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Twin Cities Campus

Environment and Natural Resources Minor

College of Food, Agri & Natural Resource Sciences
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
  • Students will no longer be accepted into this program after Spring 2008. Program requirements below are for current students only.
  • Program Type: Undergraduate minor related to major
  • Requirements for this program are current for Fall 2015
  • Required credits in this minor: 16
The environment and natural resources minor provides students in programs such as biology, education, journalism, political science, and others with the basic understanding to recognize, evaluate, and develop solutions to a range of environmental problems. Students interested in the minor should contact Student Services in 190 Coffey Hall.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
  • via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Minor Requirements
Minor Core
Take 2 or more course(s) from the following:
· ESPM 1011 - Issues in the Environment [ENV] (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3607 - Natural Resources Consumption and Sustainability [GP] (3.0 cr)
· FW 2001W - Introduction to Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology [ENV, WI] (3.0 cr)
· SOIL 2125 - Basic Soil Science [PHYS, ENV] (4.0 cr)
· BIOL 3407 {Inactive} (3.0 cr)
or EEB 3001 - Ecology and Society [ENV] (3.0 cr)
or FNRM 3104 - Forest Ecology (4.0 cr)
Focus for ENR Minor
Environmental Management and Policy
Take 10 or more credit(s) from the following:
· ESPM 3015 - Invasive Plants and Animals: Ecology and Management (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3011W - Ethics in Natural Resources [CIV, WI] (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3021 {Inactive} [ENVT] (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3101 {Inactive} (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3202W - Environmental Conflict Management, Leadership, and Planning [WI] (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3211 - Survey, Measurement, and Modeling for Environmental Analysis (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3241W - Natural Resource and Environmental Policy [SOCS, CIV, WI] (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3245 - Sustainable Land Use Planning and Policy [ENV] (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3261 - Economics and Natural Resources Management [SOCS, ENV] (4.0 cr)
· ESPM 3601 - Sustainable Housing--Community, Environment, and Technology [TS] (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 4061W - Water Quality and Natural Resources [ENV, WI] (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 4195W {Inactive} [WI] (4.0 cr)
· ESPM 4295W - GIS in Environmental Science and Management [WI] (4.0 cr)
· ESPM 4811 - Environmental Interpretation (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 5601 {Inactive} (3.0 cr)
· FNRM 3131 - Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for Natural Resources [TS] (4.0 cr)
-OR-
Environmental Science
Take 10 or more credit(s) from the following:
· ESPM 3221 - Soil Conservation and Land-Use Management (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 3612W - Soil and Environmental Biology [WI] (4.0 cr)
· ESPM 4216 - Contaminant Hydrology (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 4601 - Environmental Pollution (3.0 cr)
· ESPM 5555 - Wetland Soils (3.0 cr)
· EEB 4611 - Biogeochemical Processes (3.0 cr)
· ENT 3925 {Inactive} (3.0 cr)
· ENT 5241 {Inactive} (3.0 cr)
· FNRM 3114 - Hydrology and Watershed Management (3.0 cr)
· FNRM 3131 - Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for Natural Resources [TS] (4.0 cr)
· PLPA 3002 {Inactive} (3.0 cr)
· SOIL 3416 - Plant Nutrients in the Environment (3.0 cr)
 
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· College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences


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· Environment and Natural Resources Minor
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ESPM 1011 - Issues in the Environment (ENV)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Introductory survey of environmental issues that explores the connections between environmental sciences, policy, and management. You will explore interrelationships between the environment and human society, as well as the underlying social, ethical, political and economic factors that affect those relationships. You will also examine the roles for science, technology, policy, and environmental justice in meeting environmental challenges. Asynchronous online lectures with weekly discussions in small groups.
ESPM 3607 - Natural Resources Consumption and Sustainability (GP)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Spring
Current world trends for industrial raw materials; environmental/other tradeoffs related to options for satisfying demand/needs; global and systemic thinking; provides a framework for beginning a process of thinking critically about complex environmental problems/potential solutions in a diverse global economy.
FW 2001W - Introduction to Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology (ENV, WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Fish, wildlife, and other forms of biodiversity. Single species, populations, ecosystem, and landscape approaches. Experiential/interactive course. Decision-case studies. prereq: BIOL 1001 or BIOL 1009
SOIL 2125 - Basic Soil Science (PHYS, ENV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Soil 2125/Soil 5125
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Basic physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil. Soil genesis classification, principles of soil fertility. Use of soil survey information to make a land-use plan. WWW used for lab preparation information. prereq: [CHEM 1015, CHEM 1017] or CHEM 1021 or equiv
EEB 3001 - Ecology and Society (ENV)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Basic concepts in ecology. Organization, development, function of ecosystem. Population growth/regulation. Human effect on ecosystems. prereq: [Jr or sr] recommended; biological sciences students may not apply cr toward major
FNRM 3104 - Forest Ecology
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3104/FNRM 5104
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Form and function of forests as ecological systems. Characteristics and dynamics of species, populations, communities, landscapes, and ecosystem processes. Examples applying ecology to forest management. Weekly discussions focus on research topics in forest ecology, exercises applying course concepts, and current issues in forest resource management. Required weekend field trip. Prereq: Biol 1001, 1009 or equivalent introductory biology course; 1 semester college chemistry recommended.
