Friends of Cañada de los Osos Ecological Reserve
Education - San Jose State
Biology 150
Each year, during April weekends, a class of San Jose State Biology 150 students meet at the Reserve to learn about the "Ecology of Plants and Animals of an Ecological Reserve." These non-science students typically spend four days doing surveys of the plants and animals of the grassland, woodland, pond, and stream habitats and learning about the species' various adaptations to their specific habitats. Principles of habitat and wildlife management and conservation are also covered in the course, including methods of capturing and tracking wildlife species in order to study movements and assess population changes within their range.
Instructors are Rod Myatt (plants), Bob Clement (vertebrates), and Merav Vonshak (arthropods). Henry Coletto and Martha Schauss give information and demonstrations on animal capture and tracking, and David Jessup demonstrates animal necropsy and leads a discussion of wildlife health and diseases.
Students often come away with a greater understanding and appreciation of the importance of maintaining natural places for a diversity of wildlife and other species to flourish.
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