Volunteer Training Opportunities
*Updated April 2022*
Currently all Community Science jobs and training opportunities have been filled for 2022.
- You must be a Volunteer with us in order to take these courses.
Review Volunteer Job Opportunities
Before you sign up for a training session, you should officially apply to volunteer and be assigned to a team.
Check Training Dates with Drop Down Menus Below
Register by reaching out to the staff member listed
Ambassadors are privy to our latest campaigns and focuses so you can promote them to the wider community. You will gain confidence in representing our organization and conservation in the region by better understanding the facts and figures associated with The Couchiching Conservancy.
Visit our Ambassador Page to learn more and access training materials
The Avenza Maps App can be downloaded to Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. It can be used to track your movements on a map in real time, without using up your data. You can pin locations in the UTM format and add photos. In this short series of videos, we will teach you how to download a “geo-tagged” property map to your phone, track your movements, use it to tag the location of your sightings and your photos, and upload the information to google earth. This easy-to-use mapping tool will revolutionize your monitoring visits!
Instructors: Aiesha Aggarwal & Toby Rowland.
Videos will be available to registrants in mid-February, 2021.
To register email or phone aiesha@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
Learn about Ontario’s bats: Why they are threatened, how to detect them, and how to protect them.
You will learn how to conduct surveys for bats using acoustic recording equipment that can detect the bat’s high frequency calls which are outside the range of human hearing. We will also cover where and when monitoring should take place to get the best results, and review the protocol manual and monitoring forms for this program.
Who should take this course: Everyone who participated in last year’s bat monitoring pilot project as well as new bat monitoring volunteers.
Instructor: Toby Rowland
Two Sessions to Choose From:
Sunday April 18th, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Location: Zoom
Thursday April 22nd, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Location: Zoom
To register email or phone citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
The course will be online.
Learn your frog calls and participate in our spring/summer Frog Call Monitoring Program.
Using protocols adapted from the Birds Canada “Marsh Monitoring Program”, you will learn how to identify calls from 1 Toad and 9 Frog species individually and as part of a chorus. For more information on the Frog Call Monitoring Program, visit the main volunteer page here.
Instructor: Toby Rowland & Aiesha Aggarwal
Two sessions to choose from:
Thursday February 18th, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm Location: Zoom
Sunday February 21st, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm Location: Zoom
To register email or phone citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
The course will be online.
Photo: American Bullfrog - Toby Rowland
*This course will not be held in 2021, but we do still have easy to use GPS units avilable for volunteers to sign out as needed.*
A practical course in the use of a handheld GPS device for newbies and rookies. Just the basics you need to use the device on your monitoring visits. This course is for Couchiching Conservancy citizen science volunteers.
Instructor: David Hawke
The course is a combination of indoor instruction and outdoor practical exercises.
This course is for volunteers who are participating in our pilot grassland bird surveys throughout our new priority acquisition areas in 2021. You will learn about what habitat to look for & how to identify key species at risk by sound and by sight. We will cover the survey protocols, and assign you an area and a team-mate (if you don’t already have one).
Instructor: Toby Rowland
Two dates to choose from:
Sunday April 11th, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm Location: Zoom
Wednesday April 14th, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm Location: Zoom
To register, please contact citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620.
This is an online course.
Photo: Eastern Meadowlark - Toby Rowland
We have a limited number of seats available for this course. Everyone who has signed up for, and has been assigned a nature reserve to monitor, will need to take this course. We will cover how to use a plant guidebook, good smartphone apps for plant identification, and the protocol for the Plant Inventory program.
If all goes well, we will open this course up to all volunteers in 2022.
Instructor: TBA
This course has three components: Guide book 'how-to' videos, a 2 hour lesson over zoom, and an outdoor workshop.
Videos on how to use guidebooks will be available to registrants in April, 2021.
Tuesday April 20th, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm Location: Zoom
Sunday May 16th, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm Location: TBA - In-person
To register email or phone citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
Photo:Trout Lily - Gerry Church
All volunteers who work in the field are encouraged to take this two hour course periodically, to enrich your skills at identifying Invasive Species in the field. This course focuses on terrestrial plants.
Instructor: David Hawke
This course will consist of a pre-recorded presentation along with a short quiz.
Presentation and quiz will be made available to registrants in the spring of 2021.
To register, contact dorthea@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
This is an online course.
Photo: Garlic Mustard - David Hawke
This course is for volunteers who are participating in our pilot monarch monitoring program in 2021. You will learn how to identify different species of milkweed, along with monarch caterpillars and adults. You will also learn the protocols, and how to submit your data.
Instructor: TBA
The training video will be made available to registrants in the summer of 2021.
To register, please contact dorthea@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620.
Photo: Monarch Caterpillar on Milkweed - Meagan Coughlin
In this course you will learn to identify the reptiles (turtles, snakes, lizard) and amphibians (salamanders and frogs) of our region by sight. We will focus on how to identify these species in the field using a combination of visual cues, behavior, and habitat preferences.