ESPM 3015 - Invasive Plants and Animals: Ecology and Management
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3015/ESPM 5015
Typically offered: Fall Odd Year
Overview of invasive plants/animals in North America and around the world. A range of taxa are covered along with their impact and approaches to control. Readings, discussions, and lectures from experts on topics such as invasion theory and real world management.
ESPM 3011W - Ethics in Natural Resources (CIV, WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Normative/professional ethics, and leadership considerations, applicable to managing natural resources and the environment. Readings, discussion.
ESPM 3202W - Environmental Conflict Management, Leadership, and Planning (WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3202WESPM /5202
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
Negotiation of natural resource management issues. Use of collaborative planning. Case study approach to conflict management, strategic planning, and building leadership qualities. Emphasizes analytical concepts, techniques, and skills.
ESPM 3211 - Survey, Measurement, and Modeling for Environmental Analysis
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3211/ESPM 5211
Typically offered: Every Spring
Survey, measurement, and modeling concepts/methods for study of natural resources/environmental issues. Emphasizes survey design for data collection, estimation, and analysis for issues encompassing land, water, air, vegetation, wildlife, and human/social variables. prereq: ESPM 3012, FW 4001, STAT 3011, or equivalent
ESPM 3241W - Natural Resource and Environmental Policy (SOCS, CIV, WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3241W/ESPM 5241
Typically offered: Every Spring
Political processes in management of the environment. How disagreements are addressed by different stakeholders, private-sector interests, government agencies, institutions, communities, and nonprofit organizations.
ESPM 3245 - Sustainable Land Use Planning and Policy (ENV)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3245/ESPM 5245
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Policies affecting land use planning at local, state, and federal levels. Ecosystem and landscape scale planning. Collaborative and community-based approaches to planning for ecological, social, and economic sustainability. Class project applies interdisciplinary perspectives on planning and policy, including information gathering techniques, conservation planning tools, and evaluation of planning options.
ESPM 3261 - Economics and Natural Resources Management (SOCS, ENV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3261/ESPM 5261
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
Microeconomic principles and their application to natural resource management problems. Economic and policy tools to address market failures. Discussion of regulatory and market-based instruments. Discounting and compounding concepts. Methods for conducting financial and economic analyses of natural resource management projects. Decision criteria when conducting benefit/cost analysis of natural resource projects. Methods for valuing non-market natural resource goods and services. Economics of managing renewable natural resources such as forests and fisheries. Land economics. Payments for environmental services. Planning and management problems. Case studies. prereq: MATH 1031 or equivalent.
ESPM 3601 - Sustainable Housing--Community, Environment, and Technology (TS)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3601/Hsg 3482
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
How sustainable housing practices build community. How community growth has impacted the environment and how natural events impact our communities. Science and technology required to build high performance houses.
ESPM 4061W - Water Quality and Natural Resources (ENV, WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Water quality decision making. International focus. Ecology of aquatic ecosystems, how they are valuable to society and changed by landscape management. Case studies, impaired waters, TMDL process, student engagement in simulating water quality decision making.
ESPM 4295W - GIS in Environmental Science and Management (WI)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Prerequisites: FNRM 3131 or Geog 3561 or #
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Application of geographic information science and technologies (GIS) in complex environmental problems. Students gain experience in spatial data collection, database development, and spatial analysis, including GNSS and field attribute collection, image interpretation, and existing data fusion, raster/vector data integration and analysis, information extraction from LiDAR data, DEM conditioning and hydrologic analysis, neighborhood analysis, bulk processing and automation, and scripting. Problems vary depending on topics, often with extra-University partners. prereq: FNRM 3131 or Geog 3561 or instr consent
ESPM 4811 - Environmental Interpretation
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 4811/ESPM 5811
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
This course is designed to be an introduction to the broad field of Environmental Interpretation, Communication Theory, Visitor Information Services (VIS), and Nonformal Education experience's found in parks, nature centers, camps, zoos, museums, arboretums, and free-choice learning environments. Students will understand the definitions, role and scope of interpretation, differences between audiences and/or users of interpretive services, and distinguish between interpretive techniques based on their advantages/disadvantages. Students can also qualify for the National Association for Interpretation's (NAI) Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) program.
