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EPP 101: Introduction to River Restoration Survey Course
Course Description
The River Restoration Survey course is intended as an introduction to the fundamental processes related in-person to river restoration and restoration design. The short program is not a substitute for the River Restoration Certification. Rather, it is designed to provide the basic information needed to understand the ecological context and rationale underlying modern approaches to river restoration design.
The River Restoration short program is comprised of three units focused on the physical processes of rivers, river ecological processes, and restoration project design
Course Logistics
EPP 101 is a self-paced, asynchronous online course structured around three learning units. Each learning unit contains four to seven lectures and a short exam. Once the exam is passed, you will be able to advance to the next unit. Students must complete the course within 6 months of enrolling. Upon completion of the course, students will receive a certificate and be listed on the Environmental Professional Program graduate page.
Course Exams
Each unit will contain a five question exam. All five questions must be answered correctly to pass the exam. You will have three opportunities to pass the exam. If you need more opportunities please email the EPP program at EPP@pdx.edu.
Course Curriculum
Unit 1: Physical Processes (total 3.7 hours of lecture)
Unit 1, Lecture 1: Fluvial Process (Dr. Janine Castro)
Unit1, Lecture 2: Geology and Sediment Dynamics (Steve Winter)
Unit 1, Lecture 3: Hydrology (Dr. Sue Niezgoda)
Unit 1, Lecture 4: Biogeomorphology (Dr. Matthew Johnson)
Reading: Castro, J.M. and Thorne, C.R., 2019. The stream evolution triangle: Integrating geology, hydrology, and biology. River Research and Applications, 35(4), pp.315-326.
Unit 2: Ecological Processes (total 3 hours of lecture)
Unit 2, Lecture 1: Landscape Ecology and River Restoration (Dr. Gordon Reeves)
Unit 2, Lecture 2: Riverscape Revitalization: Beaver as Guides (Dr. Chris Jordon)
Unit 2, Lecture 3: Aquatic Primary Production and Algal Ecology (Dr. Christine Weilhoefer)
Unit 2, Lecture 4: Nutrient Spiraling in Streams (Dr. Patrick Edwards)
Reading: Palmer, M.A., et al., 2005. Standards for ecologically successful river restoration. Journal of applied ecology, 42(2), pp.208-217.
Unit 3: River Restoration Design (5.2 hours of lecture)
Unit 3, Lecture 1: Project Development (Gardner Johnson, CFM).
Unit 3, Lecture 2: Design Methods (Melanie Klym, PE, LG)
Unit 3, Lecture 3: Stream Bank Erosion (Dr. Colin Thorne)
Unit 3, Lecture 4: Floodplains (Dr. Janine Castro)
Unit 3, Lecture 5: Large Wood (Michael Rafferty, PE)
Unit 3, Lecture 6: Low Head Dams and Fish Passage (Theo Malone, PE)
Unit 3, Lecture 7: Aquatic Organism Passage at Road-Stream Crossings (Casey Kramer, PE)
Reading: Thorne, C., et al., 2015. Project risk screening matrix for river management and restoration. River Research and Applications, 31(5), pp.611-626.