Why choose traditional college/university programs that only lead to theoretical knowledge by taking class room courses in plant taxonomy when you can spend those class room hours learning practical visual field identification techniques of plants? The Level 1 FAT plant certification courses are designed to introduce you to the common vascular plant families (ie. trees, shrubs, wildflowers, some ferns, grasses, sedges and rushes as well as club mosses) which are typically found within bogs, fens, swamps and marshes of the 5 forest regions of Ontario. Students are also introduced to the confusing plant families which may easily be mistaken in the field as well as Species at Risk (SARs). This course is excellent practical field training for jobs in Aquatic/Wetland Ecology that focus on field botany skills.
Level 1 General Aquatic/Wetland Plant Course - (Practical) approximately 40 hours to complete: Fee = $700.00 CAD
Learn the practical applications of how to positively field identify up to 20 - 30 families of vascular aquatic/wetland plants by learning family and genera characteristics through the use of written
descriptions, photographs, diagrams and the eyes of an experienced instructor. This course will prepare
the student for any type of job that requires field identification of vascular plants within the eastern half of
North America. Graduates of this course have found meaningful employment with Bird Studies Canada, school boards, conservation authorities and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. This course is no longer available as a correspondence course or online and is a prerequisite for
the Level 2 General Aquatic/Wetland Course. The prerequisite for the Level 1 General Aquatic/Wetland Plant certification course are the ACCESS and GIS certification courses.
Executive Director & Senior Instructor
Dave Jolly, B.Sc.
