State University of New York at Morrisville

Dr. Walid H. Shayya
School of Agriculture, Business, and Technology



Course Outline of RREN 420 

Spring 2024

Brightspace Access of Course Material Online (for students enrolled in the course)


INSTRUCTORS:

 

Instructors' Contact Information

Dr. Walid H. Shayya, Ph.D.
Prof. Bill Snyder
Prof. Brendan Kelly
 

GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION:

ENRM 420 (formerly RREN 420) involves the presentation of two integrated teaching modules that focus on applying geospatial technology to forest and wildlife management. The first module includes the application of geospatial technologies to the integrated management and monitoring of forest land. The second module utilizes geospatial technology to assess habitat resources for wildlife management. The two modules incorporate the global positioning system (GPS), geographic information system (GIS), and remote sensing technologies combined with field-tested, scientifically-based principles providing an integrated approach to natural resources management. The two modules are vertically integrated, resulting in the Habitat and Natural Resources Inventory System (HANRIS), where field measurements are combined based on common sampling points. The course is offered for ten weeks during the spring semester for students finishing their third year in the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) program in Environmental and Natural Resources Management (ENRM).

Course Format: Lectures and Laboratories (Face-to-Face)
Meeting Times/Locations: Lectures (Fridays @ 2:00 PM in Bicknell 115), Laboratories (Fridays, 3:00-4:50 PM in Bicknell 115)
Semester Start Date: February 23, 2024
Semester End Date: May 3, 2024

Prerequisite: ENRM 303 and junior standing or permission of the instructor
1 credit (1 lecture hour, 2 laboratory hours), spring semester, ten-weeks course


EXPECTED COURSE OUTCOMES:

Upon the successful completion of ENRM 420, students will have

  1. Gained an understanding of how inventory systems can be used to account for standing trees, culls, and snags; herbaceous vegetation; tree regeneration; soils; the presence of wildlife; and anthropomorphic access ways.

  2. Developed an understanding of identifying and describing existing floral communities as to tier classification, taxonomic grouping, and wetland indicator category status.

  3. Demonstrated the basic skills needed to gather overstory and understory forest inventory data as well as collect cover-type data using field data recorders associated with global coordinate systems.

  4. Working within predetermined project management goals, determined project area boundaries, estimated probable compartment units, and established transect baselines for upland, wetland, and riparian ecosystems.

  5. Analyzed data using appropriate GIS software to delineate boundaries and summarize represented cover types.

  6. Utilized tabulated standards to determine values for wetland areas, riparian buffer strips, wildlife habitat needs, and habitat fidelity.

  7. Developed an understanding of how appropriate goal-oriented management strategies can be devised based on collected data.

  8. Created and presented professional quality reports of their fieldwork and results.


STUDENT HOURS:

Each course instructor has at least five designated student hours per week. The times will be shared with the students during the first class meeting (also posted on the instructor’s office door). If necessary, Students are encouraged to make appointments to see course instructors at other times if necessary.


INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS:

The following represent some of the many instructional methods to be followed in ENRM 420:


CONTACT HOURS AND CLASS SCHEDULE:

ENRM 420 is a one-credit hour course that meets for ten weeks during the spring semester. It generally includes three contact hours per week (usually two for lecture and/or laboratory, except during fieldwork when three hours of field work will be expected). One section of the class is offered during the 2024 Spring semester. ENRM 420 meets on Fridays (2:00 to 3:50 PM) in Room 115, Bicknell Hall (or 208 Bicknell as announced by the instructors) for ten weeks from 23 February to 3 May 2024.


TEXTBOOK(S):

Each student must purchase the following course manual, which is available from the campus bookstore:

  1. Shayya, W.H., W.S. Snyder, and B. Kelly. 2023.  Manual for Geospatial Technology Applications I and II (7th Edition). XanEdu Publishing Inc. (ISBN: 979-8-82270-329-2).

The manual to be used in ENRM 420 and ENRM 421 includes the instructors' lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations (printed in handout format), pertinent reading material, and printouts of the laboratory exercises. Course material will also be available online under Brightspace, accessible only to students enrolled in the course. Numerous resources are also available at the college library and online. Students are encouraged to be actively involved in acquiring some pertinent knowledge from all available resources. Either of the following publications (utilized in different semesters in ENRM 303) will also serve as a reference:

  1. Bolstad, P. and S. Manson. 2022.  GIS Fundamentals: A First Textbook on Geographic Information Systems (7th Edition). Eider Press, White Bear Lake, Minnesota (ISBN: 978-0-97176-475-0).

  2. Law, M. and A. Collins. 2022. Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop 10.8 (6th Edition). ESRI Press, Redlands, California (ISBN: 978-1-58948-577-8).

  3. Gorr, W.L. and K.S. Kurland. 2020. GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8. ESRI Press, Redlands, California (ISBN: 978-1-58948-614-0).


STUDENT REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:

  1. Field notebook.

  2. Course manual.

  3. Reference textbooks from previous courses.

  4. Appropriate dress for scheduled laboratory sessions and fieldwork.


CLASS POLICIES:


GRADING/EVALUATION OF STUDENT:

Evaluation is a shared responsibility between the teacher and the student. The evaluation aims to demonstrate how well the professor has taught and the student has learned specific course materials, the principles, concepts, and terms relevant to the covered topics.  Evaluation is also intended to assess the student's ability to utilize the acquired knowledge in problem-solving.

