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NATURAL HISTORY AND FIELD BIOLOGY

BIOLOGY 3013 X4 – 3 CREDIT HOURS

This Acadia University course is taught entirely on Bon Portage Island (BP) off the south tip of Nova Scotia.

Dates: Starts on Saturday 2 weeks before the Labour Day weekend, finishes Friday the day before the Labour Day weekend.

Important: If you want to take this course, you should contact (NOW!) coordinating instructor Professor Dave Shutler (dave.shutler [at] acadiau.ca). Contacting him does not mean you are obliged to take the course; it just ensures that you receive updates.

1. Prerequisites

If you are an Acadia student, you will preferably have taken Organisms and their Environment I (BIOL 1113) and Introductory Ecology (BIOL 2033). If you are from a different university, equivalent course backgrounds are recommended. In either case, permission will likely be granted for biology students who love the outdoors and have a reasonable academic record. You should also be in GOOD physical condition because there's a lot of walking, often on cobble beaches and through dense forest.

2. Course description

The official text you are REQUIRED to bring is a field guide to your favourite organisms (e.g, algae, seashore invertebrates, plants, insects, birds, mammals); these organisms can be the focus of your major project (see below). Browse the nature section of any bookstore, or surf the web to find what you want.

You are also REQUIRED to bring a dissecting kit. See the packing list.

The course gives you hands-on, outdoor experience with plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates, in marine pelagic, intertidal, brackish, and terrestrial habitats.

The tentative schedule will be here; if it isn't by late July, let Professor Shutler know. In sum, the coordinating instructor introduces you to the Island and its facilities. In consultation with the coordinating instructor, you will design and carry out a scientific investigation that you will run whenever you have free time during the 2 weeks. After the first 2 days, a different instructor comes on the Island around supper time, and often gives a talk the first night to introduce their topic. Part of the next day is spent in contact with the instructor's favourite organisms. After that, you usually do some sort of project outdoors. The next instructor appears after 2 days, until you have had a total of 5 modules. You will be evaluated based on projects, reports, presentations, enthusiasm of your participation, and whatever else the instructors decide. Some additional reference materials may be made available.

3. Dates

See above.

4. Registration
The base cost per student is $1279 [$2108 for foreign students = $829 tuition ($1558 for foreign students) + $450 to cover meals, accommodation, and boat transportation]. Once you have received approval from the coordinating instructor to be in the course, you must pay in full by 15 June.

If you are already an Acadia student, you will need to provide Lisa Taul (902-585-1334; lisa.taul@acadiau.ca) with the necessary information to register. If you are not an Acadia student, you will need to contact the Admissions Office to acquire a student number; once you have that, contact Lisa to register.

If you know of any other students who may be interested in this course, have them contact Professor Shutler.
Non-Acadia students follow the same procedures as Acadia students, but will also need to have an official transcript sent, and a "Letter of Permission" so that credit for the course will be transferred back to their home institution (costs for transcripts and Letters of Permission vary by institution). Finally, so that there is somewhere to record your mark from the course, you need to apply to Acadia University (an additional $25).

Students who withdraw from the course before 9 August will forfeit $75 of their fees; withdrawals after this date will forfeit all fees.

Maximum enrollment is 20 students, on a first come, first served basis for students in Atlantic Canada, following which vacancies may be filled by students from other geographic areas.

Final course grades will be submitted to the Registrar's office as soon as possible following completion of the course. Grades will be available to students later in September.

5. Contacts (Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6)

Lisa Taul	902-585-1334
Professor Dave Shutler	902-585-1354

6. The setting
Look forward to your stay at Acadia University's Richardson Field Station in Biology on Bon Portage Island (Outer Island on most maps). Students are responsible for their own transportation to Shag Harbour; you become University responsibility once you board any of our boats. Because parking is limited and also for ecological reasons, car-pools are your best option, followed by being dropped off. Meet at the Prospect Point Wharf (there's another wharf that ain't the right one) in Shag Harbour at 12:30 on the appointed departure date.

The Island has a fully equipped kitchen and dining area. Meals are usually prepared by a cook, and you need only bring the snacks & beverages to which you are addicted. You will share after-meal cleanup responsibilities with your colleagues.

If someone needs to contact you, they should call the Biology Department (902-585-1334) to obtain the Station Manager's phone number; the latter number will be provided to all students in advance of the course.

7. Medical and psychological preparations

The Field Station has First Aid kits and staff trained in First Aid, good communication links with the mainland & the Coast Guard & fishing vessels, and an arrangement with a medical clinic in nearby Barrington Passage. However, medical attention is not as handy as it is on the mainland, so if possible, have a medical and dental check-up before the course.

Psychologically, be prepared to stay on the Island for an extra day or two if the weather is rough. Be prepared to live in close quarters with your colleagues, and be able to stay cheerful for extended periods when you are outdoors, even when it's 2 degrees, raining, and windy. It would be even better if you could stay cheerful if you haven't eaten for days and the nearest washroom is a grove of trees. The former hasn't happened, but the latter is a frequent occurrence. Finally, fresh water is not in tremendous supply on BP; be psyched for pit toilets and infrequent showers. Regardless, be prepared to have some working fun.

Packing checklist
Bon Portage Island
Bon Portage Research
Other field courses in Atlantic Canada

Updated May '12