NR 85 Sustainable Landscape Ecology: A field-based exploration
Summer 2013
Instructors: Walter Poleman & Leah Mital-Skiff
Dates: July 15-25, 2013 Monday-Thursday 9:00-3:00, with online follow-up assignment
due August 9, 2013.
Enrollment target: 15
Introduction
This course will focus on the concept of place, which we define as a geographic setting
where nature and culture intertwine and unfold through time. This integration of nature
and culture reflects our belief that humanity is inseparable from the natural systems on
which it depends, and to study them in isolation reinforces an artificial dichotomy. Our
class will foster an opportunity to think of the places we live as complex systems within
which we are integral components. Thinking in systems helps us to understand both the
complexity and the reality of the interdependence of the ecological systems and social
systems that make up a place. Using the Burlington landscape as our classroom, we will
spend the two weeks exploring how our actions impact other components of the system,
and reflecting on how we can live sustainably within our places.
One way to gauge the sustainability of a community is to examine the degree of "fit"
between local culture and landscape. The more closely attuned cultural practices are to
the ecological potential and constraints of a place, the more likely the community will be
able to persist through time without exhausting its relationship with the natural systems
upon which it depends.
This notion of "fitness" is drawn from the niche concept in ecology, which describes the
unique way of life of a given species and the adaptations that allow it to fit and persist
within an ecosystem. Just as a species must evolve and adapt to changing environmental
conditions, so must a community if it is to endure and thrive. In the face of the realities
of climate change and peak oil, an increasing number of communities around the world
are adopting a strategy of relocalization -- building a society that is rooted in place, yet
integrated into regional and global systems. These communities are actively transitioning
away from dependence on cheap fossil fuels (and high carbon emissions) toward a future
characterized by local production of food, energy, and goods.
This quest for increased self-reliance and resilience is predicated on an intimate
knowledge of the ecological potential and cultural heritage of the local landscape. Such
an in-depth understanding of a particular place -- the flora, fauna, climate, culture,
physical features, and ecological processes that make it unique -- is fundamental to our
ability to design elegant ways of living that promote sustainability and vitality. As Van
der Ryn and Cowan explain: “Ecological design begins with the intimate knowledge of a
particular place. Therefore, it is small-scale and direct, responsive to both local
conditions and local people. If we are sensitive to the nuances of place, we can inhabit
without destroying."
Course Format
We will begin this field-based course with an overview and exploration of the natural and
cultural history of Burlington landscape. We will then focus our work on three
fascinating sub-geographies within the city of Burlington: The Intervale, Rock Point, and
the Burlington Waterfront. At each location, we will utilize an interdisciplinary approach
to landscape analysis that stresses not only inventorying the biotic and physical
components (pieces), but examining how these pieces are distributed in the landscape
(patterns) and what forces drive these patterns (processes). A strong emphasis will
be placed on interpreting the history of how the landscapes we see today has
unfolded through time-from their geological origins to their importance to native peoples
to the impacts of European settlement and 20th century land-use. We will also examine
the relationship between people and the land, exploring how cultures shape their
landscape and are shaped by it. During the evening, our team will join other Summer
Academy students to explore topics and activities from an integrated, multidisciplinary
approach. We will engage in problem-solving activities with students studying business,
engineering, health, and student activism. The course will culminate in small team
projects in which students will analyze and present landscapes of their choosing.
Schedule
Monday, July 15:
 Meet and greet, course overview
 Introduction to the Burlington landscape and building the analytical framework,
how to look at a landscape and begin to map out pieces, patterns and processes.
 Field-based ecology and mapping activity: Centennial Woods
Tuesday, July 16 through noon Wednesday, July 17: Intervale
 Food systems and riparian ecology: floodplain forests and farms alongside
Vermont’s largest river
 Soils, sediment, river geomorphology, plant communities, human history in the
Intervale
Wednesday afternoon, July 17 - Thursday, July 18: Rock Point
 Geology, plant communities, and wetland ecology: Champlain thrust fault, rich
northern hardwood forest, and cedar bluff community
 Shallow and deep sediments: 1.2 billion years of history revealed
Monday, July 22 through noon Tuesday, July 23: Burlington Waterfront
 Transportation and industrial shoreline of Burlington: the evolution of Burlington
harbor
 Lake Champlain ecology, urban center
Tuesday noon, July 24 and Wednesday, July 25: Team Projects
 Students spend two days assessing a field site in small groups. Tell the story of
the place and how cultures have adapted to its ecological setting.
Thursday, July 25: Student Presentations and wrap-up
 Travel to each field site for group presentations
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Assign individual project – What is local?
Evenings: Students will also participate in some evening activities with other Summer
Academy programs to balance our eco-social systems frameworks and lenses with
approaches from Academy courses in business, health and physiology, engineering, and
student activism.
Assessment: Students will be in a small, field-based learning environment in which
participation, preparation, and student leadership are of paramount importance to success
in this class. Students’ grades will be based on the following:
 Small team project: 30%
 Individual project (due August 9th): 30%
 Participation: 20%
 Reflection papers and blog entries: 10%
 Evening program participation and reflections 10%
Readings
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Meadows, Donella. (2008). Thinking in Systems. USA: The Sustainability
Institute. Selected chapters.
Capra, Fritz. Speaking Nature’s Language. In Stone, M. K. and Barlow, Z., eds.
(2005) Ecological Literacy. Sierra Club Books.
DeYoung and Princen, ed. (2012). The Localization Reader: Adapting to the
Coming Downshift. Boston: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Selected
chapters
Burlington Legacy Project website: http://www.burlingtonvt.gov/Legacy/
Poleman, Walter. An Introduction to Landscape Analysis
Lopez, Barry. (2000) The Mappist. In Light Action in the Caribbean. New York:
Vintage Books.
Burlington Geographic website site specific readings:
http://www.uvm.edu/place/burlingtongeographic/