SWRS offers several advanced training courses and also workshops for “advanced” amateurs.  See the course descriptions below, and please contact the websites provided for further information.

 

 

 

 

BCI presents a comprehensive curriculum for an introductory field workshop designed to train serious students of bat conservation in the current research and management techniques for the study of bats.  Following an intensive 6-day, 5-night agenda, BCI biologists and professional colleagues will bring workshop participants a combination of lectures and discussions, field trips to view bat habitat resources, and hands-on training to catch and identify bats.

 

Participants gain experience with various capture techniques including mist-netting and harp-trapping.  They also use night-vision scopes, bat detectors, AnaBat recording equipment, radio-tracking devices, and light-tagging materials to investigate bats.

 

For further information: www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=30

 

  The Ant Course

 Designed for systematists, ecologists, behaviorists, conservation biologists, and other biologists whose research responsibilities require a greater understanding of ant taxonomy.  Emphasis is on the classification and identification of more than 50 ant genera of North America.  Lectures include background information on the ecology, life histories, and evolution of ants.  Field trips teach collecting and sampling techniques; associated lab work provides instruction on specimen preparation, sorting, and labeling.  Information on equipment/supply vendors, literature, and myrmecological contacts is also presented.

  

For further information: research.calacademy.org/ent/courses/ant

 

Designed primarily for botanists, conservation biologists, pollination ecologists, and other biologists whose research, training, or teaching responsibilities require a greater understanding of bee taxonomy.  Emphasizes classification and identification of more than 50 bee genera of North and Central America (both temperate and tropical), and the general information provided is applicable to the global bee fauna.  Lectures include background information on the biologies of bees, their floral relationships, their importance in maintaining and/or improving floral diversity, and the significance of oligolecty (i.e., taxonomic floral specialization).  Field trips acquaint participants with collecting and sampling techniques; associated lab work provides instruction on specimen identification, preparation and labeling.  Information on equipment/supply vendors, literature, and people resources is also presented.

 

For further information:  http://research.amnh.org/invertzoo/beecourse/