Integration of CITYgreen Landscape Ecological Analysis into a Capstone Environmental Science Course

Abstract

CITYgreen Geographic Information Systems software was used to develop a campus wide cover type map for Stephen F. Austin State University in an environmental science landscape ecology course. The finding indicated an equal division of forest cover type compared to impervious surface of buildings and paved surface. Once the classification was completed, students chose an area for reforestation identified in CITYgreen, while raising funds for the purchase of trees for the project. Before completing the project, students reviewed tenets of landscape ecology, civic ecology education, and benefits of urban forestry. At the completion of the project, students reviewed service-learning aspects of campus beautification reflecting on making a difference, working outdoors, and using high end technology to complete a real-world environmental project incorporating partnerships and teamwork. The outcome demonstrates the benefits of applying ecological planning to complete an environmental project based on a perceived need within a campus setting.

Skill development using interdisciplinary problem solving in a natural resources capstone course

“…Without more information about capstone courses in natural resources, it is hard to design and improve capstone experiences. Literature on natural resource capstone courses to date are primarily undergraduate based and often proceedings from a conference, either focused on the structure of a particular capstone course or lessons learned (Arthur & Thompson, 1999; Berkson & Harrison, 2002; Harris et al, 2004; Jiji et al., 2015; Prokopy, 2009) or a tool that can be used in a capstone course (Kulhvany et al., 2020). This information is helpful in designing a capstone course; however, the effectiveness in preparing students for their future careers has not been studied.…”