Range Management and Grassland Ecology

This emphasis provides the student with a concentrated study in grassland ecology and rangeland management.  It focuses on creating an understanding of grassland ecosystems including prairies, shrub-steppes and other rangeland ecosystems.  Current societal demands for limited resources including open space, aesthetic values, wildlands for recreation and solitude coupled with global climate changes and introductions of exotic species will undoubtedly increase the complexity of management of public and private rangelands.  In Montana and throughout the west sustaining healthy environments, conserving remaining remnant prairies, maintaining biological diversity, complementing diverse uses, and increasing our understanding of ecosystem values of these lands requires sound technical skills and an ability to integrate and communicate the need for ecological and interdisciplinary study and approaches to management.  Our goal is to train students with broad natural resource technical and integration skills in grassland ecosystems that allow students to be successful resource specialists with government agencies, NGOs, or continue into more specialized graduate programs.  Our program stresses the western U.S. and Montana; however, students will be introduced to world issues and concerns related to these lands.

All Resource Conservation majors must successfully complete a minimum of 36 traditional letter-graded credits in the College of Forestry and Conservation, at least 20 of which must be taken while an approved Resource Conservation major, and complete a minimum of 400 hours of appropriate and approved professional work experience. Courses required for a Resource Conservation degree are in bold and recommended courses are in regular font. Specific course requirements include at least three quantitative courses, three communication skills courses, For 200: NRM camp, a course in ecology (For 330, For 462, or Biol 340/341), a course in natural resource policy (For 422, Recm 370, WBio 410 or 475), For 480: Project design and analysis, and the upper-division writing requirement.

Contact Person:  Dr. Don Bedunah243-2573; Clapp Building 438; email don.bedunah@cfc.umt.edu

First Year
Enex 101	Composition	3
Comm 111A	Public speaking	2
Chem 151N	General Chemistry	3
Biol 120	General Botany	3
Geol 100N/101	General Geology	3
OR
Geog 102N	Intro to Physical Geography	3
Math 121	Precalculus	4
Math 150	Calculus	4
Econ 111S	Intro to Microeconomics	3
Electives		1-3
Summer
For 200	Natural Resources Meas. Camp	2
Second Year ***
For 201*	Biometrics	3
For 210	Soils	3
For 220	Technical Writing	2
For 230	Forest Fire Management	2
For 275	Wildlife Conservation	3
For 360	Range Management	3
Biol 350	Rocky Mountain Flora	3
Electives		12-15
Third and Fourth year ****
For 320	Forest Economics	3
For 330 **	Forest Ecology	3
For 361	Grassland Plants: Id & Values	3
For 385	Watershed Hydrology	3
For 422	Natural Resource Policy	3
For 347	Multiple Resource Silviculture	3
For 455	Riparian Ecology & Mgmt.	3
For 462	Rangeland Ecology	3
For 463	Rangeland Improvement	3
For 465	Restoration Ecology	3
For 480	Project Design and Analysis	3
For 303	Introduction to GIS	3
Biol 316 or 444	Plant Form/Function or Physiology	4
For 473	Collaboration in Natl. Res. Decisions	3
Electives		18

* MATH 241 or WBIO 240 can substitute for biometrics
** or other approved ecology course (e.g., Biol 40/341 or For 462)