Cultural and Ecological Restoration is a 4-credit MES program elective offered Spring 2025. The field of restoration ecology is fairly young, relative to other scientific disciplines. However, cultural and ecological restoration has occurred throughout human history, as Indigenous cultures have stewarded and restored ecosystems for millennia. Identifying priority restoration targets for nearly any ecosystem is one of the largest challenges for the conservation community, as it requires a complex understanding of the historical, social, political, cultural and ecological influences on restoration success.
This graduate level course will explore both the objective and the subjective facets of restoration ecology, including various cultural perspectives and practices, how economic and political realities influence restoration targets, and the integrated structural and functional components of ecosystems that contribute to the success or failure of any restoration project. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate small- to large-scale restoration projects in the Pacific Northwest and around the world, as well as take part in active ecological restoration and contribute to a restoration plan for a local conservation preserve.
“Here is the means to end the great extinction spasm. The next century will, I believe, be the era of restoration in ecology.” – E.O. Wilson
In-Person Class Format: This course is offered fully in-person. Students should expect to attend in-person for all class periods. We cannot promise to offer remote attendance options due to illness or other absences. Students should strategize methods for getting notes from class when attendance is not possible.
Class Schedule: Monday nights, 6pm-10pm