Natural History of the Pacific Northwest

This course examines the plants and animals that live within the major ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest (including marine coastlines, streams, lakes, wetlands, and forests) with the aim of helping you understand the processes working to shape these ecosystems (such as climate, geology, hydrology, ecology, biology, and disturbance). This is a field-based course where you are expected to actively engage all your senses while learning. By the end of this class you should be able to use your own observations to make inferences about the structure, function, and composition of your surroundings as well as interpret the past, present, and future trajectories of local Pacific Northwest ecosystems.