AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 2013/14
Text: Friedland and Relyea, Environmental Science for AP (plus other readings)
Lab fee: $20
Methods: Instruction consists of lectures, discussions, readings, and lab/field work. The class meets four times each week, with two one-hour periods and two extended lab periods. We are able to provide students with a wide variety of field experiences, as described below, including on-going studies of local bird and amphibian populations and two land areas dedicated to work on ecological restoration. This work is done in conjunction with the City Parks Department and with SOLV, Oregon’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to “protecting this treasure we call Oregon”. In addition to my own expertise, we are regularly assisted in the field by professional ecologists and ecological restoration consultants, to whom we are greatly indebted.
Course Overview: The AP Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college course in environmental science. The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify, analyze, and evaluate environmental problems and risks both natural and human-made, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. Considerable emphasis is placed on field investigations as well as on laboratory study. Students will apply field research techniques for ecosystem monitoring and restoration in a variety of ecosystems. Supplies needed: boots, clothing for being outdoors in various weather conditions (we have some to share).
Course Goals:
- Become ecologically literate. Learn how to assess ecosystem health and apply appropriate restoration techniques.
- Evaluate civilization; modify where necessary.
Requirements: be here; be involved; follow the golden rule!
Some specifics:
- In addition to in-class field work, you are required to do one out-of-class field event (or lecture event) per semester. (More is extra credit!)
- We are outdoors OFTEN. Sometimes the weather is nice; sometimes it isn’t. Prepare accordingly. You might want to have your own boots/jacket (we have some community gear).
- My website has useful things on it. Check it out.
- Check your WLHS email daily! That’s how I communicate and send out announcements, assignments etc.
- Test “re-match” opportunities will be offered to improve grade. Re-matches must occur within one week of the test.
Course Goals:
- Become ecologically literate. Learn how to assess ecosystem health and apply appropriate restoration techniques.
- Evaluate civilization; modify where necessary.
a. The student will assess human impacts on local bioregions as well as global ecosystems.
b. The student will identify direct and indirect causes of such human impacts.
c. The student will understand and apply ecological concepts and processes such as habitat, niche, energy flow (thermodynamics), carrying capacity and limiting factors, symbiosis, cycling of nutrients and water, biodiversity, and sustainability.
d. The student will understand and apply scientific techniques and processes for monitoring ecosystem health and restoring ecosystem integrity.
e. The student will compare and contrast indicator characteristics of pristine ecosystems (such as the Eagle Creek watershed) and of those more affected by human activity (such as the Tualatin and Willamette watersheds).
f. The student will identify local plant and animal species and investigate their natural histories.
g. The student will address the question of the relationship between humans and the rest of the biosphere, evaluating options for sustainability of ecosystems and human well-being.
h. The student will be aware of careers in environmental science through interaction with professional environmental scientists both in the field and in the classroom.
Access: I am available daily before and after school, as well as at lunch. Contact me at xxxxxxx and find my website on the XXXX homepage.
Course Syllabus
Summer Assignment: Read Daniel Quinn, Ishmael;
View the film “An Inconvenient Truth”
Unit 1: Environmental Issues, Environmental History, Critical Thinking, Science, Politics, and Sustainability
Readings:
Friedland chapters 1,2,19, and 20; plus excerpts from:
Gus Speth, Red Sky at Morning
Clive Ponting, A Green History of the World
Jared Diamond,Collapse
E.O. Wilson, The Future of Life
Lecture topics:
State of the world and how we came to be this way
Critical thinking and the nature of science
Ecological worldviews
Environmental Politics
The laws of thermodynamics
Ecological restoration: how to fix what we have broken
Videos:
The Home Planet (PBS film from “the Miracle Planet” series)
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
NOW with Bill Moyers: Bush Administration response to global warming
Life Force: photosynthesis and the laws of thermodynamics
Collapse featuring Jared Diamond
NOVA/Frontline, “What’s Up with the Weather?”
Lab/Field investigations:
What are the native trees and shrubs of this area? Use of dichotomous
keys in exploring Camassia
How do we measure biodiversity? The Shannon-Wiener index and
the native flora of 50’ x 50’ plots
How do we measure our individual ecological footprints? Computer lab
Begin ecological restoration projects at Tualatin Bluff Wetlands and
Goat Island [ongoing through the year: removing non-native
invasive plant species; planting native plants to prevent soil
erosion and create habitat; monitoring water quality and species
presence (birds, amphibians) to assess the success of the projects]
Unit 2: Principles, Concepts, and Processes of ecology
Readings:
Friedland chapters 3, 4, and 5
Lecture Topics:
Energy and matter flow in ecosystems: thermodynamics and
biogeochemical cycles
Evolution
Meteorology, weather, and climate
Aquatic ecology
Salmon in the Pacific Northwest: history, issues, worldviews
Waterfowl in the Pacific Northwest: identification, population trends
Videos:
Triumph of Life: Survivors (PBS film about evolution, mass extinction,
speciation, and the history of life)
Life on the Edge: improving riparian function
Journey of the Kings (salmon life cycle)
Water: to the Last Drop (David Suzuki on the water cycle)
Warnings from the Wild (PBS film about impact of global warming on
polar bears, penguins, amphibians, birds, and coral reefs)
Lab/Field investigations:
Field trip to Eagle Creek:
Observe salmon spawning
Measure water quality, including flow, turbidity, temperature, pH,
and dissolved oxygen
Assess riparian vegetation: identify species, microhabitats, and
successional stages
Assess water quality through aquatic macroinvertebrate species
richness and species abundance
Visit native Indian fishing village to explore culture, worldviews
Ecological restoration projects at Tualatin Bluff Wetlands and Goat Island
Field trip to Crystal Springs: identifying waterfowl
Salinisation and LD-50 lab: at what point does increasing salt
concentration inhibit the germination of plant seeds?
