Courses Fall 2009-Spring 2010
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Upcoming Classes Saturday, September 12: Leopold Center Annual Volunteer Day Saturday, October 10: Timber Stand Improvement Sunday, October 11: Game of Logging I Saturday, November 14: Plant Communities of Southwest Wisconsin Saturday, December 12: Fire Behavior Saturday, January 9: Ignitions Saturday, February 13: Game of Logging I ***CLASS FULL*** Sunday, February 14: Game of Logging II ***CLASS FULL*** Thursday-Friday, March 25-26: Introduction to Prescribed Burning Thursday-Friday, April 1-2: Introduction to Prescribed Burning Saturday, April 10: Wetland Management Saturday, May 8th: Birding the IBA If you wish to be put on a waiting list for classes that are full, email Alanna Koshollek at alanna@aldoleopold.org |
Timber Stand Improvement
Saturday, Oct. 10, 9am–5pm. Understanding management practices can help you to guide the future of your forest. This class will give forest landowners an opportunity to understand an important forest management practice, timber stand improvement (TSI). TSI can promote high-quality timber, hasten the development of old-growth characteristics, advance the growth of desirable seedlings and saplings, and reduce undesirable species. It is an effective tool that can help you implement your forest management goals or get started. The class will include classroom introduction to the principles of TSI, followed by a field experience where students can apply their newfound knowledge by selecting trees to keep or cut using TSI techniques. Take the Game of Logging I class the next day, too, and learn to safely fell the trees you marked! Register here.
Instructors: Paul Kloppenburg and Rick Livingston, WDNR Sauk County Foresters. Location: Baraboo. Cost: $55 ($45 members). Class Limit: 25.
Game of Logging
Level I: Sunday, Oct. 11 or Saturday, Feb. 13; Level II: Sunday, Feb. 14, 8:30am-5pm. Mastering the basics of chainsaw safety is essential for woodland owners who want to be more active on their land, from making firewood to timber stand improvement. The “Game of Logging” is a four-level series designed to increase safety and efficiency of chainsaw use. Hands-on training gives participants the opportunity to fell at least one tree with supervision. Register here.
Instructors: Ken Lallemont and Nathan Stanford, Timber Resources. Location: Leopold Center, Baraboo. Cost: $85 per class ($75 members). Class Limit: 15. Continuing Education credits for Level I: SAF: 6.5 (CF) Category 1, WDNR: 6.5 Credit Hours. Continuing Education credits for Level II: SAF: 4.5 (CF) Category 1 & 1.5 Category 2, WDNR: 6.0 Credit Hours. (Click here for info on continuing ed.)
Natural Communities of Southwest Wisconsin
Saturday, Nov. 14, 9am–12pm. Whether you property is a 10-acre lot or a large farm, if it lies in southwestern Wisconsin, you could have several natural communities on your property. The complex nature of the woods prairie and savanna on your land can change in a matter of a few hundred feet. Southwestern Wisconsin has more small-scale diversity than anywhere else in the state. This course will offer the landowner tools to know what is on a property to prepare for making management decisions.
Randy will provide a synopsis of the resources available to assist the landowner in identifying what’s on their property. Included in the resources are quick an easy keys to identifying the primary natural communities, how to access original land survey records, soils and topography data, air photo and satellite images, and techniques for attaining a better understanding of the property. Register here.
Copies of Randy’s book will be offered at a 25% discount to class participants.
Instructor: Randy Hoffman, ecologist with Wisconsin’s State Natural Areas program and author of the book “Wisconsin’s Natural Communities: How to Know Them and Where to Find Them.” Location: Leopold Center, Baraboo. Cost: $25 ($20 members). Class Limit: 25. Continuing Education credits: SAF: 2.5 (CF) Category 1, WDNR: 2.5 Credit Hours. (Click here for info on continuing ed.)
