Course title

Pre-requisite

Course description

Wildlife Management Course Objectives
Unit 1: Wildlife Management: Introduction and History

• Define wildlife management & discuss its importance.
  
• Define wildlife & differentiate between game species; non-game species; threatened & endangered species.
  
• Describe the North American Model of Wildlife Management.
  
• Explain the values placed on wildlife.
  
• Create a time line of the major events in the history of wildlife management.
  
• Identify major trends in wildlife management philosophies & practices.
  
• Compare modern wildlife management practices with current American attitudes concerning wildlife (PETA; Greenpeace; etc.) .
  
• Develop an understanding of the role economics plays in wildlife management.

Unit 2: The Threatened & Endangered Species Act

• Explain what the Threatened & Endangered Species Act is; its provisions; and why it was enacted.
  
• Describe problems the act has encountered.
  
• Research local endangered species; and describe the threats to the species; as well as the actions being taken to rebuild the population.

Unit 3: Populations Analysis.

• Define populations as the term is used in wildlife management.
  
• Define carrying capacity in biological & cultural terms.
  
• Explain the concept of limiting factors.
  
• Explain the relationship between carrying capacity; limiting factors; & wildlife populations.
  
• Examine the loss of energy between trophic levels and the effect this has on carrying capacity.
  
• Explain how wildlife is threatened by a growing human population.
  
• Use techniques for population estimation and population analysis that are commonly employed to manage abundant and threatened/endangered species.
  
• Set defendable harvest regulations; and determine if harvest is sustainable for a population.

Unit 4: Ecology & Habitat Analysis

• Define ecology & give examples of different types.
  
• Explain biodiversity as related to wildlife populations.
  
• Have an understanding of the ecological principles upon which wildlife management & conservation are based.
  
• Identify the components of wildlife habitat.
  
• Demonstrate familiarity with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology; in the context of solving management problems.
  
• Use animal movement data and quantitative methods to determine habitat preference.
  
• Describe the relationship between habitat availability & wildlife populations.
  
• Identify habitat requirements for specific species.
  
• Identify practices to improve habitat characteristics (fire management; contaminant remediation; coastal barriers; habitat restoration; etc.)
  
• Recommend habitat practices for specific species and develop a defendable management plan.

Unit 5: Careers in Wildlife Management

• Describe and compare different careers in the area of Wildlife Management.

Lab Activities

• "Time Passes/Mapping a Recovery Network" - Students analyze the needs of breeding pairs of organisms and locate suitable habitat of an appropriate size within the state.
  
• Invasive Species - Students model the resource usage of native and nonantive species to develop an understanding of problems with invasives.
  
• Pesticides & Bioaccumulation - Students simulate food webs both with and without pesticides to examine the effects of bioaccumulation on various trophic levels.
  
• "How Many Bears" - Students simulate bears in an ecosystem to explore habitat requirements.
  
• "Oh; Deer" - Students simulate predator and prey relationships to develop an understanding of how these populations are linked.
  
• "Owl Pellets" - Students dissect owl pellets; use dichotomous keys to identify and reconstruct the organisms found. Food webs are constructed and a diet analysis is performed.
  
• "Quadrat sampling" - Students perform field work using quadrat sampling to estimate creosote population in a nearby desert area.
  
• "Transect sampling" - Students estimate anthill colonies in a nearby desert area by performing a transect sample.
  
• "Pellet Survey" - Students estimate rabbit population in a nearby area by performing a pellet survey.
  
• "Mark & Recapture" - Students estimate population size using the mark & recapture technique.
  
• "Forage Monitoring" - Students use forage monitoring outside to compare foraging in various areas and set management levels.
  
• "Environmental Impact Assessments" - Students use observation and sampling techniques to identify various organisms in a pristine desert area near campus; a developed park area; and a cleared but undeveloped area. Population estimates and research are used to determine the effect the development appears to have on populations. Students then reesarch and propose methods to minimize impact for future development.
  
