COURSE SYLLABUS
WFS 440: Wildlife Techniques
Fall 2014
Course Section: 001
Meeting Place: 114 Ellington Plant Sciences
Meeting Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm (unless otherwise indicated)
Course Credit Hours: 2
FACULTY CONTACT INFORMATION:
Instructor: Emma Willcox
Office: 248 Ellington Plant Sciences
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Phone: 865-974-7888
Email: ewillcox@utk.edu (note 2 ls in Willcox)
When you have questions, need further instruction, or have a problem, I strongly
encourage you to talk with me before or after class or to come and see me in my
office. If you are unable to make my office hours you are welcome to email or call and
arrange another time to meet with me.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
During this course, we will examine a variety of research, monitoring, and management
techniques used by wildlife professionals. We will evaluate the theories, strengths, and
weaknesses behind the use of these wildlife techniques and apply them in the field.
COURSE GOAL:
The goal of this course is to prepare you for a career as a wildlife professional by
providing you with a strong practical background in wildlife management and research
techniques and their application.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
After taking this course you will be able to:
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Identify various wildlife species from their tracks and scat
Use passive wildlife monitoring techniques
Capture, handle, and mark various taxa
Determine the sex and age of common wildlife species
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Establish wildlife occupancy
Estimate the size of a wildlife population
Discuss and demonstrate wildlife radio-telemetry theory and methodologies
Design a study to answer a particular wildlife research question
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:
A combination of lectures, readings, discussions, classroom activities, quizzes, labs,
field trips, hands on experiences, and assignments will provide you with a thorough
knowledge and understanding of a range of wildlife techniques and their uses.
A substantial amount of time has been allocated to field trips (see Schedule). Some of
these trips will be overnight and you will need to bring a tent and sleeping bag. You
should plan accordingly and wear appropriate field clothes on these days (see Fall
Camp Handbook). You should also be prepared to go in the field in inclement weather,
including excessive heat, cold, rain, and wind. We will leave campus promptly for field
trips. If you are not present in class at the scheduled departure time we will not wait for
you. Therefore, you should arrive for field trips 10 minutes before we are due to leave.
TEXTS/MATERIALS/RESOURCES FOR THE COURSE:
All required readings, along with the course syllabus, lecture notes, assignment
information, grades, and additional materials will be available on the course Blackboard
website (https://bblearn.utk.edu), which can be accessed through your Online@UT
account. Materials will require Adobe Reader (available for free at
http://get.adobe.com/reader/) and a video viewer such as RealPlayer (PC) or QuickTime
(Mac) capable of playing movie (.mov) files.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS, ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION METHODS:
AssignmentsYou must accomplish a number of assignments to successfully complete this course.
Basic information on these assignments is provided below. Please note, I do not accept
late assignments unless you have an approved reason for failing to submit by the due
date (i.e., arranged with me beforehand, or with a note from a university official, medical
doctor, or other appropriate authority). All late assignments will receive a grade of zero.
♦ Techniques Manuscript
We will be covering a lot of material during this course and it may only be
possible to briefly discuss some of the topics and techniques that interest you.
Therefore, you will prepare a wildlife techniques manuscript that details the study
design and methods that could be used to answer a research question of your
choosing. Some examples include:
• How is wild turkey abundance affected by prescribed burning?
• What influence does vegetation clutter have on bat foraging?
• What affect does prey density have on bobcat habitat use and home
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range size?
• What are the genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation on black
bear?
• What impact does timber harvest have on avian nest success?
You will complete this assignment in four stages.
• Stage 1- Prepare a ≤200 page summary detailing the research question
you will address with at least 2 peer-reviewed references.
• Stage 2- Provide an outline of your manuscript with at least 5 peerreviewed references.
• Stage 3- Email a draft of your manuscript to me for review two weeks prior
to the due date (optional).
• Stage 4- Submit final revised manuscript.
Further information on this assignment is posted on Blackboard under
“Assignments.” The due dates for each of the manuscript stages are listed at the
end of this syllabus. All manuscript sections should be submitted to me via
Blackboard. If you fail to submit to submit a manuscript section by the due date
you will receive a grade of 0 for that section, unless your failure to submit is
associated with an approved absence (i.e., arranged with me before the
absence, or with a note from a university official, medical doctor, or other
appropriate authority).
