Restoration Ecology 175 Homepage

Bio. Sci. 175; Course Code 07720
Social Ecology E174; Course Code 50780
Lecture: Noon - 2 p.m., SSL 140
Field Work Component Required
Fall Quarter, 1997
4 Units, Graded
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Instructor:Ý Dr. Peter Bowler
E-mail: pabowler@uci.edu

Teaching Assistant: Satya Rhodes-Conway
E-mail:Ý satya@ea-pop.oac.uci.edu
Lecture:Ý Mondays, Noon - 1:50 p.m. (Social Science Lab 140)
Field:Ý Mondays, 2:00 - 3:50 p.m.Ý Off campus, various sites.Ý Participation in the field trips and fieldwork is mandatory.

Office Hours
ÝDr. Bowlerís office hours are: Wednesdays, 9-10 a.m. in SteinhausÝÝ Hall Room 313
ÝSatyaís office hours are Thursdays, 1-2 p.m. in Steinhaus Hall Room 429
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Course Description

Restoration Ecology is a new field in conservation biology.ÝÝ The goal of habitat restoration is to turn back the clock in damaged habitats, returning them to a time of greater ecological function through re-creation of natural conditions, often over a long period of time. This course will examine both theoretical and practical - hands on - aspects of habitat restoration and re-creation in most of the habitats present in southern California, including salt marshes, willow-woodland, coastal sage scrub, native grassland and oak woodland.Ý An effort will be made to show students high quality examples of natural areas with which to compare restored sites.Ý Case history examples of restoration attempts will be used to illustrate the difficulties and need for longterm commitment on the part of restoration programs.Ý The class will visit the Tree of Life Nursery for first-hand viewing of the operations of the largest native plant nursery in California.Ý Field trips are mandatory, and an attempt will be made to have most of these occur locally during class, though some may have to be scheduled on a weekend.ÝÝ Methods of controlling exotic (non-native) species will be presented.Ý In addition to restoration sites, mitigation projects will also be reviewed, and we will evaluate their success (or failure) to achieve their stated goals.Ý The class will provide training in how to harvest native plant seed, seed cleaning and storage techniques, and how to grow native plants for restoration projects.Ý As a class project we will adopt an area in need of restoration, develop a restoration design, and conduct restoration efforts; this cooperative project will be a coastal sage scrub re-introduction project on the bluffs adjacent the San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh using native plant seed which collected from the UCI Ecology Preserve.Ý This class is highly interactive and more like a seminar or field course than a straight lecture experience.
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Grades

Grades will be based upon examination scores, your paper, and participation in the required class field trips. The Midterm Examination (30%) and Final Examination (30%) constitute 60% of the final grade, the paper is 15% and participation in Field Trips and Fieldwork comprise 25% of the final grade.Ý Attendance and fulfillment of field assignments are recorded on each fieldtrip.Ý Attendance of the Ecological Restoration symposium is also required (October 20), and failure to attend will result in subtracting 15 points from the course grade.Ý You will have the opportunity to earn three bonus points by participating in specified restoration projects (described below).Ý Please note that the examinations are new, so if there are any stolen copies of old exams floating around they will be of no value to the academically dishonest who might use material pilfered from the course in the past.
ÝThis class will be graded on a curve reflecting the policy of the School of Biological Sciences.Ý The curve adopted by the School is 16% As, 34% Bs, 34% Cs, and 16% lower grades.Ý Any discussion regarding a grade must be conducted within 30 days following the end of the quarter, after which scantron sheets, papers, and so forth will be recycled.Ý There are no ìre-gradesî on written work.
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Material on Reserve

ÝBecause references in this field are difficult for students to find, I am placing a number of key resources, including my personal complete set of the journal Restoration Ecology (our library does not subscribe), on resserve. Please respect my courtesy and trust in doing this and do not despoil the material by stealing it, defacing it (tearing out pages), or breaking the backs of the books or magazines if you xerox them. This is a loan from my heart, because I use this marterial all of the time. Other Opportunities In addition to the field experiences during class, there will be other optional opportunities to gain direct, hands-on field training in seed collection, site preparation, planting, monitoring, and subsequent care for a restoration site.

Week 1. September 29, 1997 Lecture: The Challenge of Restoration: Restoration Philosophies and the Problems Presented by Degraded Habitats. Successional and assembly models. Short Film:Ý The Man Who Planted Trees; from the story by Jean Giono. Academy Award, Best Animated Film of 1987. An English translation (from French ) has been placed on reserve for those would like to read the text. Field Trip to the Farm School Site on the campus for training in seed collection and transplantation techniques. Directions will be provided in class. CARPOOL!!! Attendance is taken in the field when you complete and turn in the field assignment and everyone must participate. You are required to collect several pounds of seed (we will have a container each of you must fill) and you must remove at least one seedling coastal sage scrub plant correctly, pot it, and prepare it for transplantation. Your name will follow the plant on a tag, so be sure it survives!!! Seed will be collected from California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) and coastal goldenbush (Isocoma veneta), and transplant possibilities include California buckwheat, coastal goldenbush, coastal sagebrush (Artemisia californica), and deerweed (Lotus scoparius). The potted plants and the seed will be curated by my 199 Independent Study students at the UCI Arboretum.