Many class periods will have a graded component or exercise. These may be written assignments, in-lab assignments, homework, or evaluating the student's participation and attitude. Students must complete their assignments accurately and neatly and submit them on time. Assignments received past the due date will be devalued for any late assignment. No student's late class assignment will be graded (for credit) after the assignment is corrected and returned to the class.

ENRM 420 will include several quizzes to be completed at the beginning of the class meeting. No make-up quizzes will be given without a written medical excuse, family emergencies, or prior permission from the instructor. Students are responsible for all material covered in the class, whether presented orally during the lectures/laboratories or assigned.

Each student will contribute to a group project defined by the instructors. In addition, two reports will be expected on the term project worth fifty percent (50%) of the final grade.

The breakdown of grading in this course will be as follows: 

The distribution of grades in this course will be based on the A-F College grading scheme. The letter grades correspond to the following percentage scale: A (90-100%), A- (87-89.9%), B+ (83-86.9%), B (80-82.9%), B- (77-79.9%), C+ (73-76.9%), C (70-72.9%), C- (67-69.9%), D+ (63-66.9%), D (60-62.9%), and F (<60%).


STARFISH EARLY ALERT SYSTEM:

This course participates in the Starfish Early Alert System, an early intervention system designed to enable academic success, student persistence, and graduation. When an instructor observes student behaviors or concerns that may impede academic success, the instructor may raise an alert flag that notifies the student of the matter, requests an individual contact to discuss the issue, and (in most cases) refer the student to the academic advisor. If you receive an email notification of an early alert, you must contact the instructor as soon as possible to discuss the issue. The purpose of the contact is to determine the severity of the issue, accurately assess its potential impact on your academic success, and plan actions to prevent negative consequences and enable academic success. For more information about the Early Alert system, contact your academic advisor.  


OUTLINE OF TOPICS:

Week/Type
Date

Topic*

5/Lecture
23 February
- Pre-test (first 30 minutes)
- Introduction to ENRM 420 (Prof. Shayya)
- Assignment of Project Teams and General Location (Profs. Snyder, Kelly, and Shayya)
- Review of Pre-test Concepts (Profs. Snyder and Kelly)
6/Lecture
1 March
- Data Mapping Codes (Prof. Snyder)
- Review of USDA Plant Species Codes (Profs. Snyder and Kelly)
7/Lecture
8 March
- Vegetative Inventory for Forestry Management (Prof. Kelly)
   • Important Terms
   • Field Sampling of Attributes
   • Fixed Plot Sampling
   • Variable Plot Sampling
   • Data Collection Using Variable Plots
- Overview of Field Equipment (Profs. Kelly and Snyder)
- Determining Stocking Densities (Prof. Snyder)
Week 8: Spring Break (No classes)
9/Lab.
22 March
- Intro. to the Habitat and Natural Resources Inventory System (HANRIS) (Prof. Shayya)
   • Vegetative Data Collection Using MS Excel
   • Collecting Vegetative Data in the Field
   • Fixed Plot Regeneration Data Collection
   • Variable Plot Data Collection
- Creating Sampling Plots in ArcGIS (Prof. Shayya)
   • GIS Data Acquisition and Entry
   • Editing Data
   • Data Quality and Management
   • Geo-referencing and Map Projections
   • Delineating Plot Areas
   • Creating Sampling Plots Using Point Features
   • Adding Point Features to ArcGIS as an Event Layer
- Project Reminders (Profs. Snyder, Kelly, and Shayya)
10/Lab.
29 March
- Interfacing of the GPS and GIS Technologies (Prof. Shayya)
   • Using Feature Construction Tools
   • Deleting and Modifying Features
   • Uploading Features into a GPS Unit
   • Downloading Features from a Garmin GPS unit
- Addressing Questions on Project (Profs. Snyder, Kelly, and Shayya)
11/Lab. (2:00 to 4:50 PM)
5 April
- First Field Application (Class Exercise) (Profs. Snyder and Kelly)
   • Vegetative Inventory for a Sampling Plot
   • Forest Overstory and Understory Inventory
   • Collecting Vegetative Data
   • Fixed Plot Regeneration Data Collection
   • Variable Plot Data Collection
12/Lab. (2:00 to 4:50 PM)
12 April
- Second Field Application (Individual Group Exercise) (Profs. Snyder and Kelly)
   • Vegetative Inventory for a Sampling Plot
   • Forest Overstory and Understory Inventory
   • Collecting Vegetative Data
   • Fixed Plot Regeneration Data Collection
   • Variable Plot Data Collection
- Submission of Interim Prefield/Operational Plan Project Report
13/Lab.
19 April
- Compiling Sampling Plot Data and Editing Features (Basic Analysis) (Prof. Shayya)
   • Compiling Field Data on Sampling Plots
   • Analyzing Collected Field Data
   • Producing Non-spatial Data for Inclusion in GIS 
   • Joining Field-collected Attribute Data and Feature Attributes
   • Calculating and Editing Feature Attribute Values
- Feedback on Prefield/Operational Plan Project Report (Profs. Snyder, Shayya, and Kelly)
14/Lecture
26 April
 
- Evaluation of Course and Project Team Members
- Addressing Questions on Prefield/Operational Plan Project Report (Profs. Snyder, Shayya, and Kelly)
15/No Class
3 May
 
- Submission of Final Prefield/Operational Plan Project Report (electronic and hardcopy)

*The topics and corresponding dates listed in the table above are tentative and may be subject to change during the semester.

COLLEGE-WIDE POLICIES:

To view the College-wide policies page, please click on this link.