ELC Training In Southern Ontario: 2012 - Conservation Ontario

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.