WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES TECHNIQUES

WL 230 - Spring 2006

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences

College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences

South Dakota State University

INSTRUCTORS:       D. E. Hubbard                                      OFFICES:      SNP 139C, 688-6121

D. W. Willis                                                                 SNP 141C, 688-6121

J. A. Jenks                                                                   SNP 138D, 688-6121

EMAIL:          DEH:     daniel.hubbard@sdstate.edu

                        DWW:   david.willis@sdstate.edu

JAJ:       jonathan.jenks@sdstate.edu

OFFICE HOURS:  Appointments preferred

CLASS TIME:  Monday/Wednesday/Friday 11:00-11:50       LOCATION: SNP 103

PREREQUISITES/COREQUISITES:  Prerequisite is WL 220 or consent.  There is no corequisite.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVE:  An introduction to the primary techniques used in the collection and interpretation of fish and wildlife population and habitat information for the management of fish and wildlife populations.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Braun, C. E., editor.  2005.  Techniques for Wildlife Investigations and Management.  6th edition.  The Wildlife Society, Bethesda, MD.

Murphy, B. R., and D. W. Willis, editors. 1996.  Fisheries Techniques.  2nd edition.  American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD:  Instructional delivery is primarily in traditional lecture format.

TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE

          Dates                                                           Lecture Topics                                          

Jan. 18 to Feb.22                     Scientific Method, Literature, Planning, & Reports                                                                                                         General Considerations for Wildlife & Habitat Studies

                                                Research Animals

Vegetation Sampling & Measurements

Invertebrate Sampling & Measurements

Habitat Evaluation Methods

Classification: Lands, Soils, & Waters

Feb. 22                                    EXAM 1

Feb. 24 to Mar. 31                   Passive Fish Capture Techniques

Active Fish Capture Techniques

Electrofishing

Toxicants & Explosives

Standardized sampling

Age & Growth

Marking & Tagging

Indices

Standard Sampling

Sampling Scenarios

Mar. 31                                    EXAM 2

Apr. 3 to May 5                       Mammal & Bird Capture Techniques

Mammal & Bird Marking Techniques

Age & Sex Determination

Density Estimation

Data Collection

May 10, 9:00 - 10:40 a.m.     FINAL EXAM

REQUIRED READING ASSIGNMENTS                         Chapters

Wildlife Management Techniques Manual              3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13, 18, 20, 21

Fisheries Techniques                                                 1, 2, 5 - 8, 10 -12, 16

Tentative Reading Schedule

EXAMS

There will be two 100 point exams during the semester and a 100 point final exam that covers the final third of the course.  These exams may consist of multiple-choice, matching, true-and-false, and short-answer questions.  Tests will cover information presented in lectures, required reading, and films.  Make-up exams are discouraged, and will consist of essay or oral examinations.  The student must notify the appropriate instructor or the department secretary before the scheduled exam.

GRADE ASSIGNMENT

Grades will be assigned according to the following schedule.  These percentages may be adjusted downward; however, only by attaining these percentages can you be assured of receiving a desired grade.

90-100%         (270-300 points)          A

80- 89%          (240-269 points)          B

70- 79%          (210-239 points)          C

60- 69%          (180-209 points)          D

 <60%              (<180 points)               F

ATTENDANCE

Attendance will not be taken frequently; however, each student is responsible for all material presented in lecture, guest lectures, films, or reading assignments.  

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

If you are a student with a disability and need special accommodations in order to participate in this class, please inform the instructor and make appropriate arrangements with the Office of Disability Services (Room 110 West Hall, 688-4504).

