Species at Risk
Each NRTG course includes free, lifetime admission. Enrol once – come back anytime.
Description
Species at Risk is an applied, two-day, online with a student led field component course focusing on how to determine which species at risk are known to occur in a particular area, how to identify potential habitat opportunities, and how to assign a relative potential for that species to be present.
Program Outcomes
Upon successful completion, participants will be able to:
- Identify species at risk known to occur in a particular geographic region
- Locate species and habitat information
- Conduct a desktop evaluation of potential habitat opportunities for species at risk
- Conduct a site reconnaissance to document and assess habitat opportunities for Species at Risk
- Assign relative potential for a species at risk to be present based on habitat availability
- Identify and contrast industry best practices for mitigation
Prerequisites
Knowledge and experience with basic field skills such as map reading, compass, and GPS is recommended, along with some familiarity with vegetation/ plant community identification and wildlife signs.
Who attends?
Recent graduates looking for hands-on training, early-career ecologists, biologists, or technicians.
How do I attend?
This course is available for individual registration via our website schedule, or by contract to community groups or organizations as a private delivery. To schedule a private delivery, please contact us well in advance of your preferred start date.
What should I bring or supply?
You will need:
- Computer
- Stable internet access
- Pen and paper
Please note that on the afternoon of day 2 you will complete a student-led field exercise. Please plan to be outside up to 2 hours. Recommended equipment for these sessions includes:
- Appropriate clothing for field work
- Field guides to local plants and animals (optional but recommended)
- Printed copy of field notes (in the Assignment document) are optional
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Earth Pro (free download)
- Smart phone or printer
- Waterproof field notebook and pencil
- Suitable all-weather boots (waterproof)
- Compass (optional)
- GPS (optional)
Instructor Profile
Maggie Pugh, M.Sc
Ecologist
Maggie Pugh is an Ecologist with more than 18 years specializing in ecosystem assessment. She completed graduate research in Canada’s northern wetlands and has worked as an ecologist in the private sector for more that 15 years. She is a seasoned field biologist with expertise in Species at Risk screenings and permitting, flora and fauna inventories, seasonal wildlife surveys, significant wildlife habitat assessment, rare species monitoring programs, wetland and vegetation community assessments, sediment/ erosion control and environmental monitoring. Maggie is an Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) evaluator, Butternut Health Assessor, and is certified in Ecological Land Classification (ELC).
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Testimonials
“Our instructor Maggie Pugh did an excellent job of keeping the material engaging and easy to understand. They welcomed questions and created an inclusive environment where knowledge and ideas were disseminated and discussed freely.”
“The course was very informative and helpful, and the instructor was great at delivering the material!”
“I thought it was a great course, very informative and engaging and provided tools and skills that I can take into the workplace.”