ACE (Advanced sCience Electives) Program

The ACE program provides advanced science courses to high school, college, and continuing education students in Wallowa County. Students can receive both high school and college credit for completing these semester long courses. Wallowa Resources works in partnership with the Wallowa County Education Service District, Wallowa County Public School Districts, and Blue Mountain Community College to enhance the curriculum offered at the three district high schools. Each course is offered through Blue Mountain Community College and taught by Wallowa Resources’ staff, including Nils Christoffersen and Penny Arentsen. Whenever possible, classes are held outside of the traditional classroom, visiting the natural classroom of outdoor Wallowa County.

For upcoming courses and schedules, visit our Calendar of Events.

ACE Course Overviews:

Natural History of Wallowa County B161
Course Overview: The Natural History of Wallowa County is an introductory level course to the study of living things, natural processes and human history. The course will focus on the geology, biology, ecology, and paleontology of Wallowa County for context, while also drawing on examples, illustrations and stories from other parts of the world. The course will require students to develop some knowledge of specific fields of natural sciences, and to develop their own observational, recording and thinking skills with respect to the natural world and their place in it. Ultimately, the course seeks to provide a real-world learning experience, which provides ideas and ways of approaching learning that may be life-long and are transferable from place to place. There are no pre-requisites.

Introduction to Geology 101 (Physical Geology)
Course Overview: This course is an introduction to the physics and chemistry of Earth, including plate tectonics, seismology, magnetism, rock and mineral formation and identification, structural geology, and volcanology. Whenever possible, the course will take field trips to specific sites in Wallowa County. Two all-day field trips are required, one to Wallowa Lake to study glaciers and up the tram to Mount Howard to study formations in the Wallowas, and another to the Imnaha region to study Columbia River Basalts. This course includes labs.

Introduction to Geology 103 (Historical Geology)
Course Overview: This course is an introduction to Earth history, the origin and evolution of life, plate tectonics, paleogeography, paleoclimatology, and methods used by geologists to interpret the past. Whenever possible, the course will take field trips to specific sites in Wallowa County. A weekend field trip to the John Day Fossil Beds in central Oregon is required. This course includes labs.

Global Ecology and Conservation Biology B124:
Course Overview: This course is designed for non-science majors who are interested in learning more about the natural processes that govern our world. There is no course pre-requisite for this class. The purpose of this course is to 1) give you a basic understanding of ecological processes; 2) introduce you to the work of ecologists; 3) allow you to think critically about current ecological issues.