FNRM 3131 - Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for Natural Resources (TS)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Spatial data development/analysis in science/management of natural resources. Data structures/sources/collection/quality. Geodesy, map projections, spatial/tabular data analysis. Digital terrain analysis, cartographic modeling, modeling perspectives, limits of technology. Lab exercises. Both onsite and fully online options for course enrollment. prereq: Soph or jr or sr or UHP fr
ESPM 3221 - Soil Conservation and Land-Use Management
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
This course is designed to provide a local and global historical perspective of soil erosion (causes and consequences); develop a scientific understanding of soil erosion processes; and relates various soil conservation and land-use management strategies to real-world situations. Basics of soil erosion processes and prediction methods will be the fundamental building blocks of this course. From this understanding, we will discuss policies and socioeconomic aspects of soil erosion. Lastly, we will focus on effective land-use management using natural resource assessment tools. Case studies and real-world and current events examples will be used throughout the course to relate course material to experiences. prereq: SOIL 2125 or instr consent
ESPM 3612W - Soil and Environmental Biology (WI)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 3612W/Soil 5611
Typically offered: Every Fall
Properties of microorganisms that impact soil fertility, structure, and quality. Nutrient requirements of microbes and plants and mineral transformations in biogeochemical cycling. Symbiotic plant/microbe associations and their role in sustainable agricultural production. Biodegradation of pollutants and bioremediation approaches. prereq: Biol 1009 or equiv, Chem 1021 or equiv; SOIL 2125 recommended
ESPM 4216 - Contaminant Hydrology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Principles of contaminant transport in percolate solution and in overland flow. Hydrologic cycle, percolation/runoff processes, contaminant transport, leachate sampling methods, remediation technologies, scale effects on runoff water quality, tillage technologies, control of sediment/chemical losses. Discussions mostly descriptive, but involve some computations.
ESPM 4601 - Environmental Pollution
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
This course uses the principles of chemistry, microbiology, physics, and toxicology to understand the fate and behavior of environmental contaminants and the pollution of soils, surface waters, groundwater, and sediments. The course is structured around a semester-long risk assessment project that provides a framework for integrating concepts of pollution, contaminant movement, contaminant degradation, human health risk, ecological risk, risk mitigation, environmental remediation processes, and interactions among them. The history of federal regulations concerning environmental contamination is presented in the context of the major episodes of environmental pollution that motivated legislative action. prereq: SOIL 2125, CHEM 1061 and 1062 or equiv, or permission
ESPM 5555 - Wetland Soils
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 5555/Soil 5555
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Morphology, chemistry, hydrology, formation of mineral/organic soils in wet environments. Soil morphological indicators of wet conditions, field techniques of identifying hydric soils for wetland delineations. Peatlands. Wetland benefits, preservation, regulation, mitigation. Field trips, lab, field hydric soil delineation project. prereq: SOIL 1125 or 2125 or equiv or instr consent; concurrent registration is required (or allowed) in SOIL 4511 recommended
EEB 4611 - Biogeochemical Processes
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: EEB 4611/EEB 5611
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Application of biochemistry, ecology, chemistry, and physics to environmental issues. Issues in biogeochemistry. Impact of humans on biogeochemical processes in soils, lakes, oceans, estuaries, forests, urban/managed ecosystems, and extreme environments (e.g., early Earth, deep sea vents, thermal springs). prereq: [BIOL 1009 or 2003] AND [CHEM 1081 or 1061 or 1071H] or instr consent
FNRM 3114 - Hydrology and Watershed Management
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3114/FNRM 5114
Typically offered: Every Fall
Hydrologic cycle and water processes in upland/riparian systems. Applications of hydrological concepts to evaluate impacts of forest and land management activities on water yield, streamflow, groundwater erosion, sedimentation, and water quality. Concepts, principles, and applications of riparian/watershed management. Regional/national/global examples. Forest ecosystems. prereq: [[BIOL 1001 or BIOL 1009], [[CHEM 1015, CHEM 1017] or CHEM 1021], MATH 1151] or instr consent
FNRM 3131 - Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for Natural Resources (TS)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Spatial data development/analysis in science/management of natural resources. Data structures/sources/collection/quality. Geodesy, map projections, spatial/tabular data analysis. Digital terrain analysis, cartographic modeling, modeling perspectives, limits of technology. Lab exercises. Both onsite and fully online options for course enrollment. prereq: Soph or jr or sr or UHP fr
SOIL 3416 - Plant Nutrients in the Environment
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
Fundamental concepts in soil fertility and plant nutrition. Discuss dynamics of mineral elements in soil, plants, and the environment. Evaluation, interpretation, and correction of plant nutrient problems. prereq: SOIL 2125