Canaan Valley Institute

DEFINING BIODIVESITY

Considering this course is based upon biodiversity, it's paramount we have a collective understanding of what the term means. Dr. Egenrieder has tasked the class to free write our definition of biodiversity first without research and then again after reviewing supporting material. Below is my first attempt to define the term.

Biodiversity

The concept of recognizing the ecological benefit of varying species inhabiting a shared ecosystem.

After researching a bit more of defining biodiversity, I think I’ll keep my free write version.

AREA OF STUDY

The second task given, is to select an area of study which will serve as the basis of each of our case studies.

The area of study I’m choosing for the sake of this course is Canaan Valley, West Virginia. The area is a National Wildlife Refuge. The map below gives a better visual of the location of the refuge.

As a child, my family and I spent most autumns in Canaan. After living in a few different cities along the east coast, I’ve finally have the opportunity to return back to the area. As I mentioned in the brief introduction, once completing my MNR I hope to work with the wildlife refuge in some capacity. Having an opportunity to research the biodiversity within Canaan, not only provides me with a better understanding of the area, but also could be useful to current managers of the area.