RECLAM 4940 Reclamation Project Management
Lecture: MWF 12-12:52
Location: Russell 127
Course Instructor: Dr. Yari Johnson
Office Location: 316 Pioneer Tower
Phone: 608.342.7332
Email address: johnsony@uwplatt.edu (email is the best/quickest way to contact me)
Office Hours: MWF 1-2 pm, T 11:15-12:15 pm, & F 10-11 pm (other times by appointment)
Course Description: Project management concepts are applied to environmental and conservationrelated issues and activities. Concepts include definitions, role of project manager, project life cycle,
project control cycles, project management tools, project team and organizational factors, and plan
implementation. Leadership, team building and communication skills are emphasized. Service
learning projects, written reports, and presentations.
Prerequisite: junior standing or consent of instructor.
Textbooks:
1. Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration by John Rieger, John Stanley, and
Ray Traynor
2. Additional readings assigned from other selected sources.
Student Learning Outcomes: After successfully completing Reclamation Project Management, the
student should be able to (1) describe land management and reclamation/restoration activities and
outcomes and explain their importance to a wide range of audiences; (2) characterize and apply
interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and ethics necessary to restore and manage cultural and natural
landscapes; (3) apply site analyses techniques to predict and assess difficulties and challenges unique
to a given reclamation/restoration site; (4) compare and evaluate the roles and responsibilities of
stakeholders such as agencies, groups, and organizations engaged in land management and
reclamation/restoration; (5) apply the skills to plan, design and construct a reclamation/restoration
project.; (6) analyze and evaluate the reclamation/restoration results and the efficacy of methods and
materials used in reclamation project management; and (7) demonstrate knowledge and perform
administrative tasks of reclamation project management.
Course Evaluation and Grading
Assignment/Test
Points
Weekly Reports
150
Summaries
100
Knollwood Project
100
Mine Recl Project
150
Stormwater Project
125
Wetland Project
100
Madison Field Trip
25
Total
750
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Percentage
93.0-100.0
90.0-92.9
87.0-89.9
83.0-86.9
80.0-82.9
77.0-79.9
73.0-76.9
70.0-72.9
67.0-69.9
60.0-66.9
<60.0
GPA
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.0
Class Participation: Attendance in each class is required per UW-Platteville academic policy.
Absences for attending university activities or events will be excused with written permission
provided to me at least one week before being absent.
Term Projects: There are four term projects for this course. You will work together on a team with
three classmates on each project. Each team member will get a chance to be the project manager and
will thus provide leadership, direction, and ultimately be responsible for the project’s completion.
Project due dates and deliverables will be discussed in class. Both the Knollwood and Stormwater
Projects are service learning activities. Results of your team’s Stormwater Project will be presented
at the PACCE Poster Engagement Day.
Weekly Reports: You will submit a weekly report due to your project manager by 5 pm on Friday
(unless PM requests an earlier time) each week. Your report can consist of a short email detailing
how much time you have spent on your assigned tasks, your accomplishments/progress, and any
issues that the PM needs to respond to or should be aware of. Project managers will then compile a
summary of their teams’ progress which will then be submitted to the supervisor (Dr. Johnson,
founder and owner of Driftless Environmental Consulting Services) by 11:59 pm each Friday.
Summaries need to detail hours by each team member.
Reading Summaries: Each team will do different reading summaries which will be presented to the
class. Summaries will cover one “Part” of our textbook. These summaries will help the class
achieve a better understanding of the reading material.
Policy Regarding Late Assignments: I am trying to create a real-life environment in this class. In
real life, some deadlines are set in stone while others are negotiable. Each team will have to submit a
timeline for completing projects. Weekly progress reports will ensure that any deadline issues are
addressed before they become an issue. Failure to meet firm deadlines could result in students being
fired. Here is some advice for project managers: http://www.pbresults.com/sales-article/coachingemployees-to-meet-deadlines.html
Getting Fired: Failure to complete tasks, work as a team, and follow directions from your project
manager or the supervisor will result in you being “fired.” If you are fired, you must complete the
project on your own. You will receive points for your work submitted.
Field Trip: We will have one trip to Madison. This will most likely be on a Friday. Attendance is
mandatory. However, an alternative assignment can be arranged with the supervisor in advance.
Email: You are welcome to email your questions to me. There are, however, some caveats
associated with email that you must consider. 1) Do not expect an immediate response to your
questions. A reasonable response time to emailed questions is 24 h. 2) Questions emailed on
weekends may not receive a response until the work-week begins. 3) The instructor reserves the right
to answer emailed questions during the class period for the benefit of all students. 4) Some questions
are far too challenging to answer by email and you may be asked to visit me in person.
Statement on the Americans with Disabilities Act:
If you need an accommodation due to a disability, please make an appointment to see me during my
office hours. A VISA from Services for Students with Disabilities authorizing your accommodations
will be needed. Services for Students with Disabilities Office located at 115 Warner Hall, Platteville,
WI 53818 (phone: 608-342-1818).
Military/Veterans:
Veterans and Reserve duty military personnel with special circumstances are welcome and
encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor prior to, or after class or
during an office visit.
Accommodation of religious beliefs:
(1) A student shall be permitted to make up an examination or other academic requirement at
another time or by an alternative method, without any prejudicial effect, where:
(a) There is a scheduling conflict between the student's sincerely held religious beliefs and
taking the examination or meeting the academic requirements; and
(b) The student has notified the instructor, within the first 3 weeks of the beginning of classes
(within the first week of summer session and short courses), of the specific days or dates on
which he or she will request relief from an examination or academic requirement.
(2) Instructors may schedule a make-up examination or other academic requirement before or after
the regularly scheduled examination or other academic requirement.
(3) Instructors shall accept, at face value, the sincerity of students' religious beliefs.
(4) Student notification of instructors and requests for relief shall be kept confidential.
Academic Misconduct:
Academic dishonesty and misconduct are not tolerated. Refer to Chapter 14 of the Student Conduct
Code for more information.
I want all students to succeed in my class. It has been well-documented that multitasking diminishes
student learning (for some examples see http://www.biz.colostate.edu/mti/tips/pages/Students-ThinkThey-Can-Multitask---Here's-Proof-They-Can't.aspx). Therefore, I discourage using laptops/tablets
for note-taking and I reserve the right to rescind electronic note-taking privileges if students abuse
this right. Cell phones need to be turned off or put on vibrate during class. No texting, web
surfacing, etc… unless it is directly related to a class activity as dictated by the instructor. This is a
zero tolerance policy.