IMPORTANT DATES FOR WL 230 STUDENTS

Feb. 22                        Exam 1                                    

Feb. 16                        Holiday                                               

Mar. 6-10                    Spring break

Mar 28-29                   Dakota Chapter, AFS, Pierre

Mar. 31                        Exam 2

Apr. 14-17                   Easter break

May 5                          Last day of class

May 10                        Final Exam

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences

Academic Dishonesty Policy

(Revised Nov. 2000)

            The Department and the University have taken a strong and clear stand regarding academic dishonesty.  We believe that it is unethical and unprofessional to present work done by others in a manner indicating that the student/s is/are presenting material as his/her original ideas or work; such activity is academic dishonesty.  Plagiarizing or knowingly assisting others in plagiarizing on tests, quizzes, problems, assignments, research papers, theses, dissertations, or other academic activities is unacceptable behavior.  All academic work completed by students is expected to be the original work of that individual student, unless permission is specifically granted beforehand by the faculty member for some form of team effort or other format.  If students are unsure if a particular activity may be regarded as a form of academic dishonesty they should consult the faculty member before undertaking such an activity.

The University has a policy on academic honesty, procedures for academic grade and dishonesty appeals, and sanctions for such activities (see Student Code).  The Student Code has different procedures for undergraduate and graduate students.

The Department policy described in this handout is intended to attempt to address perceived academic dishonesty violations between the faculty member/s and student/s before Student Code procedures are implemented.  This is done because under Student Code procedures the minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is Disciplinary Probation.  These added Department steps (Steps 1, 2, and 3 of the Undergraduate Student and Graduate Student Procedures) should not be construed as an attempt to circumvent the Student Code system; both students and/or the faculty member have the option to go directly into that system.  The Department procedures portion of this policy are only available to a student one time; any second perceived offense will immediately follow the Student Code procedures.

Undergraduate Student Procedure

1.         When a student/s is/are determined to have broken the Academic Dishonesty Policy, he/she will be notified verbally by the faculty member involved as to the problem and sanction selected.  This is similar to procedures 02:02:01:03 and 02:02:01:04 in the Student Code. The faculty member will do this immediately after the perceived violation occurs. Sanction options available to the faculty member are as follows:

a.         provide the student/s a grade of zero or some other score on the test, quiz, problem, assignment, or other academic endeavor involved;

b.         provide the student/s a grade of “F” in the course;

c.         request that the student/s withdraw from the course;

d.         request that the student/s change the grading for the course to an “audit”; or

e.         immediately refer the case to the Student Code procedures.

The sanction selected is at the discretion of the faculty member, based on the seriousness of the situation.

2.         If the student/s agrees to the sanction proposed by the faculty member the process is completed.

3.         If the student/s does not agree to the sanction proposed by the faculty member, he/she has the right to appeal the faculty member’s decision.  This Informal Phase Appeal should be made directly (both verbally and in writing) to the faculty member involved within 5 class days of notification or within 7 calendar days of notification, if the incident is at the end of the semester. 

The faculty member may then modify or leave unchanged the sanction proposed in step 1.  A copy of the student’s written appeal and the faculty member’s written response will be sent to the Department Head so that a confidential record to protect the student/s and the faculty member is established.  The student/s written appeal and faculty member written response will be secured in the student’s file until graduation or he/she leaves the program; if no further perceived violations have occurred these materials will be purged from the student’s file.

4.         If the student/s is/are still dissatisfied with the decision he/she can appeal to the Department Head. This Informal Phase Appeal should be made verbally.  The Department Head will utilize this verbal appeal and the written student appeal and faculty written response described in step 3 to reach a decision.  (These are steps 02:02:01:05, 02:02:01:06, and 02:02:01:07 in the Informal Phase Appeal process described in the Student Code).

5.         If the student/s and faculty member agree with the Department Head’s decision, the process is completed.  Up to this point, no one other than the student/s, faculty member, and Department Head has been made aware of the situation.

6.         If the student/s or faculty member is/are dissatisfied with the Department Head’s decision they can enter the Formal Phase of the Student Code process (Student Code 02:02:02).  It is the responsibility of the faculty member and student/s to be aware of the procedures and penalties involved.

¹The student’s advisor may be included because items other than class work could be involved.