Start Here

Start Here Welcome to the LTPBR Short Course Series

Hello Folks,

Welcome to the LTPBR Short Course Series Links to an external site.. My name is Joe Wheaton Links to an external site. I am the lead instructor on this course Links to an external site., and I am delighted to introduce our instruction team Links to an external site. of Nick Bouwes and Steve Bennett. Nick and Steve are adjunct professors in the Department of Watershed Sciences and all of us are restoration practitioners. 

I am a professor here in the Department of Watershed Sciences and I have been a restoration practitioner since 2000. I have a background in civil engineering consulting (late 1990s), but my BS and MS degrees are in Hydrology and my doctorate is in Physical Geography (focused on fluvial geomorphology). I got into the restoration field as I was fascinated by rivers and watersheds, and didn't realize when I was an engineer that one could make a career out of fixing ecosystems (and kayaking). My experience in design and problem solving was a natural extension into restoration practice when I transferred into UC Davis back in 2000 and I started doing research and restoration design as an undergraduate. Over the next decade, as I learned more about the restoration field as well as rivers, I became increasingly alarmed about the gap between the scope of restoration degradation and how relatively large investments in restoration were doing so little.  

The reason this course exists is to introduce you to the topic of low-tech process-based restoration. We will focus on the restoration of riverscapes, but many of the principles apply to other flavors of ecosystem restoration. You are part of a growing army of practitioners and professionals who want to see their efforts to improve ecosystems and foster resilient and healthy systems go further and be more effective. One of the keys to this working is in having simpler (i.e. low-tech) implementations that are more affordable (per unit cost) and can scale up to the scope of degradation more efficiently. However, the real magic is in humbly recognizing that our actions are akin to preparing a meal, and the real solution is in engaging natural processes to restore the system. We will emphasize initially mimicking, quickly promoting, and eventually sustaining natural processes. 

We are so excited that you are interested in becoming part of this LTPBR movement and effort. The principles you will learn here allow you to become a leader in this field and rally others together to help improve the health and resilience of riverscapes all over the place. I encourage you to really take advantage of the entire instruction team to help you in this class and your career. We really want to see you succeed, not just in this courses, but in your careers. Please read all the getting started information below, and post any questions you have to the course discussion boards.

Cheers,

Joe Wheaton (Lead Instructor)

Joseph M. Wheaton, Ph.D.
435-554-1247 | joe.wheaton@usu.edu | joewheaton.org Links to an external site.
Department of Watershed Sciences
5210 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322

 

Mike Clawson (TA)

Office hours by appointment: A01894238@usu.edu

Now, please follow the steps below to continue your orientation to this course.

Step 1: Read the course syllabus and course schedule

The course syllabus will provide you with the course schedule, course objectives, explanations of assignments and assessments, grading policies, and instructor contact information. Please read it carefully. You should have a deep familiarity with the schedule and process of the course.

Step 2: Purchase and/or download your textbooks

Your textbooks include:

Both the manual Links to an external site. and pocket guide Links to an external site. are available for free download from Research Gate at above links. However, you can get a hard copy of manual for ~$60 Links to an external site. and waterproof hard copy of Pocket Guide here for $12 Links to an external site.. Note these are the same texts we use in the other four LTPBR courses.

Step 3: Library information and student support

Visit the library website Links to an external site. to learn what services are provided for online students. Links to an external site.In particular, take advantage of being a student to learn how to download or check out the many scholarly works we cite in the course materials.

Step 4: Read the technical requirements page

The Technical Requirements page identifies the browsers, operating systems, and plugins that work best with Canvas. If you are new to Canvas quickly review the Canvas Student Orientation Links to an external site. materials. If you need technical assistance, you can find guides and contact information under the question mark icon in the main Canvas toolbar.

We will be using Zoom (and other web conferencing platforms) regularly. Please make sure you have:

Step 5: Read about academic integrity and netiquette

All students at Utah State University agree on admission to abide by the university Honor Code. Please review this Academic Integrity tutorial to familiarize yourself with USU policies and procedures pertaining to the USU honor code. This tutorial links to an additional, in-depth review on how to avoid plagiarism and cite sources, which you are strongly encouraged to review. Also, please review the core rules of netiquette Links to an external site. for some guidelines and expectations on how to behave in an online learning environment.

Next Steps: Begin course content