ELC Training In Southern Ontario: 2012 - Conservation Ontario

Program Outline *
Day 1
Introductions, course objectives and outline
Background to the Ecological Land Classification
for southern Ontario
Introduction to site and substrates, observe
catena in field
Day 2
Distinguishing substrate materials, substrate
description and sampling
Describing substrates in the field: substrate
pits and augers
Air photo interpretation
Day 3
Introduction to plant community description,
sampling and classification
Using the ELC tools: keys, community tables,
data cards
Using related tools: forestry techniques,
prisms, field cruising, tally records
Day 4
Polygon sampling, description, and classifi-
Putting it all together in the field: polygon
location, sampling, site and substrate description
and vegetation sampling, in field
Day 5
Independent interpretation and sampling of
2 polygons
prepare and write up summaries for polygons
Group presentations of results, and testing
Review and wrap-up
*Note: the entire 5 day agenda for the ELC course can be
downloaded from: .
http://www.kawarthaconservation.com\elc
Contact
To register for the ELC course, please contact Harold Lee
(OMNR): harold.lee@ontario.ca
659 Exeter Road, London, Ontario, N6E 1L3
519-873-4629 (Phone), 519-873-4645 (Fax)
http://www.conservationontario.ca/events_workshops/ELC_portal/index.html
Course
2012 Course Schedule
1. June 11 - 15 @ Kawartha Conservation, Lindsay, ON
2. June 25 - 29 @ Kawartha Conservation, Lindsay, ON
3. July 16 - 20 @ Ferguson Forest Centre, Kemptville, ON
4. September 10 - 14 @ Bird Studies Canada, Turkey Point, ON
Arrangements
Accommodations:
Students will have to make their own arrangements for accommodations.
There is a list of hotels and motels available on the web
site
Meals:
Students will be provided lunches each day, which may include
“bag” lunches. Students are responsible for their own Breakfasts
and Dinners, except during night sessions. Students with special
dietary needs should contact us, and we will accommodate as
much as we can.
Transportation:
Please car-pool as much as possible. We will be looking for people
to volunteer to help drive, and keep number of vehicles down at
field sites.
Fees
Each student will be charged $650, to cover lunches, equipment,
and other costs to run the course.
Gear
The ELC course is primarily an outdoor field course, designed to
give students field skills. Students are responsible for bringing all
their own “gear”, which include the following:
rain jacket and pants, warm outdoor gear (e.g. hat), water bottle,
boots (also rubber boots), bug spray, backpack, map / data card
bag (zip lock), field guides (e.g. plant ID guides), camera, binoculars.
Note
Please Note:
All sampling equipment used during the course, will be supplied by
MNR. Both the ELC Field Guide (First Approx) + ELC Training
Manual are now out of print.
Go to web site to get digital copies of ELC manuals. Use this web
site for information on ELC Training Courses , the agenda, contacts,
and other resources, like species lists, and ELC tables.
OMNR - Southern Science and Information Section presents
ECOLOGICAL LAND CLASSIFICATION PROGRAM FOR ONTARIO
ELC Training in southern Ontario: 2012
1. June 11 to 15
2. June 25 to 29
3. July 16 to 20
4. September 10 to 14
http://www.conservationontario.ca/events_workshops/ELC_portal/index.html
Prepared and delivered by:
OMNR + OMAFRA
Version: March 29,, 2010

OMNR sponsored
ELC Training courses *
There is a need for consistent and standardized natural heritage
information and mapping among the many planning authorities
and their partner organizations, across southern Ontario.
To address issues concerning wetlands, species at risk,
and resource management and planning, field data is often
collected. Broad scale modeling, mapping, and interpretation
initiatives also require field samples to verify and confirm ecosystem
types, boundaries, and descriptions. Ultimately, this
field sampling provides the information needed to make planning
and management decisions. Our goal is to deliver the
training requested by resource professionals, to describe,
identify, name and map ecological communities, according to
ELC.
The Ecological Land Classification Training Course has been
delivered across southern Ontario for 13 years now. It has
come to be respected amongst resource managers and planners,
and is required by many agencies as a jobs prerequisite.
The ELC Training Course is an intensive, 5-day field course
designed to provide hands-on experience in applying basic
field skills, along with the specialized techniques required by
the ELC system.
The Ministry of Natural Resources collaborates with Agriculture
Canada, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural
Affairs to present this course. Students find the wide range of
expertise and talents amongst the teachers to be engaging,
relevant, and able to address most of their questions.
Each student receives a certificate, provided they have met
the attendance, skill level, and evaluation requirements.
*Note: the “OMNR sponsored ELC Training Courses “ are the only
accepted standard for ELC training in Ontario.
Field Skills
The ELC Training Course provides the students
with the necessary basic field skills to
describe, classify and map ecosystems.
