This course examines the problem of maintaining biological diversity in a changing world. Emphasis is on the biological concepts involved in population biology, genetics and community ecology, and their use in conservation and management of biodiversity. Labs mix local projects and trips to sites of interest for conservation.
Guides
Materials
SELECTED GENERAL RESOURCES
SELECTED GENERAL RESOURCES
General flora and fauna in the Adirondacks and beyond (Don't forget to check the Science Library Reference Section also!)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program
- USGS Ecosystems
- Government of Canada - Wildlife, plants and species
Mammals:
- Adirondack Mammals - List from the Adirondack Ecological Center ESF Newcomb Campus with some basic details such as range and habitat, food and feeding behavior, reproduction and social behavior.
- The Smithsonian book of North American mammals - Print resource in the Reference section of Launders Science Library.
- Animal Diversity Web - An easily searched database maintained by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
- Adirondack Forever Wild - Site has basic facts and information on flora and fauna of the Adirondacks. Good for quick reference.
- New York Department of Environmental Conservation - Not all species are listed on this page so use the search feature in the main menu.
- The Natural History of Canadian Mammals - An e-book in our collection with detailed entries by Order. Sections can by downloaded as a pdf.
Birds:
- Birds of the World - From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- New York Department of Environmental Conservation
- New York Audubon
- BIRDNET - A consortium of ornithological societies (not to be confused with BirdNET, an app from Cornell for identifying birds by sound.)
Amphibians and Reptiles:
- NY DEC Amphibians and Reptiles
- AmbhibiaWeb - Maintained by the University of California at Berkeley
Invasive Species:
- National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC) - A gateway to Federal efforts concerning invasive species.
Rivers/Dams:
- St. Lawrence County Soil and Water District
- NYS DEC Lands and Waters - Contains basic details on forests, lakes, rivers, watersheds, etc. in New York state.
Ethnoecology
- Native American Ethnobotany database - A database of foods, drugs, dyes and fibers of Native American Peoples, derived from plants.
- Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases - From the USDA. Facilitates in-depth plant, chemical, bioactivity, and ethnobotany searches using scientific or common names. Search results can be downloaded in PDF or spreadsheet form. Of interest to pharmaceutical, nutritional, and biomedical research, as well alternative therapies and herbal products.
Books, Theses, etc…. :
- SLU Libraries Catalog - Click on the Catalog tab and use the dropdown menu to indicate whether you want to search by title, author, keyword or subject.
- WorldCat - WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. If the SLU libraries don't have a book you need, WorldCat is an excellent place to search and place an interlibrary loan request with just a couple of clicks.
Local Agencies or Organizations:
- Adirondack Park Agency
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- St. Lawrence County Environmental Management Council
- Nature Conservancy - New York regional site
- St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce
- Canton, NY Chamber of Commerce
- Algonquin to Adirondacks (A2A)
- New York Natural Heritage Program - Site includes conservation guides, definitions of legal terms, lists of rare animals species, details about ecological communities in NYS. Also contains links to other datasets.
Local Newspapers (that have searchable indexes):
- Adirondack Explorer - An excellent source of current news coverage of environmental topics in the Adirondack region.
- Watertown Times - 2008-current
- Watertown Times - Historical 1894-current
- The Post-Standard, The Herald-Journal and The Herald American - Historical access to Syracuse based newspapers.
- NorthCountryNow - Ultra local news. Try the Advanced Search in the upper right hand corner and note there are 2 different options for time period. If no results using the default, try switching to all articles before January 29, 2022.
World News:
- Nexis-Uni - Has news sources from around the world. Also has access to case law and information about companies and businesses.
Local Radio:
Government Documents:
- Catalog of US Government Documents
- New York State Library - for New York State Documents
- Local & County Governments may also have useful documents….
Canadian Resources
SELECTED DATASET REPOSITORIES - not a comprehensive list!
SELECTED DATASET REPOSITORIES - not a comprehensive list!
Move Bank - Animal tracking data
Earth Data (NASA) - Species Distribution Modeling Data
New York State GIS Clearinghouse
USGS - Species Data Overview
DRYAD - A multidisciplinary open source data depository.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility - An international network and data infrastructure funded by the world's governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, open access to data about all types of life on Earth
System Naturae - Conservation Wildlife Datasets
Ecological Data Wiki - A site with general ecological datasets.
Northeast Conservation Planning Atlas - Check out the dataset for Habitat Condition for Imperiled Species, Northeast U.S. under the Browse tab.
Landscape Conservation Cooperative Network - Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) were established to provide science capacity and technical expertise for meeting shared natural and cultural resource priorities.
Conservation Gateway - Terrestrial Habitat Map for the Northeast US and Atlantic Canada.
Nature's Network - Links to several potentially useful datasets.