WR504: WATER, SALMON AND SOCIETYCOLUMBIA RIVER BASIN FIELD TRIP/COURSE

1-2 CREDITS

Learning Objectives:1. Gain an understanding of interdisciplinary

challenges facing environmental sustainability at meso- to large scales.

2. Examine how disciplinary knowledge can contribute to a large-scale, integrated management challenges.

3. Assess how integrated cross-disciplinary approaches can advance knowledge and management of large, complex systems.

Format:is course is field-based, and will consist of several on-campus meetings and seminars and 2 weekend field trips. e course can be taken for variable credits: 1 cr. to participate in the seminars and trips, and 2 cr. to also complete a research paper.

Assessment:Assessment will be based on a research paper containing a critical review of the scientific understanding and application of specific measures to manage natural resources in the Columbia River Basin to benefit key stakeholders.

Instructor:Dr. Timothy E. LinkAssociate Professor of Forest HydrologyOffice: CNR 203E: (208) 885-9465: tlink@uidaho.eduOffice Hours: By appointment.

Schedule:Sep. 4 (urs): Introductory meeting.

Week of Sep. 15: Logistics meeting

Sep. 19-20 (Fri-Sat):Lower Snake River trip-Palouse Falls: Natural and environmental history- reemile Canyon Farm: Sustainable agribusiness-McNary Dam: Environmental history and dam

Image: USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station

reemile Canyon Farm, Boardman, OR

operations (tentative) - Ice Harbor Dam: Dam operations and fish passage-George Creek: Riparian restoration-Ten Mile Ranch: Conservation-oriented development

Week of Sep 22: Fisheries monitoring seminar (pending)Week of Sep 29: Economics of dam removal (pending)Week of Oct. 3: Logistics meeting

Oct. 9-11 (urs-Sat):Lapwai and Upper Clearwater Basin trip-Potlatch Mill: Water quality (pending)-Nez Perce Reservation: Environmental history, tribal issues, habitat enhancement -Winchester Lake: Large-scale fisheries challenges (Kennedy), legal and governance issues (Cosens)-Red River WMA: Upland riparian restoration-Nez Perce National Forest: Upland land management, large-scale drivers of change: climate, insect outbreaks and fires-South Fork of Clearwater River: Mining pressures past and present (pending)-Dworshak Dam: Dam operations in the Columbia Basin (pending)-Nez Perce Hatchery: Fisheries supplementation programs (pending)

Week of Nov. 10: Student presentationsNov. 21 (Fri): Final papers due

Logistics:Overnight accommodations will camping with food purchasing and preparation shared by all students in the course. Student groups will be responsible for the planning and purchasing of trip meals (breakfast, lunches and beverages). Dinners will be at local restaurants. Camping conditions may cold and wet, so please come prepared with appropriate warm and waterproof gear, and a sense of humor. Tents and sleeping bags can be rented from the UI Outdoor Program

(http://www.campusrec.uidaho.edu/outdoor).

Research Paper (2 credit option):e objective of the research paper is for students to develop breadth and/or depth of knowledge related to water resources and environmental sciences. Students may select a topic of their choice related to the central theme of the course, in consultation with the instructor. e focus area may be within or outside of their discipline, or span multiple disciplines. Students are encouraged to expand upon knowledge gained during the field trips, and use the contacts that they make to further their research. e paper must include 3 main components: 1.) A critical

Red River WMA

assessment of the topic of their choosing, 2.) a statement of how the topic relates to broader interdisciplinary challenges, and 3.) A reflective section stating how their understanding of environmental issues has changed as a result of their exposure to multiple disciplines throughout the course. e target length of the paper is 15-20 pages, and may be used to advance the interdisciplinary chapter of Water Resources thesis, with approval of the student’s committee.

Some general suggested research areas are:• How is the value of water changing in the Columbia River Basin for different uses and what

are the potential impacts on flows?• How are large agri-businesses operations changing to enhance sustainability?• How are mitigation funds being used, and what is the effectiveness?• What are the legal challenges to measures needed to promote salmon recovery?• How widespread are conservation easements, and what are the social, legal and/or technical

barriers to implementation?• How are tribes playing a role in the large-scale management and recovery of salmon, and

how can the effectiveness of their role be increased?• How are climate changes expected to alter flow regimes, and how must management adapt

to cope with projected changes?• What are the demographic differences in opinion regarding the urgency to address the

salmon problem, and what specifically should be done?• Will the proposed removal of the four lower Snake River Dams have a net environmental

and economic benefit?• What areas of the Columbia Basin should be prioritized for restoration, and what are the

challenges?• How can Outreach be effectively used to meet effectiveness monitoring needs?• How can dam structures and operations be modified to enhance healthy fish populations,

and what are the challenges? • What are the legacy impacts of natural resource extraction that are still important today, and

what is being done to address potential problems?

Paper Schedule:Sep. 19: Preliminary paper proposal (1-2 paragraphs) stating the problem and question to be investigated, geographic location and scale of the research.Oct. 9: Final paper proposal, based on instructor and/or committee comments.Proposed research question statement (1-2 paragraphs).Oct. 24: Dra paper outline (3-5 pages).Nov. 21: Final paper dra due.

Plagiarism:Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in a grade of F in the course. If you are unsure of what constitutes plagiarism please ask the instructor or consult the Department of Forest Resources plagiarism policy at: http://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/forres/Academics/plagiarism.asp

Suggested Readings:

Brooks, K.B., 2006, Public Power, Private Dams : e Hells Canyon High Dam Controversy , University of Washington Press, Seattle.

Dietrich, W., 1995, Northwest Passage: e Great Columbia River, Simon & Schuster.

Glennon, R.J., 2002, Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping And e Fate Of America's Fresh Waters, Island Press.

Gustanski, J.A. & Squires, R.H., 2000, Protecting the Land: Conservation Easements Past, Present, and Future, Island Press.

Harden, B., 1996, A River Lost: e Life and Death of the Columbia, W. W. Norton and Company.

Lee, K.N., 1993, Compass and Gyroscope, Island Press, Washington, D.C.

Lichatowich, J., 2001, Salmon Without Rivers: A History of the Pacific Salmon Crisis, Island Press.

Montgomery, D.R., 2003, King of Fish: e ousand-Year Run of Salmon, Westview Press.

National Research Council, 1996, Upstream: Salmon and Society in the Pacific Northwest, National Academy Press.

Petersen, K., 2001, River of life, channel of death : fish and dams on the lower Snake , Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR.

Quinn, T.P., 2005, e behavior and ecology of Pacific salmon and trout, American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Md. .

Reisner, M., 1993, Cadillac desert, Penguin Books, New York, NY, USA.

Sowards, A.M., 2007, United States West Coast: An environmental history, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Williams, H., 2002, e Restless Northwest: A Geological Story, Washington State University Press, Pullman, WA.