This course was created to train volunteers who are part of our reptile and amphibian monitoring programs, but we encourage all volunteers who work in the field for the Conservancy to attend.
Instructor: Toby Rowland
This course will consist of a pre-recorded presentation along with a short quiz.
Presentation and quiz will be made available to registrants in the spring of 2021.
To register contact citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
Photo: Blanding's Turtle - Joelle Burnie
This is a course for our reptile monitoring teams, designed to teach you both the protocols and techniques to get the most from your reptile monitoring visits. From Visual Encounter Surveys to checking Artificial Cover Objects (Snake Boards), we will cover the best temperatures and times to survey, along with how to find and identify these cryptic species in the field.
This course is designed for new reptile monitors, although returning monitors who would like a refresher are welcome to join.
Instructor: Toby Rowland
One session available:
Thursday March 11th, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm - Zoom
To register, please contact citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
This is an online course.
Photo: Smooth Green Snake - Tanya Clark
This year we have two courses for our Salamander and Vernal Pool teams, and we’re asking new salamander monitors, to take this online course. Returning monitors who would like a refresher are also welcome to join. Armed with the protocol manual and egg mass Identification Guide, you will come to a better understanding of monitoring techniques and your role monitoring Vernal Pools and Salamander boards.
Learn how to identify salamanders, the egg masses of salamanders & frogs, and fairy shrimp.
We will also be offering the outdoor Vernal Pool workshop in early May (see below).
Instructor: Toby Rowland
One session available:
Wednesday March 24th, 2021 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm Location: Zoom
To register, please contact citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
This is an online course.
Photo: Spotted Salamander - Lisa Neville
All volunteers who work in the field are encouraged to take one, or both, modules to enrich your skills at identifying Species at Risk.
This course has been split into two modules: 'SAR 101', which will go into how to ID and record species, and 'SAR 201' which will go into more detail about the Endangered Species Act and what it means to be listed.
These modules will consist of two pre-recorded presentations along with a short quiz each.
Instructor: Toby Rowland (SAR 101), Dave Hawke (SAR 201)
Presentations and quiz will be made available to registrants in the spring of 2021.
To register, contact citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
These are online courses.
Photo: Eastern Whip-poor-will - Sue Deadman
This is a workshop for our returning Reptile Monitoring teams, designed to help you identify turtle nests, and monitor them until the eggs have hatched. You will also learn techniques for protecting nests from predation.
Instructor: Toby Rowland
The workshop will take place on one of our more active turtle nesting properties, at the height of turtle 2021 nesting season (usually in mid-June).
Please register if you want to be contacted for this workshop. As usual, we will offer it once on a weekend and once on a weekday to try and accommodate as many people as possible. Depending on how many registrants we have we may run more workshops in order to keep the number of people low.
To register, please contact citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
This is an in-person outdoor workshop.
Photo: Nesting Snapping Turtle - Charon Varty
This outdoor workshop is for our Salamander & Vernal Pool monitoring teams, and takes place just after the ice is off the ponds. We will be looking for and identifying Salamander and Frog egg masses, along with any adults that we come across. We will also look for Fairy Shrimp..
Instructor: Toby Rowland
The workshop will take place on one of our nature reserves with plenty of vernal pools in early May of 2021.
Please register if you want to be contacted for this workshop. As usual, we will offer it once on a weekend and once on a weekday to try and accommodate as many people as possible. Depending on how many registrants we have we may run more workshops in order to keep the number of people low.
To register, please contact citizensci@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620
This is an in-person outdoor workshop.
Photo: Spotted Salamander Egg Mass - David Hawke
You will learn about watersheds, stream health, safety protocols, and how to conduct each of the tests in our water monitoring kits including: Temperature, Turbidity, Depth, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Alkalinity, Phosphates, Nitrate-Nitrogen & Chlorides.
This course will consist of two pre-recorded presentations (stream health & what we test for), followed by in-person training on how to use the water kits. There will be one refresher course for returning monitors, and two intro course date options for new monitors.
Instructors: Dorthea Hangaard & TBA
The presentations will be made available to registrants in March.
Outdoor training:
*Refresher* training- Thursday May 13th, 2021 from 1:30-3:30pm Location: Grant’s Woods
*Intro* training- Saturday May 15th, 2021 from 1:30-3:30pm Location: Grant’s Woods
*Intro* training- Thursday May 20th, 2021 from 1:30-3:30pm Location: Grant’s Woods
To register, please contact dorthea@couchconservancy.ca (705) 326-1620.
Photo: Water Monitoring - Joelle Burnie
*This course will not be offered in 2021.*
The goal of this program, to get a region-wide look at whip-poor-will and nighthawk distributions, has been achieved. We are now focussing some of the existing teams around our nature reserves and priority areas as we scale back the program.
This course is for volunteers who sign up to conduct Whip-poor-will and Nighthawk surveys throughout Simcoe County and Carden in 2020. You will learn about what habitat to look for & how to identify them by sound and by sight. We will cover the survey protocols, and assign you an area and a team-mate (if you don’t already have one).