Environmental Resource Management

Course Description

EVS3654 — Environmental Resource Management is an upper-division (3xxx) college-credit course in Florida's Bachelor's degrees in Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Sustainability, and Natural Resource Management programs. The "EVS" prefix denotes Environmental Science. The course covers environmental resource management principles applied to land, water, air, and biological resources: regulatory framework (federal, state, local); environmental impact assessment; sustainability and conservation; pollution prevention and control; environmental policy; with emphasis on Florida-specific issues including Everglades restoration, water quality, coastal management, hurricane resilience, and climate adaptation.

This course is offered at Florida State University System institutions with environmental science programs: UF, FSU, USF, UCF, FIU, FAU, FGCU, UWF, UNF, NCF, FAMU. As an upper-division course, it is restricted to students admitted to applicable bachelor's programs.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of EVS3654, students will be able to:

• Apply environmental regulatory framework: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); Clean Air Act (CAA); Clean Water Act (CWA); Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); CERCLA/Superfund; Endangered Species Act (ESA); Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and water management districts.
• Conduct environmental impact assessment: NEPA process; Environmental Assessment (EA); Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); state-level review processes.
• Apply sustainability principles: Brundtland definition; triple bottom line (people, planet, profit); sustainable development goals (SDGs); life-cycle assessment (LCA).
• Apply natural resource management: forest management; rangeland and grassland; fisheries (commercial and recreational); wildlife management.
• Apply water resource management: surface water; groundwater; aquifer protection; water quality regulations; drinking water; wastewater; stormwater.
• Apply land use and conservation: zoning; conservation easements; green infrastructure; urban planning and sustainability.
• Apply pollution prevention and control: source reduction; pollution prevention hierarchy; air pollution; water pollution; soil contamination.
• Apply climate change adaptation and mitigation: greenhouse gas inventories; mitigation strategies; adaptation planning (especially relevant to Florida's coastal vulnerability).
• Apply Florida-specific environmental issues: Everglades restoration (CERP); Florida water quality; coastal management; hurricane resilience; sea-level rise adaptation; springs protection; harmful algal blooms.

Optional Outcomes

• Apply introductory environmental economics: cost-benefit analysis; ecosystem services valuation; market-based instruments.
• Apply introductory environmental ethics: anthropocentric vs. biocentric vs. ecocentric perspectives.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Environmental Regulatory Framework: NEPA; CAA (criteria pollutants, NAAQS); CWA (NPDES, TMDLs); RCRA (hazardous waste, solid waste); CERCLA/Superfund; ESA; National Forest Management Act; Florida statutes (Chapters 373, 376, 403, F.S.) and FDEP authority; water management districts (SFWMD, SJRWMD, SRWMD, SWFWMD, NWFWMD).
• Environmental Impact Assessment: NEPA process (EA, EIS, FONSI, ROD); state-level processes; cumulative impact analysis; mitigation hierarchy.
• Sustainability: Brundtland definition; triple bottom line; SDGs; LCA methodology; corporate sustainability reporting (GRI, SASB).
• Natural Resources: Forest management (USDA Forest Service, Florida Forest Service); rangeland; fisheries (NMFS, FWC); wildlife management.
• Water Resources: Hydrologic cycle; Florida aquifers (Floridan, Biscayne, Surficial); water quality regulations; drinking water (SDWA); wastewater treatment; stormwater management; Florida-specific (springs, springsheds, lake management).
• Land Use: Land-use planning; zoning; smart growth; conservation easements; transfer of development rights; agricultural preservation; Florida 1985 Growth Management Act and successors.
• Pollution Control: Air pollution (CAA mechanisms, emission inventories, control technologies); water pollution (NPDES, TMDL); soil contamination; remediation approaches; Florida-specific contamination cases.
• Climate Change: Climate science basics; GHG inventory methodology; mitigation strategies; adaptation planning; sea-level rise (Florida's high vulnerability); coastal hazard mitigation; resilience planning.
• Florida-Specific Issues: Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP); Florida springs; Lake Okeechobee and St. Lucie/Caloosahatchee discharges; harmful algal blooms (red tide, blue-green algae); coastal mangrove conservation; Florida panther conservation; manatee protection; hurricane and storm-surge resilience.

Resources & Tools

• Industry texts: Tom Tietenberg and Lynne Lewis Environmental Economics and Policy; Daniel D. Chiras Environmental Science; G. Tyler Miller Living in the Environment
• Florida-specific: Florida's Water Resources; FDEP and water management district publications
• Federal regulations: 40 CFR (EPA regulations); Florida Statutes Chapters 373, 376, 403; Florida Administrative Code Chapters 62-series
• EPA, FDEP, water management district websites

Career Pathways

EVS3654 supports careers in environmental management across Florida's substantial environmental services sector:

• Environmental Specialist at FDEP, water management districts, or local government environmental departments.
• Environmental Consultant at engineering and consulting firms (AECOM, Tetra Tech, Stantec, regional consultancies).
• Sustainability Coordinator at municipalities, universities, and corporations.
• Conservation Coordinator at state and federal natural resource agencies (Florida FWC, NPS, USFWS).
• Environmental Compliance Officer at industrial facilities.
• Continuation toward graduate study in environmental science, environmental engineering, or environmental policy.

Special Information

Course Format

Typically 3 credits, 45 contact hours (lecture). Some sections offered fully online.

Upper-Division Status

EVS3654 is upper-division (3xxx) and typically requires junior standing in an environmental science or related bachelor's program.

Florida Environmental Context

Florida's environmental management challenges are uniquely substantial: coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise; hurricane impacts; Everglades restoration; water quality (springs, lakes, coastal estuaries); harmful algal blooms; ecosystem fragmentation. These create strong demand for environmentally-trained professionals across government, private, and nonprofit sectors.