at local,
regional, and global scales (natural resources and anthopogenic
effects).
Improve student's skills in analyzing data
pertaining to wetland
environmental issues and in drawing informed conclusions regarding
issues (critically evaluate
scientific data that relates to
environmental
isues).
Discuss and debate wetland environmental issues that
are relevant to
the state of Indiana.
Websites, Articles and Handouts
Use the Blackboard discussion
section for
discussing
topics related to the class.
Read the discussion
board regularly for any news or
updates.
Check the syllabus
regularly (for new links
) as it is a living document.
Reading assignments reports (10% of course grade)
Two exams worth 20% (10% per exam) of the course
grade.
Lab sessions/reports 10% of course grade.
Field trip reports (15% of course grade)
Individual term
research paper/project,
a minimum of ten typed (double space) pages (35% of course grade)
[You must use this format for your research
report].
A 15-minute presentation of your research project to
the class using
power points is worth 10% of course grade (April 19, 21, 26 & 28).
Read this article "Who
is Listening"
to help when thinking about your presentation.
(Grading scale > 89% = A; 80-89 % = B; 70-79% =
C; 60-69% = D).
I do not
curve...what you get is what you get.... please do not ask for extra
credit
Code
of Student Rights, Responsibility, and Conduct:
Students are strongly advised to
know the Code of Student Rights, Responsibility, and Conduct that can
be found in the Student
Handbook and Planner that is
published each fall semester. Students are expected to read and
understand the Code as it relates
to cheating, plagiarizing, and
aiding and abetting others to cheat and/or plagiarize. Students caught
cheating and/or plagiarizing on
tests, reports, or projects will
receive a zero for that portion of the course.
"Part I.B.3 Individual Rights and
Responsibility as Students
In
the classroom, students have the freedom to raise relevant issues
pertaining to classroom discussion, to offer reasonable
doubts about data presented, and to express
alternate opinions to those discussed. However, in excercising this
freedom,
students shall not interfere with the academic process
of the class."
Students with Disabilities:
Students needing assistance or special arrangements should contact the
“Services for Students with Disabilities” office as soon as
possible to make arrangements for
special needs. Students who obtain the necessary documentation
attesting to their need and
submit it to the professor will
be accommodated. SSD is located in WB113. Their telephone number is
(260) 481-6658.
Week 1 (Jan 11 & 13)...no formal class...read
the first reading assignment...no report required, but would have
students discuss the paper.
Week 2 (Jan. 18 & 20)
Introduction: Introduction to Geology
Minerals, rocks, and maps
Glacial Geology NE Indiana and Allen County (2 articles)
Weeks 3 - 5 (Jan 25&27 (Rivers), Feb 1&3 (Soils), & Feb 8&10 (wetlands))
Hydrology- Water cycle, surface water and ground
water (2 articles)
American
Wetlands
Our vital link between land and water
Wetlands -- Definition (IDEM) and types of wetlands EPA definitiion
Wetland Types: Marshes, Swamps, Bogs, Fens
Wetland environment--
Water
quality standard for wetlands (EPA)
Indiana
water standard (working)
Definitions, identifications, delineation,
indicators (soil), and
classification
Slide presentation (Hydric
Soil)
There will be 2 to 4 Field trips and all students
are encouraged to
go on all trips.
Exam 1
Available .... (Due March 3 before class)...send your answers through
Blackboard assignment drop box.
Weeks 6 - 8 (Feb 15 through March 3)
Management---- Values, Management and protection, creation and restoration, classification and inventory. Field trip
Constructed
wetland Univ. of South Alabama.
Isolated
wetlands Builders take advantage of the 2001 Supreme Court ruling
(USAToday
Dec 2002)
Week 9 SPRING BREAK (MARCH 7-11)
Week 10 (March 15 & 17) Last week of formal
class
US Wetland Satus (pdf format) from Mid 1970's to mid 1980's
Wetland mapping and Photointerpretation (map of Allen County)
Use of remote sensing in mapping Monitoring wetland using Landsat TM
Campus (Mackay farm) Field trip
Corps-EPA Issue ... National Wetlands Mitigation Action Plan (in pdf format) December 27, 2002
Exam # 2 Your answers are due Noon March 31, 2011 through the blackboard assignment dropbox.
Weeks 11 - 13 (March 24, through April 23) Work on your projects
The county trip will be on a Saturday April 2,
2009 (Leave
campus 8:30 a.m. and return ~4p.m.).
