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In 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the Department of the Interior began implementing the Interagency Fire Program Management Standard. This standard, to be implemented by October 2010, defines qualification standards for the GS-0401 series fire management positions. Included in the qualification standard is the requirement for a natural resources sciences related degree or at least 24 semester credit hours of college course work that include upper division courses in a natural resource sciences related discipline. To help working wildland firefighters attain this qualification, the New Mexico Highlands University Natural Resources Management Department has been offering a series of lower and upper division credit courses in fire management and ecology. These intensive, three-credit-hour, two-week courses are offered at the Highlands University campus.
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New Mexico Highlands 401 Series
Fire Management and Ecology Course Descriptions
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Course
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Title
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Credit
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Prerequisite
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Description
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BIOL 235
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Math/Science
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3
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None
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A non-majors science and biology course designed to provide students with an understanding of basic physical and chemical processes important to all living organisms.
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FOR 335
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Natural Resource Ecology
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3
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BIO 235 or equivalent
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The ecology of natural and artificial groups of organisms managed for production of values is the focus of this course. Course topics include ecosystem productivity, biodiversity, habitat types, ecosystem management, plant stand dynamics, and endangered species roles in range, forest and aquatic ecosystems, and pest populations.
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FOR 335
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Watershed Management
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3
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BIO 235 or equivalent
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This course will emphasize the interdisciplinary characteristics of watershed management. The need to incorporate ecological and socioeconomic factors when planning and implementing programs to achieve sustainable, socially viable natural resource development is emphasized.
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FOR 335
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Wildland Fire Management
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3
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BIO 235 or equivalent
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A course on the behavior of wildfires in forest and range communities. Methods of prescribed fire use are discussed. The course reviews methods for fuel load estimation, fire weather prediction, and fire suppression.
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FOR 335
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Prescribed Fire Practices
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3
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BIO 235 or equivalent
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Prescribed fires are used to meet management objectives of fuel reduction and ecosystem restoration. This course explores the design, planning, conduct and monitoring in prescribed fire utilization.
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FOR 335
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Landscape Ecology & Wildfire
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3
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BIO 235 or equivalent
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Wildfire behavior depends on vegetation and fuel loading over landscapes. Fires that burn through landscape mosaics of habitat types have variable effects on wildlife, vegetation, and surface hydrology. This creates impacts to water quality and yield, wildlife production, and plant distributions that persist for decades. This course will investigate landscape features of wildfires, and, modeling tools to predict landscape-level fire behavior and impacts.
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FOR 335
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Forest Soil Science
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3
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BIO 235 or equivalent
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This course provides students with basic soil science concepts. The physical, chemical, and ecological properties of soils are applied to soil classification, genesis, fertility, productivity, irrigation, and erosion.
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FOR 335
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Quantitative Measurements and Analysis
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3
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BIO 235 or equivalent
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Quantitative methods are the techniques used to numerically and statistically analyze observational and experimental data. Students will gain first-hand experience with data analysis of biological, geological, and natural resources data sets.
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FOR 435
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Selected Topics in Geographic Information Systems
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3
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None
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Geographic Information System (GIS) is a scheme of hardware, software, and procedures designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display of spatially referenced data for solving complex planning and management problems. The course will provide students with a basic understanding of fundamental GIS concepts, mapping software, effective map design, geographic analysis, remote sensing, and Global Positioning Systems.
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Registration information will be posted here as courses are scheduled.
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