There are three steps to prepare for this assignment:
Step 1:
Identify your ecoregion.
Ecoregions are large areas containing multiple ecosystems. Using the Level III ecoregions mapLinks to an external site., locate your local ecoregion by color or number. If you are currently overseas, choose an ecoregion that you have lived in or visited previously. If you live in an ecoregion that was once dominated by the longleaf pine, consider selecting an adjacent ecoregion instead.
Step 2:
Research your ecoregion.
Using the Omernik Level Three Ecoregions of the USLinks to an external site. page, locate your ecoregion in the alphabetical list partway down the page; click More to reveal more of the list.
Click on the name of your ecoregion to access descriptive information about it. Take some notes (see the bullet points explaining what to include in your essay for ideas for your notes). This is only a starting point. You will want to do additional internet research about that ecoregion and locate other credible sources or search in the holdings of the UAGC Library.
Step 3:
Locate information online about an ongoing ecosystem restoration project within your ecoregion.
Find a project using an internet search engine; you might search by ecoregion name, or by other geographic label such as a nearby city, river, forest, and so on.
Consider the following about your project:
Who owns the land or is leading the restoration work? What is involved? What is the anticipated outcome of the project? Where exactly is the site? (If possible, include a locator map in your paper.) When will the restoration likely be completed? Why is the restoration being done? How is the project being carried out? Finally, is there a way that residents of the area can help? If so, how?
Write
Now, you are ready to write a paper about ecosystem restoration where you live. In your essay,
Describe your ecoregion and its characteristics. Be sure to address the following:
What is the name of your ecoregion, and why does it have that name?
Where is the ecoregion located?
What is or are the major ecosystem type(s) within that ecoregion?
What is the topography of the ecoregion? Flat? Rolling hills? Mountainous?
What are the major land uses in the ecoregion? Is most of it forested? Farmed? Paved over?
How much of the ecoregion is undisturbed habitat?
What are a few of the important native species in the ecoregion?
Discuss the environmental damage to your ecoregion.
Are any threatened or endangered species present in your ecoregion? If so, identify a couple of them and discuss why they have become threatened or endangered.
What are the major threats to the ecological health of the ecoregion (e.g., urban sprawl, clearing for agriculture, water pollution, etc.)? Provide specific examples of how these threats have impacted your ecoregion. For example, you might mention how a city in your ecoregion has nearly doubled in size due to sprawl and population growth in the last decade. Or you might note how a common water pollution issue in your ecoregion is fertilizer runoff from corn and soybean production.
Summarize the restoration project you found; in your summary, be sure to cover these questions:
Who (what organizations, government entities, etc.) is overseeing the project?
Where is the project taking place?
What does the project entail?
Detail the restoration process goal.
How is the project being carried out? (What are the major steps involved?)
When will the project be completed?
Does the project accept community volunteers? If so, how can the volunteers help?
You will submit two documents to Waypoint. One should be your completed Lab Worksheet and the other should be your Local Ecosystem Restoration essay. Together these two documents are worth 5% of your class grade.
The Restoration Ecology Laboratory Follow-up assignment,
must be 2 to 4 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site.
must include a separate title page with the following in title case:
Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
student’s name
name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
course name and number
instructor’s name
due date
must utilize academic voice.
Refer to the Academic VoiceLinks to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph.
Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. and Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
must use at least 1 scholarly source, one credible source, and the course text, for three sources.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, review this Quick and Easy Library ResearchLinks to an external site. tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your PaperLinks to an external site.
must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center.
Refer to the APA: Formatting Your References ListLinks to an external site. resource in the Writing Center for specifications.