• "Arizona Biomes & Habitat" - An inquiry activity where students plot elevation and rainfall data of various Arizona cities to determine biome type. Animal ranges are then compared to analyze habitat preference; and determine if there are areas in the state that match the preferred habitat; but have no sign of that organism.
  
• "Water Quality Testing" - Students test water samples in various locations for suitability for wildlife.
  
• "Mining for Marbles" - Students model the environmental impact and challenges of mining on wildlife and habitats.
  
• "Do Underpasses Really Work?" - Students use data collected from a roadway underpass to answer individually designed research questions regarding whether animals use the underpasses in lieu of crossing the roads; and if so; what underpass structure is preferred.
  
• "How Do We Stop Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions?" - Students analyze roadways and accident data and research plans to reduce collisions. Students propose solutions based on funding and research; then compare their decisions with those made by the Arizona Department of Transportation using the same data.
  
• "Intro to GPS" - Students learn to use a GPS device in the context of wildlife studies.
  
• "Habitat Mapping Using GPS" - Students use a GPS to produce a layered; scaled representation of a habitat.
  
• "Intro to GIS" - Students learn to use ArcVoyager software (a GIS software commonly used by wildlife biologists).
  
• "Radio telemetry and triangulation" - Students use telemetry data to triangulate and plot organismal movement.
  
• "Wolf tracking" - Students propose research questions that can be answered by examining telemetry data; and then propose hypotheses and research studies based on actual wolf telemetry data.
  
• "Bass tracking" - Students use telemetry data to determine whether invasive bass are reproducing in Lake Pleasant.
  
• "Elk/coyote Tracking" - Students use telemetry data to investigate research questions about elk and coyote.

Sample Syllabus
Jan. 4 ? Intro to class; policies & procedures.
Jan. 5 ? ?Does Wildlife Sell Cigarettes?? Attitudes towards wildlife; importance of wildlife.
Jan. 6 ? Quiz on class procedures. ?Thinking Like A Mountain? - Aldo Leopold. What is Wildlife Management; & why do we do it?
Jan. 7 ? ?The North American Model: The Past; Present; & Future of Wildlife Conservation ? The Brink of Extinction?*
Jan. 8 ? ?The North American Model: The Past; Present; & Future of Wildlife Conservation ? The Turning of the Tides?*

Jan. 11 ? ?A Timeline of Wildlife Conservation in America?*
Jan. 12 ? Finish ?Timeline?*
Jan. 13 ? ?Championing the Cause ? On the Shoulders of Giants?*
Jan. 14 ? ?Championing the Cause? continued*
Jan. 15 ? Finish ?Championing the Cause?*

Jan. 18 ? No School ? Martin Luther King; Jr.
Jan. 19 ? ?Wildlife Conservation in Arizona ? Today and in the Future?*
Jan. 20 ? ?Wildlife Conservation in Arizona? continued*
Jan. 21 ? ?Wildlife Conservation in Arizona? continued*
Jan. 22 ? Wildlife Summit & unit wrap-up.*

Jan. 25 - Intro to the Threatened & Endangered Species Act. Causes of endangerment.
Jan. 26 ? ?Time Passes?/ Mapping a Recovery Network
Jan. 27 ? Invasive Species; Deadly Plant Invader lab.
Jan. 28 ? Finish invasive species. Begin pesticides and bioaccumulation.
Jan. 29 - Pesticides & bioaccumulation continued. Begin declining fish population & aquaculture.

Feb. 1? Finish declining fish population & aquaculture. Begin Living With Tigers?.
Feb. 2 ? ?Living With Tigers? & discussion.
Feb. 3 ? Finish ?Living With Tigers? if necessary. Discussion & intro to project.
Feb. 4 ? Team website development (if approved)
Feb. 5 ? Team website development (if approved)

Feb. 8 ? Website Exploration (if approved)
Feb. 9 ? Population Dynamics intro
Feb. 10 ? Biodiversity case studies (very short day ? District . PLC)
Feb. 11 ? ?Island of the Gray Wolves? & ?Lesson of the Kaibab? ? population ecology
Feb. 12 ? Carrying Capacity Lab

Feb. 15 ? No School ? President?s Day
Feb. 16 ? Owl Pellet Dissection; dichotomous keys
Feb. 17 ? Diet analysis
Feb. 18 - Population sampling techniques overview. Quadrat sampling
Feb. 19 ? Pellet survey; transect survey.

