ESSP 660
Advanced Watershed Science & Policy
Fall 2008, CSU Monterey Bay. Copyright (C) Dr. Doug Smith , Dr. Fred Watson & Dr. Marc Los Huertos.
Syllabus
Course Description from Catalog .........................................................................................................................1
Instructors ................................................................................................................................................................1
Class times & location ...........................................................................................................................................1
Prerequisites ...........................................................................................................................................................1
Course Introduction................................................................................................................................................2
M.S. Coastal and Watershed Science & Policy - Major Learning Outcome 5 ..............................................2
Course Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................................2
Three Course Modules ..........................................................................................................................................3
Fate and Transport of Urea in Central Coast Waters ..................................................................................3
Carmel Lagoon Ecology and Water Quality ..................................................................................................3
Fire Impacts on Big Sur Lagoon ......................................................................................................................4
Tentative Schedule of Topics: ..............................................................................................................................5
Assessment.............................................................................................................................................................6
Accommodation of Students with Disabilities ....................................................................................................6
SMART College Policy on Academic Honesty ..................................................................................................6
Course Description from Catalog
ESSP 660 – 4 credits: Addresses current watershed environmental issues using advanced research
methods and sound science. Considers issues from multiple perspectives, including legal, political,
diverse stakeholders, and natural science. Students present project results in both written and oral
formats, utilizing innovative visualizations, as necessary, to communicate technical science to decisionmakers or non-specialists. (Offered fall semester.)
Instructors
Dr. Marc Los Huertos
Chapman Science Academic Center, Room E213, (831) 582-4696, marc_loshuertos@csumb.edu
Office hours: By appointment set up using email.
Dr Doug Smith
Chapman Science Academic Center, Room E213, (831) 582-4696, douglas_smith@csumb.edu
Office hours: By appointment set up using email.
Dr Fred Watson
Chapman Science Academic Center, Room E112, (831) 582-4452, fred_watson@csumb.edu
Office hours: By appointment set up using email.
Class times & location
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2:00 – 4:00
Chapman Science Academic Center E223
Prerequisites



Watershed Systems (ESSP 560 and 560L)
Research Methods/Experimental Design (ESSP 550)
Instructor consent
Course Introduction
Watershed environmental issues embody some of the greatest challenges for sustainable living in our
region and beyond. These issues include water supply, water quality, public health, flooding, and
endangered species. Some watershed impacts are also translated to the marine environment via
lagoons, estuaries, or direct discharge. Effective environmental science that improves watershed and
marine conditions requires an understanding of the interactions among policy, laws, technology,
stakeholder perspectives, management, the complex environment itself, and natural science. Students
completing ESSP 660 will be able to apply advanced topics in watershed science to address real world
problems
In ESSP 660, students will learn first-hand about current watershed issues from professionals in the
community who need solutions. Students will analyze select problems from legal, societal, technical and
scientific perspectives, with the goal of developing a scientific project that formally addresses the issue in
a technical report. Emphasis will be placed on clearly communicating technical scientific results to
decision-makers and associated stakeholders who brought the issue to the class.
M.S. Coastal and Watershed Science & Policy - Major Learning Outcome 5
Advanced Watershed Science & Policy partially fulfills the requirements for “Applied Sciences” major
learning outcome (MLO 5) in the Coastal and Watershed Science and Policy M.S graduate program.
MLO 5 states that students will apply advanced principles, theories, and practices of a life science or
earth science field to environmental issues and policies. This outcome is met by passing the ESSP 560
and ESSP 660 series. Advanced methods and technologies in watershed research are introduced in
ESSP 560 (Watershed Systems) using a series of short teaching modules. In each module, advanced
analysis tools that are used to address watershed issues are introduced and practiced. In ESSP 660
(Advanced Watershed Science & Policy) students combine the skills that were learned in both Watershed
Systems and Research Methods to effectively address current watershed issues brought to the class by
invited environmental professionals. In any given semester the invited speakers might include
representatives from politics, regional government, environmental agencies, consulting firms, agriculture
and business, non-profit groups, and academia. The final product is a written (and perhaps oral) report
presented to interested parties in the environmental decision-making process. The report must effectively
communicate the technical science of the issue to the intended audience. The ESSP 660 learning
outcomes include demonstrating skills in problem definition, analysis design, project execution, and
results communication.
