This component will involve a field tour of two wetlands that represent species compositions found in the boreal, parkland and lower foothills natural subregions. The goal of this day will to make each person feel comfortable in keying out and identifying some of the most difficult groups of vascular plant species in Alberta.

In the morning component the class will get a chance to work with over a dozen species of willows using vegetative and reproductive keys to identify each species. A discussion of the habitat of each species as well as the potential crosses between species will be included.

The second half of the day will be devoted to learning how to key Cyperaceae family. This wetland focused component will develop an in-depth understanding of the terminology and characteristics that make up the Cyperaceae family developing each students understanding of the unique terminology and characteristics within the Cyperaceae. Students will be exposed to between 15 and 20 species in this component including the Carex, Scirpus, and Eleocharis genera. A possible exploration of the Juncaceae family will also be included if time allows.

*For more information click here and registration form click here.

This component of our course will involve a one hour classroom segment reviewing the parts of plants and an introduction to keying forbs. The rest of the day will be spent outside identifying forbs in field conditions. This component will include species found in the prairie, parkland, foothills and montane natural subregions of Alberta as well as weeds found within these regions. The goal of this component is to give each student a practical working knowledge and skill set that allows them to comfortably identify and key out forbs in every region across Alberta. The skills we are teaching focus on how to competently identify plants regardless of your location as well as seeing many of the species found within the mentioned regions. Over 30 species will be covered in this component.

*For more information click here and registration click here.

This component of the course will involve a one hour classroom component reviewing the parts of plants and an introduction to keying grasses. The rest of the two days will be devoted to identifying grasses in field conditions.

Day 1 will cover the species of the dry mixed grass, mixed grass, foothills fescue, northern fescue and montane natural subregions. Over 30 species of grass will be covered in this component focusing on vegetative and reproductive keying. By the end of this day each student will have seen all the common species found within these natural subregions and should feel very comfortable keying out any species they do not already recognize within these natural subregions.

Day 2 will cover the boreal, lower foothills, upper foothills, and aspen parkland natural subregions. Over 30 species will be covered in this component focusing on both vegetative and reproductive keying. After completing both days students will have been exposed to the majority of the most common grasses found within Alberta. Discussions surrounding reclamation, protection of endangered species among other topics will occur with the instructors to give students a hands on understanding of the importance of each species and the potential uses of each species within reclamation, landscaping and maintaining the ecological integrity of Alberta's natural areas.

*For more information click here and registration form click here.

Tannas Conservation Services Ltd. is pleased to offer a 2024 Wetland Assessment Course.  This course focuses on the techniques and knowledge required  to assess wetlands under the recently released Alberta Wetland Policy and the Alberta Wetland Classification. The course also discusses other wetland assessment techniques including: Riparian Health Assessment and Stewart and Kantrud Classification. The course will include a 2 classroom as well as a 2 field component.

Day 1 – Alberta  Wetland Policy and the ABWRET-A

Webinar: Review of the Alberta Wetland Policy and assessment requirements including Alberta Wetland Classification System, a brief introduction to the AWRET-A Form, reporting requirements, challenges and things you need to know to successfully complete a wetland report.
 
Day 2 –Permanency Assessment and Delineation
Webinar: Focus on assessment of permanency, required reporting for permanency assessments and we will work through wetland delineation using imagery as per the requirements for wetland assessments.

Day 3 –Ecosystem  Function, Indicator Species, and Field Assessment Techniques
Classroom/Field: Review assessing ecosystem function and the tools available, as well as indicator species to help classify wetland according to the Alberta Wetland Classification System. The afternoon will start the field work discussed under Day 4.

Day 4 –Field Assessment:  Delineation, Soil, Vegetation, and ABWRET-A
Field: The final day of the course will focus on plant identification, soil classification, and putting into practice each assessment technique. Instructors will act as coaches to help everyone complete their own assessments.

*For more information Click here and registration form Click Here.