Students who select the Environmental and Natural Resources track will be enrolling in EVNR 3000/3000L and ENVR 4130 for a total of seven credit hours. This track is designed for students in the BS EVNR program, or other STEM majors who need Ecology and Conservation biology to complete their degree program. BIOL 1108K Principles of Biology II is a pre-requisite course for this track. The American West provides the perfect backdrop for an outdoor ecological classroom rich in diverse ecosystems ranging from alpine tundra and montane forests to high deserts and canyonlands.  

The Environmental and Natural Resources Track combines the study of the interrelationship of organisms and their physical and biological environments with modern conservation biology. Topics will explore the adaptations, population structure and dynamics, organization and classification of communities, and nutrient and energy flows in ecosystems combined with the exploration, study, and discussion of modern conservation biology. Students will experience an outdoor classroom rich in biodiversity allowing for the hands-on study of biodiversity through time and space, threats to biodiversity, and how biodiversity can be managed using cross-disciplinary approaches. 

In this field-based track, students will be immersed in each ecosystem and become familiar with the forces shaping them and the organisms that call them home. 

Environmental and Natural Resources track students will have the option of adding PHED 1130 (Walking/Jogging) for 2 credit hours and/or GHSC 2901 (Dinosaurs) for 2 credit hours to their summer schedule as well.

The GHSC 2901: Dinosaurs special topics course investigates how we approach the study of Dinosaurs and have come to understand their role in ancient ecosystems, and why studying them is important. This course can’t be taken alone, it must be taken along with the Ecology course.

The PHED 1130 course option focuses on improving Fitness Walking/Jogging skills while integrating them into daily work and leisure. This course can’t be taken alone, it must be taken along with the Ecology course.