2008 Spring Meeting Workshops
Mapping Aquatic Habitat using Side-Scan Sonar presented by Adam Kaeser, Ph.D.; Georgia Department of Natural Resources 8am to 12:00pm
Adam Kaeser is a fishery biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Management Section. His main duty is providing GIS-based habitat maps for rivers and streams. In that role he has developed a technique that utilizes ArcGIS, Microsoft PowerPoint, and ERDAS Imagine software that effectively merges images obtained during field sonar survey collected using a Humminbird© side imaging system. His workshop will cover this inexpensive approach, as well as explain new approaches of habitat mapping.
Freshwater Snail Indentification 101 presented by Dr. Ralph Taylor 8am to 12:00pm
The first hour will be spent on an introduction to freshwater snail, biology. Feeding, reproduction, general characteristics, area and national distributions and basic ecology will be discussed. We will also discuss species of concern for their continued existance and some current challenges that this group faces. The second hour will be spent discussing available keys (or lack thereof) and other relevant literature. Images of many common aquatic snails will be shown. In the third hour we will get out the scopes and look at a variety of specimens. In the last hour, we will continue with the specimens and finish up with a group Q&A session along with closing comments.
EUREKA Multimeter 101. 9am to 12:30pm in Schrader Environmental Center.
Registration fee $10 (free to students, but must pre-register)
EUREKA ENVIRONMENTAL (http://www.eurekaenvironmental.com/) will present a hands-on workshop on the use, maintenance and troubleshooting of multimeter water quality monitoring equipment. As field biologists and students, this will be a valuable workshop to learn the 'ins-and-outs' of these multimeter water quality monitoring units and introduced to the new technology including remote data acquisition and data manipulation approaches. This will not be just a sales pitch rather it will be a hands-on introduction to the use and maintenance of these meters plus lessons learned on deployment techniques, etc. You will come out of this workshop with a good foundation on the use of these multimeters. The workshop will focus on the EUREKA brand as outlined on their website.
Public Relationships and the Fishery Biologist presentd by Frances Allen, MA LSW; Counseling and Wellness Mediation Services 8am to 5pm
Fran Allen is the founder of Counseling and Wellness Mediation Services in Parkersburg, West Virginia. She has been employed within both state and federal governmental agencies as a counselor and mediator. In her current position, she works extensively with state and federal governmental agencies in developing programs concerned with dealing with the both the public and agency staff. Her workshop will cover the mechanics of developing and implementing an approach to effectively interacting with staff, clients, and incompatible issues.
FONDRIEST Multimeter 101: 1pm to 4:30pm in Schrader Environmental Center. Registration fee $10 (free to students, but must pre-register)
FONDRIEST ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PRODUCTS (http://www.Fondriest.com/) will present a hands-on workshop on the use, maintenance and troubleshooting of multimeter water quality monitoring equipment. As field biologists and students, this will be a valuable workshop to learn the 'ins-and-outs' of these multimeter water quality monitoring units and introduced to the new technology including remote data acquisition and data manipulation approaches. This will not be just a sales pitch rather it will be a hands-on introduction to the use and maintenance of these meters plus lessons learned on deployment techniques, etc. You will come out of this workshop with a good foundation on the use of these multimeters. The workshop will focus on the YSI brand as outlined on their website.
Striped Bass Sampling 1 to 5pm
This workshop will cover the basics for sampling striped bass and highlight different options for collecting valuable striped bass data needed by managers for regulation and stocking decisions. Traditional gill net sampling will be highlighted and will be accompanied with specific techniques and recommendations to improve efficiency. Other forms of data collection such as electrofishing, creel surveys, angler diaries, and tagging studies will also be discussed. Additionally, minimum sample size requirements for collecting reliable data on ‘Catch Effort’, growth, and size structure indices will be presented.
SDAFS Student Affairs Workshop – Ecology and identification of freshwater crayfish. No registration fee and students need not pre-register.
The SDAFS Student Affairs workshop (3-5 PM, Friday, February 29) is titled “The Ecology and Identification of Freshwater Crayfish,” and will be conducted by Zachary J. Loughman of the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, West Liberty State College, West Liberty, West Virginia. Zac will provide an overview of the fascinating ecology of freshwater crayfish followed by a session focused on freshwater crayfish identification skills.