The Washington Natural Heritage Program is offering a training on our ecological integrity assessment methodologies to natural resource professionals in the Puget Sound region.
The Ecological Integrity Assessment (EIA) method was developed by NatureServe/Natural Heritage network and refined by the WNHP for application to Washington ecosystem. The goal of an EIA is to provide a succinct assessment of the current status of the composition, structure, processes, and connectivity of a particular occurrence of an ecosystem type. Ecological integrity is interpreted in light of reference conditions based on natural ranges of variation, and with a practical interpretation of site information that can inform management decisions and guide conservation and restoration activities. More information on EIA can be found here: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/NHP-EIA
This training will be held in 2 parts:
Jan 12: 10am-2pm (online): An online training giving an overview of ecological integrity assessments intended for natural resource professionals and those who use natural resource data to make planning/management decisions. No limit on attendees.
Jan 14: 9am – 3pm (field): A hands on field training for natural resource professionals interested in implementing ecological integrity assessments. This will be most useful for people who have intermediate to advanced skillsets in plant identification and wetland ecology. Limited to 30 attendees. Exact site TBD, but will be in the south Puget Sound area. Participation in the Jan 12th online training is required to attend the field training.
If you are interested in attending please RSVP through this link: https://forms.gle/TH9vMUbmycSkhWAZ8