Faculty
Professor and Chair, K. Blatner; Professors, D. Baumgartner, M. Carroll, R. Chapman, D. Hanley, C. Robbins, J. Rogers; Associate Professors, L. Hardesty, B. Moore, R. Sayler, L. Shipley, R. Wielgus, B. Zamora; Adjunct Faculty, E. DePuit, R. Everett, W. Foreyt, C. Grue, R. Huffaker, L. Johnson, G. Kuhn, S. Lambert, J. Lemnkuhl, D. Nolte, C. Schwartz, G VanBlaricom, G. Witmer; Professors Emeriti, J. Buhaly, R. Dingle, C. Goebel, J. Nelson, A. Noskowiak, D. Satterland, R. Shew.
Program
The Department of Natural Resource Sciences offers programs of graduate study and research leading to a Master of Science in Natural Resource Sciences and a Master of Science in Natural Resources. The Master of Science in Natural Resource Sciences emphasizes the conduct of original research by the student while the Master of Science in Natural Resources is a non-thesis degree. The latter degree program; [1] provides natural resource professionals (including recent graduates) with the opportunity to maintain or upgrade their professional competence and [2] furnishes individuals with academic backgrounds in non-natural resource disciplines with an opportunity to obtain the advanced education in natural resource sciences needed for professional work. In this non-thesis program the research requirement is replaced by demonstrated scholarship which is reflected in the extended course work, the master's special problem report, and the performance in the oral examination.
The Department of Natural Resource Sciences and the Program in Environmental Science and Regional Planning jointly offer an interdisciplinary PhD program with options in (1) environmental and natural resource science, (2) sustainable resource production, and (3) natural resource and environmental planning, policy and administration.
The Department has laboratories, green houses and animal research facilities on campus. Field facilities are available at the 12,000 acre Colockum Multiple Use Research Unit located near Wenatchee, WA. Cooperative graduate courses with the University of Idaho which is only eight miles from the Pullman campus provides students with additional educational opportunities.
In addition to the Graduate School's admission requirements the Department of Natural Resource Science requires Graduate Record Examination scores, TOEFL scores (if appropriate), three letters of reference and completion of the department's statement of interest form which may be obtained from the Department. Acceptance of an academically qualified applicant is based on the availability of a faculty graduate advisor and the availability of research funds. Students are encouraged to correspond with individual faculty members under whose direction they are interested in studying. A limited number of state supported teaching assistantships are available. Completed applications must be on file by October 15 or February 15 to be considered for state-supported assistantships the subsequent spring or fall semester. Deadlines for faculty grant supported research assistantships are at the discretion of the granting agency and the faculty member.
Natural Resources
518 Forest Growth and Yield 2 Prereq graduate standing. Factors influencing forest yields, traditional prediction methods; development and application of growth and yield simulators. Credit not granted for both NATRS 418 and 518.
519 Advanced Topics V (1-3) May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 hours.
521 Human Dimension of Wildlife Management 2 Prereq NATRS 435. An exploration of the elements involved in the management of wildlife for non-consumptive activities, the impacts of such activities on wildlife, the role of national parks and protected areas in providing wildlife viewing opportunities, and public attitudes toward wildlife species. Cooperative course taught by UI (WLF 520), open to WSU students.
524 Plant Ecophysiology 3 Prereq course in general Ecology or Botany. Adaptations of individual plant species to their environment, emphasizing ecophysiological mechanisms that influence plant establishment, below and above ground productivity. Field trips required. Cooperative course taught by UI (Rnge 560), open to WSU students.
525 Experimental Plant Ecology 1 (0-3) Experimental techniques in plant ecology with orientation toward environmental and physiological measurement in field and laboratory research. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (Rnge 525).
526 Population Analysis 1 Prereq NATRS/Entom/Zool 529, biometry. Analysis, diagnosis, interpretation, and forecasting of population change.
