If you like exciting, highly concentrated courses and being outdoors, chances are you’ll find an off-campus summer course you’ll enjoy through West Virginia University’s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences.
This summer, the college is offering a variety of courses in ecology and field study, outdoor skills and professional field experience.
These 7- to 14-day courses offer two to three elective credit hours and draw a wide range of students in a variety of majors throughout both summer sessions at WVU .
Possibly the biggest draw to these courses is the fact that they take you into outdoor settings and away from the usual classroom,said Beverly Hassler, coordinator of the Off-Campus Summer Program.
Two new courses, Whitewater Skills and Trail Work and Volunteer Management, have been added to the offering’s list this year.
The whitewater skills course is designed for individuals who want to get into the sport of whitewater rafting and need to learn the basics. It will teach students basic whitewater safety and self-rescue skills, paddling techniques, raft guiding, reading whitewater and scouting. Consisting of classroom hours plus two days on the river, this class will provide students with skills transferable to personal boating as well as guiding for a whitewater company.
The trails of Coopers Rock State Forest will be the setting for Trail Work and Volunteer Management. The course will provide students with the experience, knowledge and training to recruit, lead, manage, motivate and retain volunteer trail work crews. Students will be taught techniques to build, install and perform maintenance on drainage ditches, water bars, culverts and deck-style bridges.
Other courses offered include Big Game Ecology and Management, Stream Ecosystem Assessment, Vegetation of West Virginia, Waterfowl Ecology and Management, Backcountry Living and Rock Climbing, Residential Construction Utilizing Engineered Wood Products, and Wilderness First Responder.
Students also have the opportunity to earn professional field experience with an agency or organization by working on a professional project.
For more information on courses and costs, visit www.forestry.caf.wvu.edu. For registration, current students may contact Hassler at 304-293-2941, ext. 2490, or BKHassler@mail.wvu.edu . Students who desire credit for a course and are not already enrolled at WVU can complete eligibility forms or request more information from WVU Extended Learning atwww.elearn.wvu.edu.