Fire Behavior
Saturday, Dec. 12, 9am-5pm. This course will discuss the effects of fuels, weather and topography on fire behavior. It will give students tools to determine what type of fire weather and fire behavior to look for so that they can meet their prescribed burn objectives. An introduction to the use of the BehavePlus program will also be included. At the end of the course, the students will be able to recognize desirable and undesirable fire weather and do simplified fire behavior predictions. Participants should have taken at least a one-day introductory workshop and participated in five prescribed burns. Register here.
Instructor: Ralph Sheffer, WDNR Fire Operations Specialist. Location: Leopold Center, Baraboo. Cost: $50 ($40 members). Class Limit: 20. Sponsored by Lumberjack RC&D. Continuing Education credits: SAF: 6.5 (CF) Category 1, WDNR: 6.5 Credit Hours. (Click here for info on continuing ed.).
Ignitions
Saturday, Jan. 9, 9am-5pm. Learn all about lighting fire! Find out how to make different types of ignition equipment and ignition patterns work for you. We will help you to understand your role as igniter within the burn crew and how to make decisions and anticipate problems on the fire line. There will be the opportunity to practice using various ignition tools. Participants should have taken at least a one-day introductory workshop and participated in five prescribed burns. Register here.
Instructor: Tom Zellmer, US Fish & Wildlife Service. Location: Leopold Center, Baraboo. Cost: $50 ($40 members). Class Limit: 20. Sponsored by Lumberjack RC&D. Continuing Education credits: SAF: 6.5 (CF) Category 1, WDNR: 6.5 Credit Hours. (Click here for info on continuing ed.).
Introduction to Prescribed Fire
Thursday-Friday, Mar. 25-26, 8:30am-5:30pm OR Thursday-Friday, Apr. 1-2, 8:30am-5:30pm.This two-day course will cover the ecology of fire, fire behavior principles, and the elements of fire management planning, all particularly focused on prairie and savanna ecosystems. Participants will operate basic fire management tools, view the layout and preparation of a fire unit, and, weather permitting, conduct several real burns. This course will not prepare students to serve as a burn boss or conduct burns on their own. Register here.
Instructors: Alanna Koshollek, Jeannine Richards, and Steve Swenson, Aldo Leopold Foundation. Location: Leopold Center, Baraboo. Cost: $100 ($90 members). Class Limit: 24. Continuing Education credits: SAF: 13.5 (CF) Category 1 & 1.5 Categoy 2, WDNR: 15.0 Credit Hours. (Click here for info on continuing ed.).
Wetland Management
Saturday, April 10, 9am–5pm. Do you have questions about how to manage you wetland to meet your objectives? Are you wondering “Which herbicide is safe for me to use in aquatic environments?” “What is the appropriate time to conduct a prescribed burn to minimize damage to nesting birds (ducks, cranes...)?” “What frog and bird species can I expect to find?” or “What potential is there for restoration of a degraded wetland.” This class will be a general overview of wetland management for southwest Wisconsin and provide an opportunity to talk with resource professionals about specific interests. Register here.
Instructor: Jeff Nania, Wisconsin Waterfowl Association. Location: Leopold Center, Baraboo. Cost: $50 ($40 members). Class Limit: 25. Continuing Education credits: SAF: 6.5 (CF) Category 1, WDNR: 6.5 Credit Hours. (Click here for info on continuing ed.)
Birding the Important Bird Area
Saturday, May 8, 7:30am–3:30pm. Come experience the ornithological diversity of the Leopold–Pine Island Important Bird Area! Learn to identify birds by sound, and develop your understanding of bird/habitat relationships. We’ll start with a short outdoor listening session early in the morning, then head to the classroom to learn bird identification by sight and sound, connect birds to specific habitat types, and discuss conservation and management for the habitats and/or the birds. After lunch, we’ll take a hike through the IBA to practice your new skills. Register here.
Instructors: Mike Mossman, Wisconsin DNR; Yoyi Steele, Wisconsin Important Bird Area Coordinator. Location: Leopold Center, Baraboo. Cost: $50 ($40 members). Class Limit: 20. Continuing Education credits: SAF: 5 (CF) Category 1 & 2 Category 2, WDNR: 7.0 Credit Hours. (Click here for info on continuing ed.)
Click here to see the courses we have offered in the past.