Training Material - Segment 3

2012

The 2012 Segment 3 technical workshop offered participants the choice of two subjects: Vernal Pool Ecology and Monitoring or Benthic Macroinvertebrates: What These Organisms Can Tell Us About the Health of a Stream. The vernal pool workshop provided participants with an overview of the ecology of vernal pools, including vernal pool identification in the "dry" season; and discussed the Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists Vernal Pool Monitoring Program. An informative field visit wrapped-up the program where participants searched for various "dry" season indicators. The benthic macroinvertebrates workshop provided participants with a discussion of riffle-dwelling benthic macroinvertebrates and the Rapid Bioassessment Method used to survey streams and gather biological data. A hands-on macroinvertebrate identification exercise and an optional field visit to see the survey method in action ended the program.

2011

This technical segment focused on an introduction to soils and their properties. The relationship between soils and stormwater infiltration were also discussed. The field portion of the training illustrated differences between soil drainage classes and the role of landscape in the interpretation of soils. The CT NRCS kindly provided their technical expertise in support of this training.

2010

In the last few years rapid growth has occurred in environmental mapping applications. These mapping websites give access to huge amounts of geospatial data and are becoming widely used by agents, homeowners, and consultants.

Segment 3 introduced attendees to the science behind GIS and the additional topics of geospatial data, municipal GIS, and ecological research using geospatial techniques. The Connecticut Environmental Conditions Online (CTECO) service and a land-use visualization tool called Community Viz were demonstrated.

2009

In Connecticut, agriculture is changing from larger-scale operations to specialty farming activities, often near residential and commercial areas. The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act (IWWA) includes provisions for a wide variety of "as of right" agricultural activities including forestry, dairy production, equine facilities, organic farming, and horticulture.

This segment focused on agriculture and forestry activities and their relationship to Best Management Practices for agriculture and forestry; forest hydrology; and land-use change.

2008

This segment focused on the relationship between water quality and quantity and soils. The field portion of the segment demonstrated differences between soil drainage classes using test pits supervised by NRCS staff.

2007

This segment focused on wetland mitigation and vernal pools. A field site at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation was used to introduce and demonstrate successful mitigation methods.

Content Last Updated October 18, 2019.