2010 Ecoscapes: Columbia River July 16-18 Kip Ault & Andrew Emlen http://www.lclark.edu/~ault	2010 SYLLABUS What to Bring   Let's Reclaim the Commons (with thanks to Ben Donaldson) Supporting Readings
Welcome Letter and Pre-course Readings

CORE 621 ECOSCAPES: COLUMBIA RIVER

“Ecoscapes” integrates themes of appreciating place, governing “the commons,” and understanding ecological theory.  We try to model how to integrate several subjects in the study of a commons.  In a commons, either the property itself or the rights of its use are held in common or allocated by the community according to a set of rules.  The commons is neither private nor public.

The Columbia River exemplifies a commons—a resource held in common by many users—in several respects.  Fisheries, canneries, dairies, timber, and recreation have all laid claim to the Columbia as a commons rich in natural resources.  Most importantly, the Columbia River is a navigable waterway, a function enhanced by maintenance of the shipping channel.  However, dams have modified seasonal flow, perturbing not only salmon migration but also ancient rhythms of scour and fill.  Now, the Army Corps of Engineers has the charge of dredging the channel--and disposing of the spoils.  New designs for ships call for increasing the depth of the channel—and for a liquefied natural gas terminal.

 

Our time together will span just three days during which we will examine the concepts of place, commons, and ecology.  Be prepared for outdoor experience all day long on each of our three days, with departure for home at 5:30 p.m on Sunday.  The sea kayaking experience will be suitable for first-time, novice paddlers.  Plan to keep a journal and make comparisons with the observations recorded by the Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery two centuries ago.

As Northwest author Barry Lopez instructs, values reside in our sense of place—in the cultivation of local knowledge and becoming natives in our land.  Governing the commons justly calls upon us to act in accordance with our values and with judgments informed by reliable knowledge.  Historian Richard White describes how ecological science interacts with values and governance—how ideas about nature, machines, and people combine through history.  He calls upon us to know the river in our muscles.  The metaphor of his title captures the tensions surrounding how human work and natural processes have transformed the Columbia into the “organic machine” we depend upon.

Welcome Aboard!

Kip Ault & Andrew Emlen
503.803.1748 (Kip's cell phone)

Note: we will be staying at:

The Inn at Lucky Mud

800.806.7131
theinn@luckymud.com
44 Old Chestnut Drive
Skamokawa, WA 98647