Reclamation and Restoration Ecology (RRE) undergraduate minor and graduate certificate are now available. RRE involves the use of basic and applied ecological concepts to rehabilitate and restore processes and functions to disturbed ecosystems. Ecosystems of concern include coal and bentonite mined lands, altered wetlands, degraded rivers and streams, lands infested with exotic plants or noxious weeds, eroding range and forest watersheds, fragile arid and semi-arid rangelands, CBM product water disposal sites, lands contaminated by toxic chemicals (Pb, As, Cd, Hg, organic compounds, oils, tars, radioactive materials, etc.), and alkali/salt mudflats, etc. Rehabilitation and restoration of disturbed ecosystems requires an understanding of the edaphic, biotic, hydrologic, geologic, and topographic factors comprising these ecosystems, including the complex interrelationships that support and perpetuate ecosystem function. Job opportunities for students specializing in RRE include management of soils and vegetation for land improvement such as in landscape design, surface mined land reclamation and site restoration; reclamation/restoration and creation of wetland, riparian, and aquatic habitats; evaluation and investigation of ecosystems as they relate to natural resource management, including rangelands, forests, wetlands, streams and rivers, environmental endangerment assessments, ecological evaluations and archeological sites; assessment and management of watershed soil erosion problems and stabilization of sand dune areas; assessment and investigation of environmental hazards to soils and plants and evaluation of chemical fate and transport phenomena and suitable remediation alternatives; evaluation and management of noxious and exotic plant, animal, and insect infestations as well as threatened/endangered plant and animal species; enhancement of edaphic, hydrologic, floral, and faunal resources on arid and semi-arid rangelands; regulation of the use of land resources (soils, water, fauna, flora) by private and public interests (government agencies); management of ecosystem soils, vegetation, and water for agricultural purposes, forest products, and erosion control; suitability studies for a variety of land development uses, including soil stability, moisture retention or drainage, sustainability and environmental impact; and research support positions related to RRE and management by public agencies and institutions, and private industry.
(click here for Reclamation & Restoration Ecology Minor Checklist)
LIFE 3400 - General Ecology LIFE 3400 (3 credits)
SOIL 2010 - Introduction to Soil Science ( 4 credits)
REWM 4200 - Reclamation of Drastically Disturbed Lands (3 credits)
REWM 4580 - Rangeland Reclamation Ecology (3 credits)
RNEW 4990 - Reclamation and Restoration Ecology Seminar (1 credit)
AGEC 4710 - Natural Resource Law and Policy
GEOG 4040 - Conservation of Natural Resources (3 credits)
GEOG 4750 - Public Land Management (3 credits)
POLS 4051 - Environmental Politics (3 credits)
POLS 4052 - Federal Land Policy (3 credits)
REWM 4900 - Rangeland Management Planning (3 credits)
CE 4800 - Hydrology (3 credits)
CE 4820 - Groundwater and Drainage Engineering (3 credits)
SOIL 4100 - Soil Physics (3 credits)
SOIL 4120 - Genesis, Morphology and Classification of Soils (4 credits)
SOIL 4140 - Soil Microbiology (4 credits)
SOIL 4150 - Forest and Range Soils (3 credits)
SOIL 4160 - Soil Fertility and Fertilizers (3 credits)
REWM 4750 - Wildlife Habitat Restoration Ecology (3 credits)
RNEW/AECL 4400 - Invasive Plant Ecology (3 credits)
BOT 4700 - Vegetation Ecology (4 credits)
PLNT 4070 - Weed Science and Technology (4 credits)
ENTO 4678 - Aquatic Entomology (3 credits)
GEOG 4200 - Geographic Information Sciences (3 credits)
REWM 4280 - Wildland Hydrology (3 credits)
REWM 4700 - Wildland Watershed Management (3 credits)
REWM 4850 - Rangeland Vegetation Management Techniques (3 credits)
REWM 4540 - Problems (3 credits)
REWM 4710 - Watershed Water Quality Management (3 credits)
ZOO 4550 - Wetland Ecology (4 credits)
BOT/GEOG 4111 - Remote Sensing (RS) of the Environment (4 credits)