Feb. 22 ? Mark & recapture - ?How Many Fish Are in that Pond??
Feb. 23 ? (AIMS Writing - short period) Aerial survey
Feb. 24 ? (AIMS Reading - short period) Random Sampling
Feb. 25 ? Forage Monitoring.
Feb. 26 ? Finish forage monitoring.

Mar. 1 ? Mortality & fecundity tables (bring calculator!)
Mar. 2 ? Summarize sampling techniques; intro to impact reports ? ?Signs Bingo?
Mar. 3 ? Research & prepare impact report.
Mar. 4 ? Research & prepare impact report.
Mar. 5 ? Research & prepare impact report.

Mar. 8 ? Environmental Impact Reports
Mar. 9 ? Finish impact reports if necessary. Catchup/review
Mar. 10 ? Guest Speaker - Jeff Servoss; Fish & Wildlife Service - "Venomous Reptiles"
Mar. 11 ? Final exams.
Mar. 12 ? Final exams.

(Spring Break)

Mar. 22 ? Intro to Ecology. Habitats and adaptations
Mar. 23 ? ?How Many Bears??
Mar. 24 ? Arizona Biomes & Habitats lab.
Mar. 25 ? Arizona Biomes & Habitats lab.
Mar. 26 ? Sources of water pollution and water quality issues. Water webquest

Mar. 29 ? Water sample analysis.
Mar. 30 ? Fire management
Mar. 31 ? AIMS Math (Probably no class)
Apr. 1 ? AIMS Science. ?Paradise Lost?
Apr. 2 ? Holiday ? No School

Apr. 5 ? Quiz. Damage mitigation & restoration ecology.
Apr. 6 ? Mining for Marbles
Apr. 7 ? Deforestation & effects. ?Is Clear-Cutting Really a Clear Issue??
Apr. 8 ? Finish clear-cutting debate. Succession.
Apr. 9 ? Urbanization & effects: ?The Urban Elephant?.

Apr. 12 ? Urban sprawl webquest; begin Range Wars
Apr. 13 ? Range Wars/ ?Mary HAD a Little Lamb?
Apr. 14 ? Is There a Problem with Wildlife on our Roads??
Apr. 15 ? ?How Do We Stop Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions??
Apr. 16 ? Finish and discuss ?Collisions?. Begin ?Do Underpasses Really Work?? if time.

Apr. 19 ? ?Do Underpasses Really Work??
Apr. 20 ? Unit Test
Apr. 21 ? Guest speaker - Mark Stewart; AZ Game & Fish Manager for Buckeye
Apr. 22 ? Intro to GPS & GIS
Apr. 23 ? Layer prep using GPS

Apr. 26 ? Finish layers and discuss.
Apr. 27 ? Intro to GIS.
Apr. 28 ? GIS basics; continued.
Apr. 29 ? Finish GIS worksheets
Apr. 30 ? Radio telemetry and triangulation

May 3 ? Wolf tracking
May 4 ? Bass tracking
May 5 ? Elk/coyote tracking (very short period ? District PLC)
May 6 ? Careers research project intro and research. Review for test.
May 7 ? GPS & GIS Test

May 10 ? Discussion on ?The Grizzly Man?; and other researchers.
May 11 ? Appropriate methods of increasing awareness.
May 12 ? ?Emerging Careers? (very short day due to Academic Awards Assembly)
May 13 ? Career presentations
May 14 ? Career presentations.

May 17 ? Senior Finals (Catchup/review)
May 18 ? Senior Finals (Catchup/review)
May 19 ? Final Exams
May 20 ? Final Exams

School country

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Requested competency code

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Approved

Approved competency code

• CTE
• Career and technical education

• LADV
• Advanced science

• LBIO
• Biology

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Online / Virtual