ECOLOGICAL MONITORING COURSE

When you change your management, how do you know if you are moving in the right direction? Learning to monitor the land for the earliest signs of change enables you to quickly adapt your management. When you’re are adept at using Holistic Management to diagnose problems you will uncover the causes of deviation from a management plan and find the reasons behind distortions in the functioning of the ecosystem (increased floods, droughts, outbreaks of problem plants and insects, disease, etc.). In principle, diagnosis using Holistic Management rests on knowing the effects the various tools tend to have on the four ecosystem processes.

Tangible Outcomes:

• Holistic Ecological Monitoring enables you to gather relevant information to keep your management on track and to see trends in your Ecological Health Index over time.

• Learning to monitor the land for the earliest signs of change enables you to quickly adapt your management to move toward your desired future resource base.

Learning Outcomes:

• Gain experience in the field observing signs of change. 

• Learn how to complete Holistic Ecological Monitoring and become proficient enough to monitor your own land.

• Uncover the causes of the deviations from a plan, find the reasons behind distortions in the functioning of the ecosystem, and create strategies to get back on track.

Classes will be held at the Sorensen Ranch in Clover Valley, Nevada. Participants will experience hands-on learning, some classroom presentations, and lots of interaction with fellow students. The ranch has a 3,500 + square foot Walipini style solar greenhouse where produce is grown year-round, outdoor gardens, lots of shade, and is at the foot of the Humboldt mountain range.