ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announcements
NEW! Graduate and Professional Courses:
Conservation Conflict Resolution
May 13-22, 2010
Smithsonian-Mason Global Conservation Studies Programs Held at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology
zootraining@si.edu for more information.
Conservation Conflict Resolution, an intensive 10-day experiential training course, is a must for anyone
addressing conservation conflicts, whether these are conflicts between people and wildlife or between
people about wildlife or other natural resources. To reach our conservation goals more effectively, we need
to better analyze conflict dynamics, anticipate and address arising conflicts, and reconcile old conflicts
which impede new progress. This graduate/ professional course, offered by the Smithsonian-Mason
Global Conservation Studies Programs, is hosted at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in
Front Royal, Virginia. Employing principles developed by HWCC—the Human Wildlife Conflict
Collaboration—a leading organization in conflict resolution training, this courses teaches
participants strategies and processes for effectively addressing conservation related conflict, including: the
role of neutrality in conflict prevention and reconciliation; effective conflict resolving communication
techniques; and how to apply conflict analysis and process models to develop real-life conflict resolution
plans. A collaborative learning approach combined with peer-to-peer consulting among participants and
instructors are course hallmarks that provide rich classroom experiences and a unique post-course
professional network. Course fee: $2,500 (includes meals/ accommodations). Earn Continuing Education
Units; graduate credits available for qualified applicants at additional cost through George Mason
Species Monitoring and Conservation:
AMPHIBIANS
May 16-28, 2010
Smithsonian-Mason Global Conservation Studies Programs Held at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology
zootraining@si.edu for more information.
Species Monitoring and Conservation: AMPHIBIANS, an intensive 13-day training course, engages
participants in developing skills, approaches and solutions applicable to the worldwide extinction crisis
affecting amphibians. This graduate/ professional course is offered by the Smithsonian-Mason
Global Conservation Studies Programs, is hosted at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in
Front Royal, Virginia. Participants explore the many tools and techniques for in-situ and ex-situ amphibian
research and conservation practice. Curriculum includes amphibian biology and ecology,
habitat monitoring and management, species monitoring plans, field techniques and collection methods, lab
techniques (including toxicology, pathology, specimen preparation and genetics), captive breeding and
husbandry, and community outreach and education. Course fee: $2,750 (includes
meals/accommodations). Earn Continuing Education Units; graduate credits available for qualified
contact zootraining@si.edu for more information.
Spatial Ecology, Geospatial Analysis, and Remote
Sensing for Conservation
July 19-30, 2010
Smithsonian-Mason Global Conservation Studies Programs Held at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology
contact zootraining@si.edu for additional information.
Our world is changing rapidly. Yet environmental changes happen over areas so large and time spans so
long they often escape human perception, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. Geospatial
analysis techniques have radically transformed our ability to detect, monitor, map, and model these
changes. Advances in spatial ecology allow us to analyze these data to develop both ecological theory and
conservation applications.
In this 10-day hands-on intensive course, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) researchers
teach how to use geospatial technologies to monitor biological systems and quantify effects of human-
induced global changes on wildlife and biodiversity conservation. Assigned their own SCBI lab computers,
participants employ ArcMap, Spatial Analyst, ERDAS Imagine and other programs in exercises ranging
from basic geospatial analyses, remote sensing analysis, and land cover change assessments, to applications
of advanced analysis techniques to real-world conservation/ecology problems using case examples from
SCBI research.
$2,500 course fee includes instruction/lab use/course materials plus ground transportation to/from
Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) and daily between Front Royal/ SCBI/restaurants/motels
(contact us for motel discount information). Course participants earn Continuing Education Units; graduate
credits are available for qualified applicants at additional cost through George Mason University. For more