Course Outcomes
Course Learning Outcome 1—Define a watershed issue: Students will define and distill a watershed
environmental issue so that it can be addressed by science. The student will frame the issue after
considering multiple perspectives, including legal, political, diverse stakeholders, and natural science.
Learning Experiences
1. Invited speakers
2. Lecture with examples of issue definition.
3. Feed back on stages of research and final project
Course Learning outcome 2—Design a scientific approach to addressing a watershed issue :
Students will develop a research or analysis plan using advanced research methods, including
experimental design.
Learning Experiences
1. Invited speakers
2. Lecture with examples of analysis design.
3. Feed back on stages of research and final project
Course Learning outcome 3—Apply scientific approach to a watershed issue. Students will execute
a well thought out scientific project that addresses a watershed environmental issue.
Learning Experiences
1. Feed back on stages of research and final project
2. Feedback from target audience and peers if time allows
Course Learning outcome 4—Effective Communication: Students will communicate project results in
both written and oral formats suitable for decision makers and stakeholders. Students will utilize
innovative communication tools, including visualization, as necessary to communicate technical scientific
results to a non-specialist.
Learning Experiences
1. Invited speakers
2. Feed back on stages of research and final project
3. Feedback from target audience and peers if time allows
Three Course Modules
Over the course of the semester, students will cover 3 discrete topics, each managed by one of the three
instructors. This has been designed to cover a broad bases of skills needed on watershed science with a
hands one approach from project development, implementation, and reporting. The three modules used
in fall 2008 are described below.
Project A
Fate and Transport of Urea in Central Coast Waters
Instructor: Marc Los Huertos
Dates August 28-September 20
Purpose: Urea is a common fertilizer used on row crops and has been implicated by marine
biologists as the potential cause of harmful algal blooms in the Monterey Bay. Currently, there
are no standards to regulate urea concentrations in surface waters, nor is it clear that ureas can
even be transported from soil into surface waters without being quickly transformed to
ammonium and nitrate.
Objective: Characterize the urea concentrations and loads upstream and downstream of row
crops in the central coast and develop an understanding of its source and fate from watersheds
to marine waters.
Goals: 1) Develop and implement a monitoring plan to generate high quality data; 2) Interpret
and provide results in a technical report; 3) Develop follow-up strategies based upon potential
policy and management implications of research.
Project B
Carmel Lagoon Ecology and Water Quality
Instructor: Fred Watson
Partner: Kevan Urquhart (MPWMD)
Dates: October 23-November 13
Purpose: The Carmel River Lagoon provides critical habitat for the federally threatened
steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The lagoon provides season-specific ecological
functions supporting the steelhead population. Lagoon water quality must be within a narrow
range to support healthy steelhead. This module is part of an effort to map changes in lagoon
habitat quality through time.
Goal: Students will perform a variety of water quality profiles and physical surveys to map the
locations where water characteristics would support steelhead trapped in the lagoon. Students
will make estimates of steelhead numbers using both sonar and seining strategies.
Project C
Fire Impacts on Big Sur Lagoon
Instructor: Doug Smith
Partner: Jeff Frey, CA State Parks
Dates: November 15-December 13
Purpose: Steelhead and other aquatic taxa rely upon the Big Sur River Lagoon. Over 200,000
acres of the Santa Lucia Range burned in Summer 2008, including most of the Big Sur River
watershed. Federal and State reports project catastrophic slope failure and debris flow events,
given the rainfall of a typical winter. The anticipated slope failures will deliver very high sediment
yields and large woody debris yields to the lagoon and beach. As time goes on the lagoon will
return to its pre-fire condition. This project will produce baseline data as the first step of a longterm monitoring strategy for the post-fire lagoon environment.
Objective: Document immediate and long-term post-fire changes in physical habitat of the
mouth of the Carmel River and lagoon. Provide data and reports to State Parks to be used in
environmental management. The chief data products will be a geomorphic map with sediment
facies and debris distributions and a detailed digital terrane model showing the toporaphy and
bathymetry of the beach and lagoon environment.
Tentative Schedule of Topics:
Date
Topic
8/26
A1 Intro
8/28
A2
Summary of Problem of Urea,
Planning of scheudle
9/2
9/4
9/9
9/11
9/16
9/18
9/23
9/25
A3
A4
A5
A6
A7
A8
Creating a QAPP
Sampling and Analysis--Detection Limits
Analysis
Mapping Sample Locations
Statistical Analysis
Presentation
9/30
B1
Reading
Overview
Project A
Due
"
Monitoring Plan
QAPP DRAFT
Final QAPP
Literature Review
Draft Report
Report Evaluation
Final Report
"
"
"
"
"
Instructor
MLH,
FW,DS
MLH
9/4/07
9/11/07
9/11/07
9/13/07
9/18/07
9/20/07
MLH
MLH
MLH
MLH
MLH
MLH
"
10/2
10/7
10/9
10/14
10/16
10/21
10/23
10/28
10/30
4hrs. At lagoon. Intro from Kevan. WQ
profiles.