Unit 3: Ecology of Populations and Communities, and Geology
Readings:
Friedland chapters 6,8, plus
David Quammen, “Planet of Weeds”
Excepts from McDonough and Braungart, Cradle toCradle
Lecture topics:
Community structure, species interactions, succession, and sustainability
Keystone species, indicator species, invasive species
Population dynamics, carrying capacity, and conservation biology
Island biogeography and its implications for conservation
Geologic processes
Geologic hazards and the Juan de Fuca megathrust earthquake of the
Pacific Northwest
Soils, soil formation, and erosion
Desertification: salinisation, waterlogging, deforestation, and overgrazing
Introduction to soil conservation
Identification and population status of local wintering birds
Videos:
Clips from “An Inconvenient Truth”
Yellowstone to Yukon (David Suzuki on connecting habitats with wildlife
corridors)
Oregon Field Guide: Wolves in Oregon (on keystone species)
Lab/Field investigations:
Observing species relationships in Cammassia Natural Area: mutualism,
parasitism, commensalism, predator-prey
Begin Project Feederwatch (on-going assessment of bird populations;
data compiled by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Enhancing soil formation through compost production
Field trip to SauvieIsland: monitoring populations of winter waterfowl
Ecological restoration projects, Tualatin Bluff Wetlands and Goat Island,
continued
Debate: Should wolves be allowed to reestablish populations in Oregon?
Unit 4 : Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health
Readings:
Friedland chapter 17, plus
excerpts from Theo Colborne, Our Stolen Future
Lecture topics:
Risk assessment
Chemical hazards: toxicology, endocrine disruption, and bioaccumulation
Biological hazards: diseases and antibiotic resistance
Risk analysis
Designing for sustainability
Videos:
RX for Survival: a global health challenge (PBS film about disease
organisms, antibiotic resistance, and health practices)
Assault on the Male (BBC film on endocrine disruption)
The Next Industrial Revolution: William McDonough, Michael Braungart
and the birth of the sustainable economy
Lab/Field investigations:
Field Trip: Tour of Sustainable Design in the Portland Metropolitan area
(exploring LEED-certified and Net-Zero buildings, as well as
sustainably produced or salvaged building materials and
businesses that practice ecological sustainability)
Project Feederwatch, continued
Ecological restoration projects at Tualatin Bluff Wetlands and Goat Island,
continued
Searching for the next antibiotic: collecting and culturing soil
organisms to assess their action against on e. coli
Discussion: How do we achieve sustainability?
(end of semester I)
Unit 5: Population, Resources, and Sustainability
Readings:
Friedland chapters 7, 9, 11 plus
Excerpts from John McPhee’s Encounters with the Archdruid
Excerpts from Lynda Mapes Elwha – A River Reborn
Lecture topics:
The human population: growth, demography, and carrying capacity
Age structure diagrams
Methods of influencing population size
Food resources: grain, meat, fish
Factory farming
Sustainable agriculture
Water resources: supply, renewal, and use
Water laws in the U.S.
Videos:
NOVA: World in the Balance
Frontline: Modern Meat
EmptyOceans, Empty Nets
Unwanted Catch (bycatch)
Cadillac Desert
Food Inc
Dirt!
Lab/Field investigations:
Tragedy of the Commons fishing simulation lab
Field trip: Three Forks drinking water intake on the ClackamasRiver:
students observe the process of filtering and treating river water
for drinking
Project Feederwatch, continued
Ecological restoration projects, continued
Sustainable farming
Debate: How should we address population issues?
Unit 6: Energy
Readings:
Friedland chapters12 and 13, plus
articles by Amory Lovins
Lecture topics:
Geologic resources: nonrenewable mineral and energy resources
Mining and environmental effects
Nuclear power, oil, coal, natural gas
Energy efficiency and renewable energy
Solar, wind, hydro, hydrogen, geothermal
Solutions: a sustainable energy strategy
Deforestation
Sustainable forestry
Identification and population status of local migratory birds
Videos:
Oil On Ice
Back to Chernobyl
Modern Marvels: Environmental Tech
Modern Marvels: Renewable Energy
Forests for the Future
Heat
Lab/Field investigations:
Testing for carbon dioxide (students use indicators to determine relative
concentrations of CO2 in auto emissions)
Creating hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis of water
Measuring the capacity of solar photovoltaic panels: students make
various determinations of solar power’s capability
Field trip: Green Building Tour
Ecological restoration projects, continued
Unit 7: Environmental Quality and Pollution
Readings:
Friedland chapters14,15,16, 18 plus
Excerpts from Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
Lecture topics:
Air and air pollution
Atmospheric pollution: climate change and ozone loss
Water pollution: streams, lakes, groundwater, ocean
Wetlands: nature’s water purification system
Pest control: pesticides, integrated pest management
Solid and hazardous wastes
Waste control and waste prevention
Sustainability: eliminating the concept of waste
Identification and population status of local amphibian species
Videos:
Clips from “An Inconvenient Truth”
NOVA/Frontline, “What’s Up With the Weather?”
Frogs: the thin green line
Lab/Field investigations:
Field testing for air quality using lichens in Camassia Natural Area
Field trip to Fern Hill Wetlands (a wetlands created for the filtration and
bio-treatment of sewage effluent)
Field trip to local sewage treatment plant
Field trip to local solid waste transfer station
Monitoring amphibian populations as bio-indicators
Monitoring neotropical migratory birds as bio-indicators
Final Project Presentations: Making a difference about issues that concern us
(end of semester II)