Outcomes:

After completing this class, students should be able to:

• List the geological and physical processes that formed and shape Puget Sound.
• Describe the characteristics of the different aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the Puget Sound region.
• Analyze the impact of human activities, historically and currently, on Puget Sound ecosystems.
• Explain basic ecological principles e.g. energy flow, sustainable yield, carrying capacity.
• Describe the factors that have contributed to the loss of estuaries and wetlands in the Puget sound region.
• Explain the social, economic and cultural importance of salmon species in Puget Sound and the reasons for their declining populations.
• Create a field journal based on observations made on field trips.
• Define the process of science and the nature of scientific investigation.
• Identify representatives of the major phyla of organisms in Puget Sound ecoystems and their role in their communities.