B2 Off
B3 4hrs. At lagoon. WQ profiles from kayaks.
B4 Off
B5 Seining marks. 4hrs. At lagoon.
B5b Seining marks. Optional for students.
B6 Off
B6b Off
B6c Seining recaptures. Optional for students.
B7 Wrap-p. Location TBD. Probably classroom.
11/4
C1
11/6
11/11
11/13
11/18
11/20
11/25
11/27
12/2
12/4
12/9
12/11
12/20
Assign / Assess
Introduce range of issues (Hampson
MPWMD)
C2 Develop project and work plan
C3 off
C4 5 to 6 hours survey mouth of lagoon
C5 off
C6 4 to 5 hours survey head of lagoon
break
break
C7 off
C8 4 hours re-survey mouth of lagoon
C9 Individual analyses and report writing
C10 Wrap up and report writing
Full course review and student feedback
Project B
Final product
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Project C
FW + KU
FW + KU
FW + KU
KU
KU
KU
FW
DS
"
"
"
"
"
DS
DS
DS
DS
DS
"
"
"
"
DS
DS
DS
DS
Assessment
This course must be taken for a letter grade. Student learning will be assessed primarily through
completion of a group project. The grading breakdown is as follows:
Assignments
 Three group projects
Participation
 Meeting assignment deadlines
 Participation in class discussions
 Attendance
Total
Percentages of total assessment
Approx. 80%
20%
100%
You are expected to have a good understanding of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Acrobat (writer) and
you should be able to utilize and combine all of these programs to create assessable documents.
Assignments are due at the times assigned in class.
Grades will be specifically linked to the learning outcomes of each project. While the grade A+ signifies
perfection beyond the basic learning outcomes, the C signifies the ability to accomplish the learning
outcome, and grades between A and C reflect the performances between these extremes.
Accommodation of Students with Disabilities
CSUMB welcomes and accommodates students with disabilities as part of campus diversity and for legal
compliance. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations please see a course Instructor by
8-Feb-2007 (3 days after the Add/Drop deadline of 5-Feb-2007) during office hours or by making an
appointment. ALSO, contact: Student_Disability_Resources@csumb.edu, Building 47, Student Services,
First Floor, Phone: 831/582-3672 voice, or 582-4024 fax/TTY http://sdr.csumb.edu/.
SMART College Policy on Academic Honesty
All students are expected to do their own academic work. Plagiarism, copying the work of others and
claiming it as one's own, has lead to the destruction of many reputations and careers. The code
governing student conduct in the California State University regarding plagiarism and academic honesty
is based on section 41301, Article 1, Subchapter 3, Chapter 5, Title 5 of the California Code Regulations,
and is as follows:
"41301. Expulsion, Suspension and Probation of Students.--Following procedures consonant with due
process established pursuant to Section 41304, any student of a campus may be expelled, suspended,
placed on probation or given a lesser sanction for ..... cheating or plagiarism in connection with an
academic program at a campus."
Within the SMART College, plagiarism or other forms of dishonesty by students in their academic work
will not be tolerated, and will result in serious and immediate consequences. In keeping with CSU
requirements, academic dishonesty cases that occur in the classroom shall be handled by faculty
members. The practice in SMART shall be that students who are found by faculty to have committed
plagiarism in an assignment will, at minimum, upon the first offense fail that assignment. Upon the second
offense, a student will, at minimum, fail the class.
In addition, and in keeping with CSU requirements, after action has been taken, the faculty member shall
complete a REPORT OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY form to identify the student who was found
responsible, the general nature of the offense, the action taken, and a recommendation as to whether or
not additional administrative action is needed. The completed form shall then be sent by the faculty
member to the Judicial Affairs Office. This process provides an opportunity to hold students accountable
and to identify students with multiple academic dishonesty reports. In all cases, the student may be
subject to an academic sanction as determined appropriate by the faculty member, as well as
administrative sanctions as deemed necessary by the Judicial Affairs Office.