Most of the course (5 days) is taken up
learning how to read landscapes, and to
describe sites, substrates and vegetation.
These basic skills are then applied to implement
the ELC data collection protocols and
interpret their field data to classify and name
Vegetation Types and Substrate Types.
The majority of the course emphasizes basic field skills, that
remain relatively consistent from year to year. Skills learned
at older ELC courses remain relevant today, and will remain
relevant in the future. Advances and changes in the ELC
classification system and products will be integrated into the
curriculum when appropriate and timely. Implementation of
“new” ELC products and training begins spring of 2010. All
basic field skills and techniques taught in 2009 will remain
relevant in 2010.
The OMNR sponsors training courses to facilitate the application
of ELC in the field and interpretation of data. The
goal of the training course is to provide a practical opportunity
for participants to acquire skills in the application and
interpretation of ELC in southern Ontario. Skills instruction
will include:
• surficial geology interpretation
• substrate sampling, description and classification
• delineation of vegetation communities and mapping
• vegetation inventory and forest cruising techniques
and
• data interpretation and application
Instructors
The ELC course will be led by an experienced complement of professionals
from Ontario Ministries of Natural Resources, Agriculture, Food and
Rural Affairs, Agriculture Canada, Conservation Authorities, and consultants.
This diverse and qualified group contribute their expertise in pedology,
ecology, botany, forestry, mapping, land use planning, and teaching
to make the training materials comprehensive and robust.
Harold Lee, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Plant Ecology)
Harold is with the Information Management & Spatial Analysis Unit, with
OMNR, and has been the lead ecologist on the Southern Ontario Ecological
Land Classification program since 1992. Harold is the principal
developer and author of southern ELC products and provides, with his
plant ecology and soils background, the direct link to the ELC program at
the training courses.
Eric Wilson, B.Sc. (Pedologist)
Eric is now a consulting Pedologist, who spent more than 30 years with
OMFRA as a soil specialist. Eric has long been involved with many of the
regional soil surveys, and was instrumental in pulling together soils information
across Ontario, with Soils Ontario. Eric has helped teach soils at
the ELC courses for more than 10 years now.
David Kroetsch, M.Sc., P.Ag. (Pedologist)
David is a pedologist and soil specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada specializing in soil survey upgrades and research on soil resurvey
techniques using digital information and the spatial and temporal
change in soil and landscape attribute information in Ontario. Dave has
helped teach soils at the ELC courses for more than 10 years.
Shaun Thompson, B.Sc. (Biology)
Shaun has been the District Ecologist with the Kemptville District OMNR
for 18 years, with experience in Fish and Wildlife management for an
additional 11 years. Much of his work focuses on wetland evaluation and
wetland ecology, species at risk and natural heritage areas and systems.
Shaun has recently been working with others using ELC based data in
developing predictive habitat models for species at risk.
Albert Garofalo (Consulting Ecologist)
Albert is an ecologist, with over ten years of experience working for various
conservation authorities, and OMNR. Albert has extensive experience
applying the ELC to natural areas inventories, along with wetland
evaluations.
Adam Hogg (OMNR: Remote Sensing Specialist)
Adam is a Remote Sensing Specialist with the Inventory, Monitoring and
Assessment Section, with OMNR. With over 10 years of leading remote
sensing projects and developing methods for ecological mapping, Adam
has contributed to some key resource inventory tools across the province,
including Southern Ontario Land Resource Information System (SOLRIS),
Far North Land Cover and Disturbance mapping and has coordinated
ELC themed remote sensing / field based courses.
Joel Mostoway (OMNR: Remote Sensing Specialist)
Joel is a Remote Sensing Analyst with the Inventory, Monitoring and
Assessment Section with OMNR. Joel has over 10 years experience
contributing to the development of many land cover products. These
include: Southern Ontario Land Resources Information System (SOLRIS),
Far North Land Cover and the International Land Cover Mapping for
Northern Border Security. In the past year, Joel has participated in the
ELC course by leading the geomatics component.
Brenda Van Ryswyk (Natural Heritage Ecologist, Conservation Halton)
Brenda is an Ecologist with Conservation Halton, applying ELC and Air
Photo Interpretation skills over the past 6 years to develop their Natural
Areas Inventory. Brenda specializes in ELC application, plant inventories,
salamander monitoring, and odonata and butterfly inventories. Brenda is
an active member of the ELC Technical Committee in southern Ontario,
overseeing the development and implementation of the new ELC.
Linda Touzin, RPF (OMNR: District Forester)
Linda Touzin has been a Forester with OMNR, Kemptville District, for
over 20 years. Linda has helped with the field portion of the ELC Course
since 2010 where she shares her knowledge of forest mensuration and
forest management in southern Ontario.