Workshops

Springs Stewardship Institute leads multi-day Springs Inventory and Assessment Workshops which include classroom sessions followed by practical application in the field. If your agency or organization would like to request a workshop, please email jeri@springstewardship.org.

In the Classroom

The classroom component of SSI’s workshops breaks down our research, protocols, and monitoring methods. Participants will learn:

• the importance of springs and their role in the ecosystem

• the 12 types of springs

• the intricate network of springs-dependent-species (SDS)

• inventory protocols developed by SSI

• management and monitoring techniques
  

In the Field

Participants go to a local, nearby spring to practice the skills and techniques outlined in the classroom. With instruction from SSI staff, they get hands-on experience surveying a spring using the Springs Inventory Protocol (SIP) to:

• record georeference information and access directions

• draw a sketchmap of the site and identify its microhabitats

• use a solar pathfinder to measure the site's solar radiation

• measure water quality and flow using a variety of different methods

• collect, observe, and record invertebrates and vertebrates (terrestrial and aquatic)

• collect and record flora

Participants also get the opportunity to discuss data management practices, and how to use information gathered in the field to inform restoration planning.