Environmental Law Field Course with UI WILD
The Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative hosts a recurring environmental law field course during the August Intersession session. The interdisciplinary intersession course, titled “Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Law,” is the first of its kind at the University of Iowa. The goal is to introduce law students to the law of species and habitat protection, focusing on animals and plants located in the Macbride Nature Recreation Area (MNRA). Learn more about the course below.
“The goal of this course is for students to anticipate the kinds of questions regulators and field experts would ask in implementing or reviewing habitat conservation plans and other conservation measures for a protected species. We also hope students learn what biodiversity is, why it is important, and how federal and state species and habitat protection laws further biodiversity.”
About the week-long intersession course
UI WILD staff, along with their network of federal and state experts in land management and species and habitat protection, demonstrate to the class how they implement laws through a range of practices. Students follow field experts into prairie, woodlands, and wetlands, which gives them a hands-on look at conservation biology and wildlife ecology. Activities during the week include:
What do students think about the course?
"This is my favorite course I have taken at Iowa Law. The opportunity to get outside and see the work that goes into conservation projects was both fun and informative. What really made the course special was the co-mingling of law experts with conservation experts. Having those perspectives in the room gave me a far deeper understanding of the law than a normal classroom experience would have.”
"Learning about the law while being outside in nature and away from the computer screen was an unforgettable experience. I will always remember conducting my first field survey and locating the endangered rusty patched bumble bee!"
Partners for the Week
Each morning during the intersession week, students worked with experts across several research stations within MNRA to conduct fieldwork. The experts who joined the MNRA team during fieldwork sessions were from university departments, research groups, and government agencies, including:
About Macbride Nature Recreation Area
Both the class and fieldwork portions of this intersession were held at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area (MNRA). Learn more about MNRA here:
Learn more about Macbride Nature Recreation Area
"At the Iowa Raptor Project, and in all of our UI WILD programs, we are delighted when we can work with students with a diversity of backgrounds to awaken awareness, nurture appreciation, and inspire action for all things wild. In this course, our hope was to inspire these students to make informed decisions about wildlife and the land when they become fully fledged lawyers."
Snapshots from the Intersession Course
