A program at Lakeland College is being modified.
The program formerly known as environmental monitoring and protection is now the water conservation and management (WCM) major, which gives students the opportunity to develop in-demand skills and become champions of an essential natural resource: water. According to the school, the name has been change to more accurately reflect the primary focus of the course content and subject matter.
The program has always had a water focus, and the name change offers the opportunity to better align with the Alberta Water Act, that has the objective of promoting and supporting the conservation and management of water.
Officially approved by Alberta Advanced Education, the name change took effect July 1, 2016. The WCM name change has been a collaborative effort with faculty, current students, alumni, industry and advisory committee members.
“These changes are in line with our program objectives and ultimately, our students will come out of the program more employable with the foundation they build in WCM,” says Dr. Ben Sey, dean of the School of Energy and Environmental Sciences. “WCM fits well into the diverse range of environmental sciences programs we have in our school.”
As well, back in April, Lakeland signed a memo of agreement with Ducks Unlimited Canada for the delivery of a new wetlands course: decision making for wetlands management. WCM will offer this new course in the fall.
“We always strive to continuously improve our programs and this was done in an effort to ensure our programming is in line with current trends and the needs of industry,” adds Sey. “These program changes fit with Alberta’s Water Strategy and the federal government’s emphasis on water and wastewater investments in the recent budget.”
WCM’s course offering includes aquatic bio-monitoring, water conservation and regulations, watersheds and water resources, waste and water management, groundwater monitoring techniques and aquatic habitat protection, among others.