Week 2. October 6 FIELD TRIP: DO NOT MEET IN THE CLASSROOM Tree of Life Nursery First group (limit 75; must sign up in class the previous week) meet at the Tree of Life Nursery, San Juan Capistrano at 12:30 p.m.. Second group meet there at 2 p.m. CARPOOL and drive very carefully on the dangerous, windy road (Ortega Highway) to the Nursery. CARPOOLING IS MANDATORY: If you arrive in a car with less than three people, points will be subtracted from your grade. If you are among the 2 p.m. group, don't arrive earlier than 1:30 p.m. Lecture (at Tree of Life Nursery): Propagation of Native Plants from Seeds and Cuttings; Seed Cleaning and Storage, Methods of Breaking Seed Dormancy; Mycorrhizal Fungal Associations with Native Plants; Firsthand view of the largest native plant nursery in California...and a chance to meet some of the best restorationists in the field! October 11 Saturday extra credit opportunity at the UCI Arboretum. One point bonus credit for two hours of work. 10 a.m. - noon.

Week 3. October 13 Lecture: Original Habitat and Subsequent Loss; The California Flora and Exotic Species; What we have today - and learn your plants! Habitat types and restoration. Introduction to project design, implementation and monitoring. Field experience: Planting coastal sage scrub on the UCI Ecological Preserve (implementing a large random block experiment, which will be explained in class beforehand).

Week 4. October 20 International MEDECOS Symposium in San Diego. Attendance is a course requirement, and failure to attend will result in 15 points being subtracted from the course grade. Directions and other details will be provided in class.
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Week 5. October 27 Lecture: Seed collection and storage. Caring for native plants during the transplantation process. Guidelines for seed specification; calculating PLS (pure live seed) and germination. Field Trip: Coastal sage scrub and maritime bluff scrub planting at the San Joaquin Marsh bluffs. Each of you will be required to transplant five potted plants, as well as participate in seeding a plot with a seed mixture we will design in class. We will be planting California buckwheat, coastal sagebrush, bladderpod (Isomeris arborea), live-forever (Dudleya lanceolata), California encelia (Encelia californica), and other coastal sage scrub plants (including some of the ones you collected on the first day of class from the Farm School area of the UCI Main Campus which were held till transplantation at the UCI Arboretum). Wishbone plant (Mirabolis californica) and saltbus (Atriplex canescens) will also be planted. Sunday, November 2. TWO BONUS POINTS!!!! 9 a.m. to Noon planting on the bluffs at the Back Bay Ecological Reserve. We will park along East Bluff Drive - carpooling is still important! Maps and details will be provided closer to the event.

Week 6. November 3 Lecture: Salt marsh restoration. Restoration of vernal pools. Symposium video of John Rieger (past president, Society for Ecological Restoration) and Michael Jossleyn (a well known wetland ecologist from San Francisco State University) discussing wetland restoration design, problems, and monitoring. Field experience: Excavation and inoculation of vernal pools below the bluffs at the San Joaquin Marsh.

Week 7. November 10 Midterm Examination; Exam will commence at Noon. Scantrons will be provided; don't bother to bring backpacks, etc. You will need your student photo identification card (registration ID card).

Week 8. November 17 Lecture: Wetland Mitigation Design and Monitoring Field Trip: Planting of late successional coastal sage scrub mosaics on the campus near Bison and in the UCI Ecological Preserve (directions to the sites will be provided in class). Planting of Encelia californica and establishing drip system connections for them.

Week 9. November 24 Lecture: Soils, climates and plant preferences. Restoration of native grasslands. Paper Due in Class. Field Trip to the coastal sage scrub restoration sites in Irvine Park.

Week 10. December 1 Lecture: Environmental Ethics and Ecological Restoration; Review Session for Final Examination

Week 12. December 8 Final Examination; SSLH 100; 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Scantrons will be provided; don't bother to bring backpacks, etc. You will need your student photo identification card (registration ID card).
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Other Course Requirements

List of References

Reading Assignments Weeks 1-5

Required texts:

Emery, D.E. 1988. Seed Propagation of Native California Plants. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Santa Barbara, California. Nilsen, R. (ed.). 1991.
Helping Nature Heal. An Introduction to Environmental Restoration. A Whole Earth Catalog/Ten Speed Press Publication. Berkeley, California.

There will be readings announced in class that will be required reading which are on reserve in the Science Library. These include many of my papers, as well as publications by other restorationists. Optional readers on reserve for your use:

Restoration Reader. I have compiled a comprehensive selection of papers from Restoration and Management Notes as a "restoration ecology reader" which is on reserve in the Science Library.

Mitigation Reader. I have prepared an anthology of selected papers on mitigation which is on reserve in the Science Library.

Revegetation/Restoration Planning: The Basics. On reserve in the Science Library. This is an anthology produced by the Society for Ecological Restoration, California Chapter.
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Principle Journals

Ecesis, the quarterly newsletter of the Society for Ecological Restoration, California Chapter; presents reports on southern California restoration projects, networking information, philosophical discussions of southern California restoration issues. A complete set of this journal is on reserve for your use and enjoyment.

Hortus Northwest, a Pacific Northwest Native Plant Directory and Journal, publishes discussions of native plant use in restoration as well as hands-on advice. I am placing a representative issue on reserve for your examination.

Natural Areas Journal, published by the Natural Areas Association; numerous management-oriented articles, including restoration and control of non-native species in natural areas. A nearly complete collection of past issues is on reserve in the Main Library for your use.

Restoration and Management Notes, published by the Society for Ecological Restoration and Management; hands-on aspects as well as philosophical discussion of habitat restoration. A complete set of this key journal is on reserve in the Main Library for your use.

In 1993 the Society initiated a second more technical journal entitled Restoration Ecology.Ý Restoration Ecology is a complement to Restoration and Management Notes, but presenting longer, more theoretical papers. There are many other journals such as Conservation Biology, Fremontia (California Native Plant Society), Crossosoma (Southern California Botanists), and so forth, which also have occasional articles relevant to restoration in southern California.