Introductory Amphibian Monitoring and Inventory Course

Introductory Amphibian Monitoring and Inventory Course

Amphibians possess behaviors and life history characteristics that can make it difficult to detect their presence and carry out effective surveys over broad spatial areas. Specialized skill and experience are generally required to identify species throughout their entire life cycle, and understand how they utilize different habitats over the seasons. Through a combination of classroom and outdoor sessions, participants of this course will improve their identification skills and ecological knowledge of Alberta’s amphibian species and gain greater understanding of field sampling strategies and techniques to determine their presence, relative abundance, and community composition.

Topics covered include:

• Identification and general ecology of Alberta’s amphibians
• Considerations for planning a field study
• Amphibian field sampling techniques
• Handling live amphibians
• Amphibian disease management, animal care protocols and permits
• Data management, storage and sharing

Who will benefit?

This introductory course is intended for environmental consultants, graduate students and biologists with little or no knowledge and experience working with amphibians in the field.

Date /Time:       October 7, 2015 from 8:30am to 5:00pm (lunch provided)

Location:         Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures, Edmonton (within Edmonton Research and Development Park); details will be supplied to paid registrants

Maximum         30

CCP:                This course qualifies ASPB members to earn 6.5 Professional Development Hours towards their Continuing Competency Requirement

Cost:                $85 for members, $100 for non-members plus GST

For inquiries about the Workshop, contact Joyce Evans at [email protected]

Presented by the following members of the Alberta Amphibian and Reptile Specialist Group:

Brian Eaton PhD, PBiol;  Team Lead – Ecosystem Management, Senior Research Scientist – Aquatic Ecology, Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures

Brian grew up running around in the woods in Nova Scotia, looking for frogs and salamanders (which he observed for short periods and then released unharmed), fish, snakes, and anything else that moved. This predilection resulted in (eventually) a Ph.D. in Environmental Biology and Ecology at the University of Alberta, based on research on the ecology of amphibians in boreal Alberta. He has over 25 years of experience in applied ecological research, including studies in forestry, wildlife and agricultural systems, examining pure and applied questions across a wide array of taxa. Brian has worked in a variety of experimental venues, from aquaria to large-scale mesocosms to purely field-based research, including wetlands to lakes, streams to rivers, and a variety of terrestrial habitats. In his spare time, Brian is a Venturer Leader, is Chair of the Friends of Elk Island Society (elkisland.ca), plays soccer, and is pursuing a Diploma in the Restoration of Natural Systems through the University of Victoria.

Kris Kendell BSc; Senior Biologist, Alberta Conservation Association

Kris has been a naturalist all his life and long before he became a professional biologist. Throughout his early childhood, Kris spent countless hours exploring local sloughs, wooded ravines, grassy fields, and woodlots within reach. It was in these places he marveled at the natural world and all it has to offer. Today, Kris feels fortunate to have made his passion and interest in wildlife, particularly amphibians and reptiles, his career. He has been dedicated to the conservation of herpetofauna for over 15 years as a biologist with Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) where he has worked collaboratively with educators, landholders, researchers and wildlife managers throughout Alberta and abroad. Kris completed a Bachelor of Environmental and Conservation Science degree at the University of Alberta. Much of his work has focused on citizen science, habitat stewardship, inventory and monitoring, translocation and outreach initiatives that relate to amphibians and reptiles. Kris is co-chair of the Northwest Chapter of the Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, chair of the Alberta Amphibian and Reptile Specialist Group, and coordinator of ACA’s Alberta Volunteer Amphibian Monitoring Program and Alberta Snake Hibernaculum Inventory.

Lea Randall MSc; Population Ecologist, Centre for Conservation & Research, Calgary Zoological Society

Lea was born in a small mining town and was raised in the wilds of the Yukon. She spent portions of her adolescent life living in cabins in the bush without running water or electricity and her parents had a dog team. A lack of television provided plenty of time for reading and opportunity for quiet reflection and observations of nature. The beauty of nature inspired Lea to complete a diploma in Fine Art from Grant MacEwan. A love of science and a desire to be able to afford food led Lea to return to university. She received her BSc in Biology from the University of Victoria and received her MSc in Ecology from the University of Calgary. Her master’s thesis focused on the impact of forest disturbance on little brown bats. She worked for the Yukon Department of Environment and for NatureServe as a wildlife and habitat technician. For the last four years, Lea has worked as a population ecologist and leads the Northern Leopard Frog program at the Calgary Zoo’s Centre for Conservation Research. Her primary research focuses on the population dynamics of Northern Leopard Frogs in southern Alberta, and reintroduction efforts for this species in BC. Recently, she has been working with various government agencies, NGOs, biologists and industry partners in AB, SK and MB to develop Guidelines for Mitigation Translocations of Amphibians in Canada’s Prairie Provinces. In her time off, she sometimes paints pictures of frogs.

Danna M Schock PhD, PBiol; Faculty, Keyano College, Fort McMurray, Alberta;

Amphibians have been a passion of Danna’s since she was a child. Her earliest formal writing on the subject was an essay in Grade 5 about how she wanted to become an amphibian and reptile specialist when she grew up. For her MSc in biology (U Regina), Danna intended to examine questions about the behavioural ecology of tiger salamanders. However, encountering die-offs of tiger salamanders during her first field season led to an abrupt, career-defining change in plans – Danna changed her thesis entirely to study the epidemiology of the poorly understood amphibian pathogens called ranaviruses. Danna’s PhD (Arizona State University) went on to examine the evolutionary ecology of ranaviruses in wild amphibian populations, a topic that remains at the forefront of her research program today. Since making her home in Fort McMurray in 2010, Danna has built a research program that includes amphibian population biology and health as an indicator of wetland health and as an indicator of the progress of wetland reclamation initiatives. Danna works hard to bring hands-on, practical skills into her classroom and frequently uses case studies and data sets from her own research during her science and statistics courses at Keyano College.

Notice

The ASPB is not responsible for the content of this presentation; the information and views expressed by the presenter(s) are their own.