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the altamaha initiative Mission Statement To help protect the ecological integrity of the Altamaha River Basin, with a focus on the major tributary rivers: the Oconee and the Ocmulgee, by working with stakeholders to address natural resource concerns and human activities associated with water quality. The Altamaha Initiative is a service learning course that provides a structured and supportive format for students to apply policy and ecological principles learned in the classroom to the real world of people and policy.
Practicum History The Altamaha Practicum is a service learning course that matches graduate students from the University of Georgia with community stakeholders facing specific environmental challenges. Students from law, ecology, environmental design, wildlife ecology and scientific illustration may participate in the course. Water quality and the protection of critical streamside environments through the best available science, design and policy concepts are key goals for this hands-on program. The course presents a holistic approach to land use planning from the perspectives of our interdisciplinary faculty and guest lecturers. Practicum Goals
Class Structure At the beginning of the semester, an extensive list of potential service projects is distributed to the students. The projects have been suggested by local governments, landowners, and conservation groups active in the Altamaha watershed, including the Macon-Bibb County School Department, Greenspace Advisory Committee, and Downtown Development Authority; the government of Jackson County; the Upper Oconee Watershed Network; The Georgia Conservancy; the Altamaha Riverkeeper; The Nature Conservancy; the Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest; and the Coastal Georgia Center for Sustainable Development. Within the first few weeks of the semester, students decide which projects to pursue, and form interdisciplinary teams for each project. All the practicum participants, students and faculty, together create a rubric, a document which clearly articulates the responsibilities and requirements of each participant and of each project team. |
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