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Upcoming Events
Conservation Science - October 9, 16, & 23
Conservation Science Brochure -
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The presentations in this three workshop series were initially designed by the preeminent conservation biologist, Reed Noss (University of Central Florida) and the founder of the Florida Master Naturalist Program, Marty Main (University of Florida). The three one-day workshops build upon each other in a progressive and hierarchical manner to provide students with an increasing level of understanding of the principles and practice of conservation science.
The workshops will be presented in the following order:
Workshop I: Biological Diversity
Workshop II: Ecosystem Integrity
Workshop III: Conservation Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystems
Each student will be given a workbook with printed copies of all power point presentations with narratives, supplemental reference materials and reprints of all required readings. Also included is a detailed bibliography and links to key websites.
Each workshop will include a field trip/activity (half-day) where concepts introduced during the workshop are reinforced. We will make the three field/activities trips a comprehensive treatment of the three workshops.
The agenda will schedule about 3.5 hours for presentations and classroom discussion, with the emphasis on discussion – since the students will have read a good bit on each of the topics before attending class.
While the subject matter is not Florida-specific, with some examples in the presentations from a range of geographic areas, including outside of North America, we will focus on examples are Florida species and environments. I will focus on examples of Florida species and environments with specific attention to the conservation issues within the Tampa Bay Watershed. The presentations will be used to promote discussion on locally relevant information and personal experience.
Class Schedule – Workshop 1 - October 9, 2010
October 9, 2010
Location:
Hillsborough County Extension Office (morning)
University of South Florida, Eco-Area (afternoon)
Field site description:
756 acre natural area at southern end of a 55-mile
natural corridor along the Hillsborough River; 11 natural and 1 pioneering
plant communities surrounded by urbanization on 3 sides; 378 of 404 (94%)
of plant taxa in the Eco-Area are native to Florida with 12 endemic plants;
9 threatened and endangered plants; 10 exotic-invasive plants; and examples
of xeric, mesic, and hydric plant communities.
8 a.m. Introductions
8:30 a.m. Discussion of course goals and objectives for Workshop 1
9 a.m. Presentation: Biological Diversity (part 1)
9:45 a.m. Break
10 a.m. Presentation: Biological Diversity (part 2)
10:45 a.m. Break
11 a.m. Discussion
12 noon Lunch
12:30 p.m. Travel to University of South Florida Eco-Area
1 p.m. Field Class at USF Eco-Area
4 p.m. Travel back to Hillsborough County Extension Office
4:30 p.m. Discussion and Closeout of First Workshop
5 p.m. Workshop Concludes (on time)
Class Schedule – Workshop 2 - Oct 16, 2010
Location:
Hillsborough County Extension Office (morning)
Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve (afternoon)
The SWFWMD Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve consists of approximately 140,000
acres located in Pasco, Polk, Sumter, and Lake Counties. Restoration of fire
regimes, ground water and surface water hydrology and native plant communities
has been ongoing since its purchase.
8 a.m. Review and Discussion of Workshop 1
8:30 a.m. Discussion of course goals and objectives for Workshop 2
9 a.m. Presentation: Ecosystem Integrity (part 1)
9:45 a.m. Break
10 a.m. Presentation: Ecosystem Integrity (part 2)
10:45 a.m. Break
11 a.m. Discussion
12 noon Lunch
12:30 p.m. Travel to Green Swamp, Southwest Florida Water Management District
1 p.m. Field Class at Green swamp
4 p.m. Travel back to Hillsborough County Extension Office
4:30 p.m. Discussion and Closeout of Second Workshop
5 p.m. Workshop Concludes (on time)
Class Schedule – Workshop 3 - October 23, 2010
Location:
Hillsborough County Extension Office (morning)
Environmental Lands Acquisition Program Office-site to be announced (afternoon)
8 a.m. Review and Discussion of Workshop 2
8:30 a.m. Discussion of course goals and objectives for Workshop 3
9 a.m. Presentation: Conservation Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystems (part 1)
9:45 a.m. Break
10 a.m. Presentation: Conservation Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystems (part 2)
10:45 a.m. Break
11 a.m. Discussion
12 noon Lunch
12:30 p.m. Travel to Environmental Lands Acquisition Program Office
1 p.m. Field Class at ELAP
3:30 p.m. Travel back to Hillsborough County Extension Office
4 p.m. Discussion and Closeout of the Conservation Science Course
5 p.m. Workshop Concludes (on time)
Florida Master Naturalist Program General Course Information:
1. Participant must be 18 years of age or older.
2. FMNP does not provide university credit toward a degree-seeking program.
3. Registration must be submitted online.
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/fmnp/S10-03.htm - link to
register is at the bottom of the page.
