If you can take a week (June 6-11th) to spend full-time at field sites around the Chicago area, this course is an unbeatable opportunity!
This course will introduce students to the ecosystems of Northeast Illinois, with an emphasis on current research, assessment methods and management practices designed to restore them and the environmental services they provide. Local ecosystems and communities will be studied in terms of their physical, chemical, and biological components, structure, and processes. Field trips will be supported by local researchers and expert practitioners. Planned activities will expose students to research, assessment, planning, implementation, and monitoring methods and technologies. Field sessions will be conducted over an intensive six-day period, after which students will have two weeks to focus on an issue of interest and prepare a formal class presentation.
Northeast Illinois Field Ecology (NRES 499)
Section: XM6 Credit Hours: 2 (CRN 41672)
Instructors: Jeff Weiss and Mark Krivchenia
Live Zoom meetings: June 2, 28, 30 from 7:00 to 10:00 pm
In-person field experiences June 6-11 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (Saturday will conclude at noon).
Additional Fee: $100 will be charged to cover lunch every day, entrance fees, and other field expenses. Transportation and lodging, if needed, are the responsibility of enrolled students. Car pooling and lodging arrangements will be organized in May.
Sites and Activities
- Spring Creek: Team assessments (physical, chemical and biological) of two stream reaches and implications for restoration
- The Morton Arboretum: Oak ecosystems and diseases, Prairie soils research, Herbarium science, Stream restoration
- Nachusa Grasslands: Large-scale prairie and savanna restoration, Species reintroduction, Seeds
- Illinois Beach State Park: Dune and swale ecology, Succession, Fish population science, Beach erosion and restoration, Floristic Quality, Plants of Concern
- Bluff Spring Fen: Butterfly monitoring, Fen ecology/Ice Age geology, Prairie rescue, Restoration techniques
- Deer Grove Forest Preserve: Wetland mitigation, Qualitative Rapid Assessment, Wrap-up
Registration
Already a student at Illinois? Register through Self-Service.
Not yet a student at Illinois? Register through online.Illinois.edu.
