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NEW Open Standards Course at the USFWS National Conservation Training Center
Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (CSP3128)
May 31 – June 3, 2011
Shepherdstown, WV
What will the course cover? This course will be conducted as a pilot and will equip project teams with the skills necessary for effective project cycle management in the conservation sector. The course will introduce the theoretical concepts and practical tools behind the five steps (Conceptualize; Plan Actions and Monitoring; Implement Actions and Monitoring; Analyze, Use, Adapt; and Capture and Share Learning) of the Conservation Measures Partnership’s Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. The course will also cross-reference the Open Standards with the Fish & Wildlife Service’s Strategic Habitat Conservation approach, and will allow participants to work together to become familiar with and apply these concepts and tools in developing management and monitoring plans for real-world conservation projects. An overview of the Miradi Adaptive Management Software and a one-year license agreement to use the software will be provided in this course.
Course objectives: By the end of this training, participants will improve their ability to:
- Strengthen project design, management, and monitoring processes
- Choose the most strategic actions; set meaningful and measurable goals and objectives
- Determine if their conservation interventions are working
- Demonstrate and communicate their project or program’s impact to their constituency
- Learn from their actions and improve them
- Become familiar with the Miradi program management software.
Who is the intended audience? Federal and State biologists and managers who work on natural resource issues and are interested in taking an experimental approach to project management. Participation is based on teams of two to three individuals working on one or more projects that have conservation of the natural environment and/or natural resources as their primary mission, although individuals who are not part of an existing project team are also encouraged to apply. Note: Participants will most likely stay offsite NCTC campus due to room availability.
Who is teaching the material? Principal instructors are from Foundations of Success, which is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to “improve the practice of conservation through adaptive management” and “work with practitioners to test assumptions, adapt, and learn”.
To Register: Department of Interior employees should apply online through DOI LEARN (https://doilearn.doi.gov). Others should complete the registration form at http://training.fws.gov/documents/Application_Student.pdf
Who should I contact? If you are interested in participating, please contact Christy Coghlan, Course Leader at 304.876.7438 or Christy_Coghlan@fws.gov. For registration questions, please contact Marilyn Williams at 304.876.7940.
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Check Out Our New Website
Welcome to our new website, designed to give our current and potential partners a better sense of the services we offer and examples of our work. Parts of the site are still under development – please come back and check for updates. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact us.
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FOS Newsletter January 2010
Click here to read our January 2010 newsletter.
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Register Now for the June 2012 Smithsonian-Mason Course!
Graduate and Professional Training Course
Adaptive Management for Conservation Success
June 11-22, 2012
Smithsonian-Mason Global Conservation Studies Program
At the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
Visit http://conservationtraining.si.edu or contact SCBItraining@si.edu for more information and to register. Applications due by April 2, 2012
After the success of last year’s pilot course, the Smithsonian-Mason Partnership is teaming with FOS again in 2012 to offer a 2-week, intensive course in adaptive management. Adaptive Management principles help conservationists to build their capacity in project design, planning and evaluation. This course is based on the Conservation Measures Partnership’s Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. Participants gain skills in designing, planning and implementing effective projects, and in how to provide clear evidence of progress towards conservation results Participants learn these skills and tools in the context of a real conservation project and also gain experience using Miradi adaptive management software. With the help of skilled coaches, participant teams work with subject-matter experts to practice conceptualizing projects, formulating objectives, and demonstrating measurable impact. The non-credit course fee of $2500 USD includes instruction, most course materials, meals, lodging and Washington-Dulles (IAD) airport transfers. Participants can also choose to earn Continuing Education Units; graduate course credits (3) available for qualified applicants through George Mason University (total fee: $2750 in-state (VA), $3800.75 out-of-state).