Specific Information for Conservation Science
1. Registration Fees: $150 for Conservation Science, includes a detailed course manual and, upon successful completion, a FMNP Special Topics certificate denoting the Topic and entry into the online graduate database of FMNP Special Topics.
2. Attendance Policy: A student cannot miss any classes or field trips during the course. If any material is missed, a student will receive an incomplete and not graduate from the Conservation Science course within the Florida Master Naturalist Program
Payment:
1. Credit card (VISA, MasterCard, AMEX & Discover), Check and PO/Invoice are accepted.
2. To pay by check or money order, information is included on the registration form (step #3) and your registration confirmation. It is also listed here for your convenience.
Make check payable to: UFLEF, Inc.
Mail check payment to:
University of Florida/IFAS
Office of Conferences & Institutes (OCI)
PO Box 110750
Gainesville, FL 32611-0750 USA
UFLEF Fed. ID: 59-3104978
3. Payment must be received at least two weeks prior to the course start date, unless previous arrangement has been made with the FMNP Conference Coordinator.
• Cancellation Policy:
Requests for registration refunds will be honored for medical and family reasons only. A written notification of cancellation must be received by the Office of Conferences & Institutes 10 working days prior to the course start date. A $50 processing fee will be deducted from all refunds.
• Special Needs:
In compliance with ADA requirements, participants with special needs that can be accommodated reasonably should contact the instructor at least 10 working days prior to the course.
Registration Questions
Shelby Sowder, Assistant Conference Coordinator
Office of Conferences and Institutes (OCI)
University of Florida Leadership and Education Foundation, Inc. (UFLEF)
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS)
PO Box 110750, Building 639 Mowry Road
Gainesville, FL 32611-0750
PHONE: 352-392-5930
FAX: 352-392-9734
EMAIL: msowder@ufl.edu
Website: www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu
Biological Diversity
Goal for Workshop:
To increase understanding of the role that biodiversity plays in conservation science.
Major Learning Objectives:
1. Describe biological diversity (biodiversity), including species diversity (richness), genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
2. Understand the scale dependence of biodiversity and its measurement (including alpha, beta, and gamma diversity).
3. Describe some major empirical generalizations related to biodiversity, including the species-area effect, the latitudinal gradient in species richness, the relationship between habitat diversity (heterogeneity) and species richness, and the diversity-stability relationship.
4. Understand that higher biodiversity, per se, is not necessarily better from a conservation perspective.
5. Describe the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity.
6. Explain the differences between within-population and among-population genetic diversity.
7. General knowledge of past mass extinctions and the current extinction crisis.
8. Explain some utilitarian and non-utilitarian reasons for conserving biodiversity.
Ecosystem Integrity
Goal for Workshop:
To increase understanding of the factors that sustain or threaten ecosystem integrity.
Major Learning Objectives:
1. Understand different types of ecosystem services and provide examples of ultimate and proximate threats to biodiversity and ecosystem integrity.
2. Understand ecosystem resilience, ecosystem collapse and alternative stable states.
3. Understand the general history of ecosystem decline and degradation in North America.
4. Understand why both common and rare species can be important in ecosystem function.
5. Understand that ecological processes are essential for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem integrity.
6. Understand habitat loss and fragmentation and their impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem integrity.
7. Explain the effects of altering natural disturbance regimes and the differences between historic and anthropogenic disturbance regimes on ecosystem integrity.
8. Understand how human activities can impact integrity of terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems.
9. Understand the specific threats exotic and invasive species pose to ecosystem integrity.
10. Understand threats posed by global climate change.
Conservation Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystems
Goal for Workshop:
To increase understanding of strategies and approaches used to conserve biodiversity and maintain ecosystem integrity.
Major Learning Objectives:
1. Have a working knowledge of the history of conservation responses to threats to biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, especially in North America.
2. Identify and describe strategies of modern conservation planning, including principles and methods for the selection and design of conservation areas.
3. Understand approaches used to mitigate impacts of habitat fragmentation and the impacts of roads (e.g., barrier fencing and wildlife crossings).
4. Understand the logic and concepts of using cost-benefit analysis in conservation planning.
5. Articulate the advantages of ecosystem-level conservation and management, as opposed to purely species-level management.
6. Understand that ecological restoration and mitigation are essential components of conservation today.
7. Understand the importance of local land-use planning to accomplish broader goals.
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