♦ Class Quizzes
I will give a series of quizzes in class. These quizzes will be based on previously
covered class material and any readings I assign you. If you have frequently
missed class or not looked over the readings, you will not do well on quizzes.
Quizzes will be given on the days indicated in the attached schedule.
There will be no makeup quizzes. If you have an approved absence and miss a
quiz, the missed quiz simply will not count towards your grade.
♦ Deer Check Station
In pairs, you will spend a Saturday towards the end of the semester (either
November 8 or 22) helping TWRA manage one of their deer check stations. You
will work the check station from one hour after daylight until one hour after dusk,
at the latest. While working the check station, you will be responsible for aging
deer brought in by hunters. Further information on check stations will be
provided in class. You will be reimbursed for travel to check stations. If you do
not participate in a deer check station you will receive a grade of 0, unless your
inability to participate is associated with an approved absence.
♦ Exam
The final exam will consist of a combination of short answer and essay
questions. Questions will focus on synthesizing, integrating, and applying
knowledge and skills. Make-up exams will only be given if you have an approved
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absence. You are responsible for all material covered during classes and field
trips. Computers and other electronic devices, as well as headphones,
earpieces, and other listening devices are not permitted to be used or in sight
during the exam.
GradesA (≥94%), A- (90-93), B+ (87-89%), B (84-86%), B- (80-83%), C+ (77-79%), C (7476%), C- (70-73%), D+ (67-69%), (D (64-66%), D- (60-63%), F (≤59%).
Grading:
Techniques Manuscript
Class Quizzes
Deer Check Station Participation
Exam
Total
%
30
25
15
30
100
SEAFWA Extra CreditStudents that participate in the 2014 Annual Conference of the Southeastern
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies from 18 – 22 October (SEAFWA,
http://www.seafwa.org/) can earn up to 5% extra credit, which will be applied to the final
grade of any WFS Fall Camp Course of your choice. Participation will be earned as
follows:
18 Oct: Drive to Destin, FL in UT vans
19 Oct (8 am – 4 pm): Local Field Trip (1%)
19 Oct (6 – 9 pm): Welcome Reception (0.5%)
20 Oct (8:30 – 11:30 am): Plenary Session (1%)
20 Oct (11:30 am – 1:00 pm): Student/Mentor Lunch (advanced registration via website;
activity encouraged but not required)
20 Oct (1 – 5:00 pm): Student Workshop or Technical Sessions (1%)
21 Oct (8:30 am – 3:00 pm): Plenary and Technical Sessions (1%)
21 Oct (3:00 – 5:00 pm): Business Meeting of the Southeast Section of TWS (0.5%)
22 Oct: Return to Knoxville
The extra credit earned during the SEAFWA Conference is in addition to any extra
credit opportunities an instructor offers for a particular course. To receive SEAFWA
extra credit, a fall camp instructor will need to sign their initials next to each activity on
the SEAFWA Extra Credit form (provided during the trip). This form needs to be
submitted (scan and emailed or hardcopy accepted) to Dr. Gray (mgray11@utk.edu) by
Wednesday, 3 December, at 5:00 pm, and the course that it should be applied to
indicated.
Transportation to and from the SEAFWA Conference (Destin, FL) will be provided;
however, it will be your responsibility to pay for registration ($150), meals ($100 –
$200), and lodging ($150/night per room with up to 4 students per room allowed). Thus,
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the estimated cost of this trip is $400 – $500. You must register for the conference (see
above website) by Monday, 15 September, at 5:00 pm to reserve a spot. An email
showing that registration has been paid must be emailed to Dr. Willcox
(ewillcox@utk.edu) by this deadline.
Classroom AtmosphereI want to create a classroom atmosphere that allows all students to learn and participate
without distraction. Please turn off your cell phone during class time and refrain from
using headphones, earpieces, and other listening devices. We will take regular breaks,
during which you can check and send text messages and make phone calls.
Students are required to be professional in all facets of this course. Disruptive or rude
behavior will not be tolerated. I reserve the right to remove anyone from classes or field
trips if I feel they are not conducting themselves in a professional manner. If you are
removed from an activity you will not receive any credit associated with it. I consider
talking while others are speaking and inappropriate comments all grounds for removal
from class.
