L. Monika Moskal

In the ESRM: Natural Resource and Environmental Management (NREM) option, students complete the foundation ESRM coursework and then fill their major elective requirement with coursework in applied aspects of landscape ecology.  NREM students learn to create, sustain, and/or alter landscapes for biological diversity. 

Landscape ecology is an integrated approach to studying the interaction of physical, biological and social processes on ecological systems at a wide range of spatial scales. The NREM option focuses on applied aspects of landscape ecology that create, sustain and alter landscapes to achieve biological diversity and integrity, as well as social purposes. 

The Natural Resources and Environmental Management option is accredited by the Society of American Foresters through 2027. 

Students earn a B.S. in Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management. The Option in Natural Resources and Environmental Management is noted on student transcripts only, not the diploma. 

Schedules 

The academic requirements and sample 4-year degree plan sheet for NREM are available on the Annual Class Schedules and Academic Planning Sheets page. 

ESRM: NREM Course Requirements 

Recommended Capstone Experience for Honors Students 

ESRM Department Honors students who are required to complete the 10-credit Capstone requirement are strongly encouraged to select the Proposal (ESRM 494), then either the Senior Thesis (ESRM 496) or Senior Project (ESRM 495). The award-winning UW-REN Restoration Ecology Capstone (ESRM 462-464) is also available. 

Capstone projects will typically require investigation of the ecology and conservation of a particular site or region, including a combination of ecological and social inquiry, data collection or compilation, data management, spatial analysis, and conservation or land-use planning recommendations. Requirements include a project proposal, data collection or project implementation, analysis of data/project, final written report of findings/project, and an oral presentation. 

Career Opportunities and Graduate Study 

This SAF-accredited option offers students postgraduate opportunities in conservation, land-use planning, natural resource management, and ecological research. Some examples of groups that have interests in natural resource management include Environmental NGOs (e.g., The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, The World Wildlife Fund), local land trusts, timber and mining companies, state wildlife and natural resource agencies, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environmental consulting firms, and city and county planning offices. The option will also prepare students for graduate work in ecology, conservation biology, natural resources, and land-use planning. 

Relevant General Elective Courses 

BIOL 365 (3) Foundations in Ecology
BIOL 470 (4) Biogeography
BIOL 472 (5) Community Ecology
BIOL 476 (5) Conservation Biology
ESRM 415 (5) Terrestrial Invasion Ecology
ESRM 430 (5) Hi-Res Remote Sensing
ESRM 433 (5) Airborne Lidar for Remote Sensing of Vegetation and Geomorphology
GEOG 205 (5) Intro to the Physical Sciences and the Environment
HSTAA 221 (5) Environmental History of the U.S.
PHIL 243 (5) Environmental Ethics 

SEFS and Affiliated Faculty in the NREM area 

Sándor Tóth (lead), Josh Lawler, Jon Bakker, Greg Ettl, Jerry Franklin, John Marzluff, Monika Moskal, Clare Ryan, Christian Torgersen and Kristiina Vogt.