Department of Environmental Sciences
College of the Environment
Western Washington University

Fall 2025
Tue, Thur 12-2pm
Locations: mostly outside, on campus and local field sites;
see schedule for details

Instructor: John McLaughlin
Office: ES 434
Phone: 650-7617
E-mail:
( Please do not send attachments in proprietary formats.)
Office Hours: after class in-person and by appt. in-person or via zoom
Course Web Site: https://wwu.edu/faculty/jmcl/Conservation/syl_2025.htm

No textbook is assigned to this course, to reduce student expenses, and to include a broad range of sources.
Readings will be from primary sources, as assigned and cited below.

Prerequisite: Ecology (ESCI 225, ESCI 325, or BIOL 325), or instructor permission.

Course Description

Welcome to conservation! This course is intended to expand your mind and animate your senses, while strengthening your ability to address some of hte great challenges of our time. How well you achieve that goal will depend on how much you, your peers, and the instructor invest in the work.
This course will immerse you in the science and practice of conserving biological diversity. It will help you to understand the causes and consequences of declines in biodiversity due to human activities, and to evaluate policies and actions directed at preventing biodiversity declines and restoring human-nature reciprocity. Although topics will be illustrated with case studies from around the world, special emphasis will be given to the wealth of examples in the Pacific Northwest.

Conservation draws on diverse fields of knowledge and practice to address an applied mission. Accordingly, this course will emphasize applications and it will integrate science with concepts and approaches beyond narrowly defined environmental sciences. Because conservation is inherently place-based, most class meetings will occur outside. To provide you a more genuine conservation experience, class meetings and assignments will emphasize solving conservation problems. Class sessions will consist of a blend of presentations, discussions, small group design meetings, and field trips.

To avoid course fees and minimize course expenses, course field trips will occur at local field sites. We will discuss inclusive transportation options early in the quarter and consider adjustmnets to field trip locations as needed. If you would find accessing and hiking on trails in or near Bellingham for up to two hours to be an unreasonable logistical or physical challenge, please contact the instructor by the second course meeting. Although the schedule may change according to the weather, you should come to class prepared to be outside regardless of weather conditions. Rain jackets and pants may be available at no cost from a new CENV gear lending libary, managed by the Outdoor Center. Please see the instructor for details.

Upon successfully completing the course, you should be able to do the following.
(1) Critically analyze and evaluate approaches to conservation issues.
(2) Design solutions to conservation problems.
(3) Work effectively in teams with people holding diverse perspectives.
(4) Integrate multiple perspectives and kinds of information in conservation programs.
(5) Write effectively about conservation designs and other topics.
(6) Present ideas effectively using visual and spoken modalities.

Policies and Resources

Illness Policies, including COVID-19:
Please make your health and the health of others in your sphere your highest priority.
If you feel sick, stay home, take care of yourself, and do not attend course meetings until you are fully well. No penalty will be applied for classes missed for health reasons, even if your illness turns out to be a mild cold.
Seek medical attention if your symptoms become severe, particularly high fever or difficulty breathing.
If you have had close contact with someone known to have COVID-19, self-quarantine for at least 10 days. If you had close contact with someone known to have COVID-19 and you manifest symptoms, self-isolate for at least 10 days and get tested. Similar precautions with generally shorter time frames apply to other respiratory diseases, including flu and RSV.
Please contact the instructor to arrange accommodations if you must miss multiple classes due to illness or self-isolation.

We will practice COVID-19 safety throughout the course.
(1) Most in-person meetings will occur outside.
(2) Wearing face masks during indoor course meetings is optional but encouraged. Masks should cover nose and mouth.
(3) Please wash your hands before and after class meetings.
(4) If disease prevalence rises substantially in our region, additional measures may be implemented.
Information about COVID-19 symptoms, treatment, prevention, and safety are at the following.
WWU
COVID-19 exposure FAQ, WA DOH
WA Department of Health

WWU Course Policies: We will observe all university policies regarding academic honesty, (non)use of generative AI, disability accommodation, religious accommodation, and equal opportunity. Please review those policies at the following site. https://syllabi.wwu.edu/

In particular, reasonable accommodation for students with documented disabilities should be established within the first week of class and arranged through the Disability Access Center: https://disability.wwu.edu/
Students seeking religious accommodation should provide written notice to the instructor within the first two weeks of the course.

WWU provides resources for additional student needs.
Students with medical needs may find help at the Student Health Center.
Students with emotional or psychological concerns may find help at the Counseling Center.
The Office of Student Life can help with difficult personal or family issues and in navigating the university bureaucracy.

We intend for everyone to succeed in this course, and we will support this intention with action. Success should be collaborative, involving shared efforts by individual students, student teams, and the instructor. Students with challenging personal circumstances are encouraged to contact the instructor before those issues impact work in the course, or as soon as possible. I will not consider this as weakness or requests for special favors. We will have better opportunities to develop strategies to help you succeed if we begin early.

Course Evaluation

Course Schedule (revisions pending)

Readings to be revised.

Zavaleta E, C Aslan, W Palen, T Sisk, ME Ryan, BG Dickson. 2017. Expanding career pathways in conservation science. Cons.Biol. 32:246-248. doi: 10.1111/cobi.12987

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