The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

This eight hour online course introduces the reader to the principles and practices of conservation design. This course is intended for practicing engineers, contractors, developers, regulators, and all other personnel involved with site development.

Impacts of development

Development inevitably causes some degree of disturbance and compaction of the soil, the loss of vegetation density, impacts to natural habitats and the creation of impervious surfaces. All too often ordinance requirements result in a site layout that does not take into consideration the most valuable aspects of a site. Water quality, habitat, and critical ecological features can be lost if sites are fit to a development, rather than fitting a development to a site.

What is conservation design?

Conservation design is a site development strategy that takes into consideration the most valuable features of the natural landscape, while still allowing equivalent development density. Conservation design focuses on the grouping of building sites thereby allowing for the preservation of green corridors, valuable natural resources, and the avoidance of ecologically sensitive areas. Conservation design typically results in projects that are better for the environment, as well as providing additional economic and quality of life benefits. For these reasons conservation design is gaining popularity.

The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of forty (40) questions at the end of this course to obtain PDH credits.

State Board Acceptance

This course can be used by professional engineers to fulfill PDH requirements mandated by state and provincial licensing boards. Decatur Professional Development is an approved provider of continuing education in all states that pre-approve course providers. In all other states that mandate continuing education for engineers, it is the individual engineer's responsibility to determine the suitability of activities for PDH credit. The state boards typically accept online* courses that cover technical, managerial** or ethical content and which are relevant to the practice of engineering. The course must have a clear purpose or objective with a content that will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee's field of practice. For questions about your mandatory PDH requirements, visit the website of your state licensing board.

*Online courses are accepted by all state licensing boards that mandate continuing education. Other than New York (which limits online courses to 18 PDH) and Iowa (which limits online courses to 6 PDH), there are no limits placed by other states on the number of hours that can be earned through online continuing education. Consult with your state licensing board if you have any questions about the acceptability of online courses.

**The New York State Board of Engineers does not accept general office management courses, but will accept project management courses that are offered by an approved provider and that are technical in nature and contribute to the engineer's professional practice.

Please Note: Continuing Education credits for this course are awarded as PDH (Professional Development Hour Credits).