Natural Lands Biodiversity Program

Each semester, the Science Department offers a certificate program in ecological monitoring and field research called “Natural Lands.” This program is different from traditional course offerings and may be taken in addition to a six-class course load. It will not carry departmental course credit, but students who complete the semester will receive recognition and reports on their contributions and progress. Students may enroll in one or both semesters of the program. The Natural Lands program offers different opportunities and experiences in each semester. 

The fall semester program takes advantage of the late summer and fall season to be outdoors as much as possible. Students engage with extensive field work studying insect pollination, salamander and toad populations, small mammal behavior, native wildflowers, bird migration, and fall fungi. The second semester program begins in January with two different offerings. The first is a three-day group activity that will center on lab research and molecular systematics, drawing in part from specimens collected during the fall weeks and international repositories of DNA sequence data. Additional data analysis from acoustic recordings and observations on the iNaturalist site will accompany the bench work and lab protocols. A separate but parallel two-day per week program will teach students how to be effective advocates for conservation and environmental protection. Students will learn how to participate in public comments on Federal regulations, how endangered and threatened species are listed and managed, and how to be effective letter writers and organizers in relation to local and national issues of concern. Open to students in grades 10-12.

Natural Lands Fall Semester: Biodiversity Field Studies (three days/cycle)

Natural Lands Spring Semester: Biodiversity Lab Studies (three days/cycle)

Natural Lands Spring Semester: Advocacy and Activism (two days/cycle)