Field Techniques in Wildlife Ecology

Course Overview

Join us for an intensive, resident field camp emphasizing wildlife identification and field techniques for vertebrates. Administered by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Western Section of The Wildlife Society, this 2-week, 4-unit course, includes hands-on field time, data collection and team projects. for summer 2019, the course runs July 29 - August 10.

Guest instructors will include wildlife professionals from agency, academic, private, and non-profit sectors. Informal time with mentor-instructors allows students to discuss career opportunities.

Participation open to early career professionals, college undergraduates with junior standing or above, and graduate students – anyone with completed pre-requisite course-work or equivalent in the following topics: Intro Organismal Form & Function or Intro Ecology and Evolution or Wildlife Management or Principles of Range Management.

Techniques covered:
‐ mistnetting birds and bats
‐ camera trapping
‐ chemical immobilization and dart guns
‐ small mammal trapping
‐ acoustic detection of bats
‐ bird point counts
‐ identification of tracks and sign
‐ VHF telemetry
‐ GPS, compass and topo maps
‐ field notebook and field safety
‐ and more!

Instructors from:
‐ Ca. Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
‐ US Fish & Wildlife Service
‐ US Forest Service
‐ private consulting firms
‐ non‐profit research groups

For more information, and for the required professor approval to enroll in the class, contact Prof. John Perrine: Contact

After receiving instructor permission, the registration site can be found at this link.