527 Forest Gene Resource Management 3 Prereq graduate standing. Genetic principles applied to forest ecosystems management; origin and function of genetic diversity; implications of silvicultural practices on gene pools. Field trips required. Cooperative course taught by UI (For/Genet 428/528), open to WSU students.
528 Resolving Environmental Conflicts 4 (3-3) Same as R S 535. Graduate-level counterpart of NATRS 428; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both NATRS 428 and 528.
529 Principles of Population Dynamics 1 Prereq general ecology. Development of the theory of population dynamics from Mathus to the present.
531 Wildlife Nutrition 3 (2-3) Nutritional requirements and interactions of wildlife populations. Credit not granted for both NATRS 431 and 531. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (WLF 531).
535 Wildlife Ecology 4 (3-3) Prereq Bio S 372. The ecology of wildlife species and the contributing biological processes. Overnight field trip required. Credit not granted for both NATRS 435 and 535.
536 Advanced Wildlife Management 4 (3-3) Prereq NATRS 435. Management criteria for wild vertebrate populations. Field trip required. Credit not granted for both NATRS 436 and 536.
538 Natural Resource Policy and Administration 3 Graduate-level counterpart of NATRS 438; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both NATRS 438 and 538.
541 Population Ecology and Conservation 4 (3-3) Prereq graduate standing. Course focusing on ecology, conservation, management of vertebrate populations, especially threatened and endangered species; designed for wildlife and conservation biology majors. Graduate level counterpart of NATRS 441; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both NATRS 441 and 541.
545 Advanced Ecosystem and Landscape Management 2 Prereq enrollment in NRI or by interview only. Ecosystems and landscape management principles, assessments, monitoring, design, and practice, incorporating biological and socioeconomic perspectives.
546 Upland Game Ecology 2 Prereq NATRS 435. Ecology and management of wildlife species using forest and rangeland habitats; current management problems and procedures. Cooperative course taught by UI (WLF 546), open to WSU students.
550 Conservation Biology 3 Ecological and genetic considerations for maintenance of biological diversity and their practical applications to resource management. Credit not granted for both NATRS 450 and 550.
551 Rangeland Vegetation Ecology 3 Prereq two ecology courses. Ecological concepts of dynamics and distribution of plant communities; secondary succession processes, soil-vegetation relationships and development of vegetation classification schemes. Cooperative course taught by UI (Rnge 551), open to WSU students.
554 Restoration Ecology 3 (2-3) Graduate-level counterpart of NATRS 454; additional requirements. Credit not granted for both NATRS 454 and 554. Cooperative course taught by UI (Rnge 552), open to WSU students.
556 Foraging Ecology of Herbivores 2 Prereq graduate student or by permission. Synthesis of foraging behavior concepts including nutritive quality of forages, digestive and metabolic constraints, and diet and habitat selection. Cooperative course taught jointly by WSU and UI (Rnge 556).
560 Watershed Management 3 Principles and practices of management of forest and rangelands for protection, maintenance and improvement of water resource values. Credit not granted for both NATRS 460 and 560.
575 Advanced Remote Sensing 2 (1-4).Same as Soils 574.
588 Advance Topics in Wildlife V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 10 hours. Biology and management of wildlife species. Cooperative course taught jointly by WSU and UI (WLF, For, FWR, Rnge, and RRTT 503).
593 Special Topics Seminar 1 May be repeated for credit. Prereq 20 hrs NATRS. Literature and problems.
594 Environmental and Natural Resources Issues and Ethics 3 Prereq senior standing. May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 7 hours. Ethical systems applied to natural resources; issues of professionalism and ethics in natural resource management. Cooperative course taught by WSU open to UI students (RRT 594).
595 Seminar in Natural Resource Sciences 1 May be repeated for credit. Literature review; preparation and presentation of reports in natural resource sciences.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable Credit. S, F grading.
700 Master's Research, Thesis, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
702 Master's Special Problems, Directed Study and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.