Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Wetland Plant Identification Course 2010

Classroom study: July 12 & 13
Field study: July 19 & 20

Beacon Environmental is pleased to be offering a Wetland Plant Identification Course.
With the use of the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) and the Ecological Land Classification (ELC) for Southern Ontario as key land use and natural heritage planning tools, this course has been specifically designed to enhance field skills for the application of OWES, ELC, and related plant surveys. This course will be useful for terrestrial and aquatic ecologists, biologists, planners, geographers, and foresters required to apply OWES and/or ELC (in wetlands), and will also be useful for those with novice and intermediate to upper level skills
in botany who wish to strengthen their wetland plant identification skills.

The course will consist of two days in the classroom and two days in the field. The classroom portion will be in a formal lab with the use of dissecting microscopes, herbarium specimens, and a range of reference materials. The field study portion will consist of visits to marsh, swamp, fen, and poor fen or bog wetland communities for plant collection followed by identification in a wet lab. A minimum of two seasoned field botanists with expertise in wetland flora will be available for instruction and to assist participants throughout the course.

The course objectives are to:
1. Provide the skills to identify a target of 100 wetland plant species in marsh, shallow aquatic, swamp, fen, and poor fen or bog wetland communities through classroom and field study.
2. Increase proficiency at using plant taxonomy identification keys and interpreting terminology to enhance botany skills as they apply to wetland plants.
3. Provide key references in the applied use of botany field skills in Ontario for natural heritage and environmental planning (for ELC and wetland evaluations).

For details contact Judy Hardie, Beacon Environmental,
905-201-0639, jhardie@beaconenviro.com. For additional inquiries regarding the course or
payment details please contact Dirk Janas at 705-645-1050, or Judy Hardie at 905-201-7622
x221, or check www.beaconenviro.com