Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 70.01
Liaison Rebecca Walker
Submission Date April 13, 2022

STARS v2.2

Southern Oregon University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Rebecca Walker
Sustainability Manager
Facilities, Management, Sustainability and Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that is one week or more in length?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution:
In the Spring of 2021, SOU offered a course called Bear Creek Fire Restoration in the Rogue Valley. This course was available for SOU students and included classroom learning on the Almeda Fire and its impacts on the riparian and aquatic ecosystems of Bear Creek. The course culminated in a full day of fieldwork with the Rogue River Watershed Council staff doing weed eradication, native plantings, and field observations of fire impacts and regrowth. Class discussions and assignments talked about the interplay between human and ecosystem impacts, and the potential opportunity the fire offered to the historically impaired waterway. Students were also given access to an online learning platform (Moodle) where additional readings and learning materials were available.

Other immersive experiences include:
- Three Sisters Wilderness (3 days) and explored geology and volcanology.
- Rogue Wild and Scenic (3 days) to learn about public land/river protection, the history of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and some natural history ecology of the river itself

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s immersive education programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://sou.edu/academics/environmental-science/programs/environmental-science-policy-bs/

https://news.sou.edu/2021/10/sou-ecoadventure-experience-gets-local-response-fire/

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