Materials are identified for you to read in preparation for each class.
All the readings will be available from links on the class agenda on my web site.
There will always be a basic set of readings and sometimes a supplementary set for each class.
Each agenda will indicate broadly the topics we will be discussing in the class and how the readings are intended to provide background for the discussion.
The basic readings have been selected so that they provide you with an introductory understanding if it is a topic area which is relatively new to you. Sometimes I indicate that you might wish to only skim a section. On occasion we will be covering a topic which is familiar to you and as a result the basic readings might be a refresher for you.
The supplementary materials are to indicate what else you might to look at if you have the time. Sometimes they will be helpful starting points for designing your presentations in the course.
The links will take you to chapters in books, journal articles, reports and web sites of government agencies, private organizations and individuals. In a small number of cases the link for a journal article or chapter requires you to access it on the web site Water Reading Materials because of copyright constraints. Use your email address that you give to me to gain access to this site.
The links have been selected not only for their specific content but also so as to introduce you to government agencies, organizations and individuals that you should know about and whose activities you need to monitor as you develop and advance your career in the water field.
Some of the government agency materials to which you are directed will take you into sub-pages where links are broken or where the organization is somewhat confusing. This is particularly the case with the Canadian and British Columbia sites. Confusion results in part from periodic re-organization of government departments and associated name changes, as well as agencies re-organizing their web sites.
A more fundamental reason for the confused organization of government web sites relating to water in Canada is the division of jurisdiction relating to water between Federal and Provincial governments and the choice of governments at both levels to split responsibilities relating to water among various ministries and divisions within them. For an initial starting point go to Environment Canada's Freshwater Website and the BC Ministry of Environment's Water Stewardship Division and Environmental Protection Division. However, in each case you will see that you are directed to other departments or divisions as well as other governments for other topics closely related to water (e.g. look at drinking water and fisheries).
Any time you know of a more useful reference that could replace one I have posted or that you think should be added please let me know. There are certain topics where I have hunted without success for better or more recent references (e.g. I have not been able to find a recent, good, broad introduction to the pros and cons of different strategies and techniques for models and modelling, as you will see).
The other reason for seeking your help is that the field is huge and growing fast and the quantity and diversity of materials becoming available and events being scheduled are extraordinarily large. Please let me and others in the class know when you find anything you feel would be useful to us.
Given the immense breadth of what we seek to cover we will undoubtedly not do justice to the range of differences in views on topics we are discussing. Please draw our attention to anything you feel should be given consideration.