COURSE FEEDBACK:
As this course progresses, I want to ensure you are understanding the material
presented and that you are moving towards achieving the course outcomes. To help
me understand this, I may ask you to participate in a range of in and out of class
formative assessments including minute papers, think pair-share, muddiest point, etc. I
will explain these assessments to you in class.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES:
When you enroll at the University of Tennessee you pledge to hold yourself and your
peers to the standards of academic honesty and integrity as described in the Academic
Policies and Code of Conduct. You are expected to uphold your pledge to honesty and
integrity in this course. Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Visit:
http://www.lib.utk.edu/instruction/plagiarism/honor.html to read more about the
University of Tennessee Academic Policies and Standards of Conduct, behavior that
constitutes academic dishonesty, and sanctions.
I will not permit any form of plagiarism. Plagiarism involves passing off the ideas,
words, writing, etc., of another as one’s own. For more information on plagiarism and
how to avoid it visit: http://www.lib.utk.edu/instruction/plagiarism/.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES POLICY:
Every possible accommodation will be made to allow students with disabilities to
complete the course successfully. Visit: see http://ods.utk.edu/ for information on the
University of Tennessee Office of Disability Services and to submit an application for
disability accommodation.
RELIGIOUS HOLY DAY POLICY:
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Religious Holy Day Observance: A student who is absent from classes for the
observance of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete
an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not
later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified
the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious
holy day.
COUNSELING:
Students having class-related problems should regularly meet with me. Additionally,
there are numerous support services (http://www.utk.edu/currentstudents/) on campus
for students having various personal, career, and academic problems. I encourage you
to take advantage of these. The University of Tennessee Counseling Center
(http://counselingcenter.utk.edu/) provides confidential counseling services at no cost
for currently enrolled students.
AS THE INSTRUCTOR, I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REVISE, ALTER, AND AMEND
THIS SYLLABUS AS NECESSARY. STUDENTS WILL BE NOTIFIED IN WRITING
AND/OR BY EMAIL OF ANY SUCH REVISIONS, ALTERATIONS, AND
AMENDMENTS.
Revised as of Fall 2014.
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COURSE SCHEDULE:
Date
Mon
9/15
Tues
9/16
Wed
9/17
Thurs
9/18
Fri
9/19
Mon
11/3
Tues
11/4
Wed
11/5
Thurs
11/6
Tues
12/2
Activities
Classroom:
• Wildlife Research and Study Design
• Scientific Writing
• Care and Use of Wildlife
QUIZ 1
Classroom and Field
• Active Wildlife Monitoring and Research
• Wildlife Capture Techniques
QUIZ 2
• Marking Wildlife
OVERNIGHT TRIP
Field:
• Active Wildlife Monitoring and Research
• Wildlife Capture Techniques
• Marking Wildlife
OVERNIGHT TRIP
Field:
• Active Wildlife Monitoring and Research
• Wildlife Capture Techniques
• Marking Wildlife
RETURN TO CAMPUS AFTER 5:00 PM
Classroom and Field:
• Identifying Wildlife from Tracks and Scat
• Wildlife Sex and Age Determination
• Passive Wildlife Monitoring and Research
QUIZ 3
Classroom and Field:
• Radio-telemetry
• Determining Wildlife Occupancy
QUIZ 4
Classroom and Field:
• Estimating Wildlife Abundance
Classroom and Field:
QUIZ 5
• Habitat Use and Selection
FIELD NOTEBOOK DUE
Classroom:
• Analyzing and Interpreting Field Data
Classroom:
FINAL EXAM
• Course Review Session
MANUSCRIPT DUE
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ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES:
Due
Date
Mon
9/22
Fri
10/3
Fri
11/6
Fri
12/5
Revised as of Fall 2014.
Assignment
Techniques Manuscript Stage 1: ≤200 word summary detailing the wildlife
techniques question or problem you will address with at least 2 peer-reviewed
references.
Techniques Manuscript State 2- 1 page outline of manuscript with at least 5 peerreviewed references.
Techniques Manuscript Stage 3- Draft of manuscript (optional)
Techniques Manuscript Stage 4- Final manuscript.
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