Biodiversity Assessment on Local Scales

This 4-day program is aimed at active land managers. It will meet on Fridays in September (9/6, 13, 20, 27), from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Classes will be held at the Mequon Nature Preserve. 

The Course: The ongoing collapse of biodiversity is an existential crisis for human societies, and solutions drilling down to local scales are on the front line of conservation efforts. This course will immerse students in methods to acquire, summarize, and interpret biodiversity data on regional to individual property scales. Mornings will be classroom sessions, and afternoon field sessions will immerse students in reading a landscape. It will be especially useful for conservation biologists desiring to describe biodiversity, assess species’ status in project areas, and to manage habitats for recovering specific wildlife populations. The course will drill down from national and state assessments to a property management level. We will explore how practitioners address recovery of impaired species, and utilize the Species of Local Conservation Interest (SLCI) paradigm developed in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern to assess local scale species’ conservation status. Topics will include biodiversity preservation planning and goals, wildlife monitoring concepts, data management and interpretation, integrating critical habitat needs for wildlife into property management plans, and tracking success. Lessons will focus mainly on birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, with concepts applicable to other groups such as fish and invertebrates. 

Recommended materials: Please bring a notebook or laptop for notes and exploring data. Class handouts will be provided, and online readings assigned.  There are no required books. No lodging, accommodations, or food provided (bring a lunch each day).

Instructor: Gary S. Casper, Ph.D., is Director of Biodiversity Programs at the Mequon Nature Preserve, with over 45 years’ experience in wildlife conservation, biodiversity, and monitoring. Gary is also an Associate Scientist with UW-Milwaukee Field Station, and headed up the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern Wildlife Assessment, which developed concepts central to this course. Gary managed collections at the Milwaukee Public Museum for over 20 years, and is an Associate Editor for two peer reviewed scientific journals. His research has focused mainly on the Upper Midwest and Canada, where he is currently implementing an acoustic amphibian monitoring program in western Great Lakes Network national parks. He has authored hundreds of publications, and his most recent book is Field Guide to Amphibian Eggs and Larvae of the Western Great Lakes.

Additional assistance will be provided by Mequon Nature Preserve staff as we explore restoration progress at the preserve.