Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation
Graduate/Professional Training Courses
FALL 2012/SPRING 2013
Front Royal, VA
For more information, visit http://conservationtraining.si.edu or
e-mail [email protected]
Individual courses offer graduate credit or continuing education
units. Visit our website for more details about each course, course
costs, and credits earned.
Applied Climate Change
October 15-26, 2012
This course provides an overview of the knowledge, tools and
resources needed to become more effective leaders and managers in
adapting to climate change. Participants will develop practical
skills through lectures, case studies, field assignments, study
tours, and computer-based analyses. A field study tour of the
Virginia Region provides an opportunity for viewing real-life climate
change adaptation measures for water, biodiversity and the
agricultural, tourism and wine industries.
Spatial Ecology, Geospatial Analysis & Remote Sensing
October 29-November 9, 2012
Learn to use GIS tools to address conservation research problems,
quantifying effects of human-induced global changes on wildlife and
biodiversity. Hands-on lab exercises (e.g. land cover mapping; home
range analysis; modeling habitat selection; mapping species
distributions) use remote sensing data and SCBI field surveys to
monitor global changes, assess impacts on wildlife, and develop
mitigating strategies.
Effective Conservation Leadership
November 4-10, 2012
This course provides an unparalleled professional development
experience. Conservation practitioners, as well as students at the
outset of their careers, become more effective leaders and managers
through case studies and hands-on exploration of the leadership
skills practiced in many professional fields. This course will apply
effective leadership and communication skills and techniques to
environmental and conservation issues.
Designing and Implementing a Biodiversity Action Plan for
Conservation and Development
December 3-7, 2012
Learn strategies for developing and implementing a biodiversity
action plan, particularly as they relate to companies involved in
natural resource extraction or industrial development; international
examples applied at the national and site specific levels to manage
and conserve habitats and species will be a focus. Learn how BAPs
relate to other development projects, such as the Environmental and
Social Impact Assessments, how they improve biological knowledge and
information, and the role of education and conservation programs.
Statistics for Ecology and Conservation Biology
March 3-14, 2013
Gain in-depth knowledge of analysis techniques for cutting-edge
ecological research, employing R: classical regression models; mixed
models; generalized linear models; generalized additive models; how
to deal with the limitations of real datasets; and
conservation-specific approaches.
Estimating Animal Abundance and Occupancy
April 1-12, 2013
The course is designed to provide a strong theoretical and analytical
background to both graduate students and professionals in distance
sampling, mark-recapture, and occupancy modeling techniques, with a
strong focus on the practical use of field data in the programs
DISTANCE, MARK and PRESENCE.
Species Monitoring & Conservation: Terrestrial Mammals
April 29-May 10, 2013
This course teaches current techniques in assessment and monitoring
of wild mammal populations, including bats. Participants learn
principles of study design; current field assessment methods; data
analysis techniques including MARK and DISTANCE software; application
of monitoring data to decision-making and population management; and
collection and preparation of museum voucher specimens.
