We ran a series of ecology training courses in 2017 details of which can be found below. We are also running a series of similar ecology training courses in 2020.
Bat Mitigation – 1st February 2017This course is aimed at anybody currently or intending to work in ecological consultancy or undertake voluntary roost visits providing bat mitigation advice to developers or householders. The course will include information about different types of mitigation, mitigation for roost loss including different roost types (e.g. maternity, hibernation, night roosts etc), mitigating for loss of habitat, species-specific mitigation (e.g. for horseshoes, long-eared bats, pipistrelles etc.), lighting considerations, roof membranes and examples of successful and unsuccessful approaches. The course will take place in our office in Cardiff Bay. The cost of the course is £80.00 per person.
The barn owl course will provide an introduction to the ecology, conservation value and legislation affection barn owls. The course will review data sources and limitations, survey methodologies and survey protocols. The course will include a field session which will look at roost features in buildings and in trees and will enable participants to the different types of nest sites. The course will take place in Tamworth and costs £80.00 per person.
Winter Tree Identification – 25th February 2017
This half-day winter tree identification course aims to introduce you to the key characters used in the identification of deciduous trees and shrubs. Emphasis will be placed on key characters to distinguish each species from similar looking trees. The course take place in our office in Cardiff Bay and will involve both indoor and outdoor sessions. The course will will run from 10.00am until 1.00pm and will cost £5.00 per person. Read an article about the Winter Tree Identification course which we held in 2014.
Great Crested Newts – April 12th 2017 6.00pm – 9.00pm Evening Course
The Great Crested Newt course covers an introduction to the legislation affecting great crested newts, species identification and ecology survey planning and mitigation. The course will be entirely classroom based and will be taught by Acer Ecology staff in our Cardiff Bay office.The cost of the course is £10.00 per person inclusive of VAT.
Introduction to Bat Detector Surveys – April 27th 2017
Trees and Shrub Identification 17th May 2017 Evening Course
Wildlife Legislation & Planning Course 5th June 2017 Evening Course
The course is aimed at anyone with an interest in local wildlife who want to get a better idea of how the planning system works. This course will help you to understand how wildlife legislation and the planning system works, how ecology issues and reports are dealt with as part of the planning process. The course will be delivered by Acer Ecology ecologists and will run from 6.00pm until 8.00pm. The cost of the course is £10.00 per person inclusive of VAT.
Phase 1 Habitat Surveys June 10th 2017
The Phase 1 Habitat Survey course will introduce participants to the phase 1 methodology to classify habitats. There will be both indoor and outdoor sessions where we will undertake a phase 1 habitat survey. The course will be delivered by Acer Ecology and will be held at Acer Ecology’s office in Cardiff Bay. The course runs from 10.00am until 4.30pm and costs £50.00 inclusive of VAT.
Grass Identification for Beginners – 5th July 2017 Evening CourseThe Grass Identification course is a focused training day during which we will look at the structure of grasses and learn to understand the terminology used in keys. We will then go into how to identify the more common species. The course will be delivered by Acer Ecology ecologists and will be held partly at our office in Cardiff Bay and partly in the field at Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve. The course will run from 6.00pm until 9.00pm. The cost of the course is £10.00. Read an article about the grass identification course which took place in 2015.
This one day entirely field-based course provides a basic introduction to working with freshwater crayfish, including licensing. The course will commence with introduction to freshwater crayfish, including key identification of species and growth stages and bio-security. In addition, we will look at stream surveys and monitoring, including practical handling experience. The course will take place in Birmingham. The cost of the course is £80 per person. Read an article about the course.
QGIS for Ecologists Training Course – October 14th 2017
This one-day QGIS training course day will explain how QGIS software can be used to map sites and specifically teach participants to use the QGIS software. The course will be delivered by GIS expert David Caplin in our office in Cardiff Bay. The cost of the course is £50 per person.
Bat Identification Workshop November 7th 2017
The course will provide an introduction to identifying British bats. There will be a brief presentation, then a chance to try out your identification skills looking at specimens. The workshop is especially suited to novices, priority ideally would be given to bat learners and beginners. The cost will take place during the evening and will run from 6pm until 8.00pm. There is no charge for attending the course.