NO MAKE UP AND NO EXCUSES
FOR THE ALLEN COUNTY TRIP.
Work on your individual Projects....Need
to give me weekly feedback on your research project
Project Report in electronic format, Due April 21, by 4:00 p.m.
Weeks 14 & 15 (April 19 & 24, 26)
Presentation of Project Results (April 19, 21, 26,
& 28) Profession (business) atire is required during
presentation.
Questions/Answers/Suggestions... send me email
through Blackboard
Reading Assignments
Reading assignment is an intergral part of this
course.
Read and summarize articles 1& 2 and any other
five articles one
(double space) page report
and send your report (summary) through WebCT
Blackboard assignment
section by 6:00
p.m.
of
the due date.
In addition to the seven articles, choose any other three peer reviewed
articles.
The three articles you select should be related to
your proposed
research project (provide e-copy).
You will need Acrobat reader to read the articles
because they
are in Portable Document Format (PDF).
Download a free acrobat
reader if you do not have it in your system.
In
your
report (summary), include the main points in the articles, how, where,
why and if you agree with their
conclusion(s),
in other words, include your
opinion as a seperate paragraph
(your grade will weigh heavily
on
your opinion).
YOU SHOULD HAVE A TOTAL OF SEVEN ARTICLES
1.
Characteristics
of
Fine-Grained Soils & Glacial Deposits in NE Indiana (PDF) by Tony Fleming, Field Note,
1996.
Read before Jan 20 for
class discussion.
2.
Origin and
Hydrogeologic
significance of wetlands in the interlobate region of northwestern
Allen
County, Indiana
(PDF) by Tony Fleming
in Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science Due
January 27, 2011
3. Valuing Urban
Wetlands: A Property Price Approach by Mahan et al. Due
Feb. 3, 2011....optional
4.
Dimensionals
of
Environmental Engineering by Dresp-Langley Feb 10, 2011
5. Modelmg Processes in Subsurface flow Constructed Wetlands: A Review by Langergraber . Due Feb. 17, 2011... optional
6. Characterizing
Hydrology
and the importance of ground-water discharge in natural and constructed
wetlands(PDF)
by Hunt et. al, 1999. Due
February 24,
2011
7. Facies model
of a semiarid freshwater wetland, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania by
Liurkus & Ashley Due
March 3, 2011...optional
8. Evaluating performance of constructed wetland treatment system.... by Murray-Gulde et al. Due March 11, 2011
9. The role of wetlands
in the hydrologic cycle by (PDF) by A. Bullock , & M. Acreman.
Due
March 24, 2011...optional
10. Causes of
hot-spot wetland loss in the Mississippi
delta plain. By Morton R. A et al. Due
April 7, 2011
11. Climate change
and wetlands ...for class
discussion
Remember
to have your own two peer reviewed article reports to me no later than
April 7, 2011
Labs/Field trips:
Labs/Field Work...not necessary in this order
1. Map reading...cross sections (topography of IPFW
campus)
2. Rocks and Minerals
3. Soil...
sieve &
analysis
4. Well field....water levels and water chemistry
5. Flow measurements/Flood
excercise?
6. Inventory of campus or county environmental
issues (problems)
7. Campus field trip
8. County field trip (Saturday ...April 2, 2011)
9. Make
up lab...?
A one-page typed lab/field report is due 24 hours
after each lab/field
trip....to be submitted through Blackboard.
Video report.
A Saturday field trip through Allen County
is planned
for April 2, 2011
(To leave Campus at 8:30 a.m. and return at about 4
p.m.).
This trip will depend on the weather condition] Will
encourage all to
go
on this trip.
THIS
TRIP IS NOT OPTIONAL.
Something to read (health and water)
EPA wetlands
site
Monitoring
wetland using Landsat TM
To identify Hydric soils
Wetlands
& drainage USDA
Clean Water act: Definition of "Waters of the United States"
Water Shortage USA TODAY Jan. 27, 2003Watch where you're putting the snow CBS News Feb. 20, 2003
Check here as New
Materials or links will
be added during the semester
The
Hydrologic
Cycle
USGS Surface
runoff (This will be useful in the is course)
Students
turn swamp (wetland)
into a class room
Some
pictures of the earth from Astronauts...lots
of pictures
Hydric Soils slides
Wetland Classifcation
slides
Salt and wetlands
March 18, 2005
Short
videos
Space, Time, and Big Ideas
New link USDA,
April 2007
Teaching Students the act of presentation GSA ppt2007
New
Materials will be
added below this :)
Updated December 22, 2010