Vernal Pool Site Design and Restoration Techniques Workshop

Date: Thursday, March 22, 2012
Time: 9:30am - 2:00pm, including classroom session and onsite assessments
Location:
Classroom presentation: AWS’ headquarters at 4302 Baltimore Avenue, Bladensburg, Maryland
Onsite assessments: two vernal pool sites in Greenbelt, MD; and Hyattsville, MD (Prince George's County)

This workshop is a joint event between AWS, Land and Waters, and the Virginia Vernal Pools Program (V2P2)

Instructor: Michael Hayslett, Director of the Virginia Vernal Pools Program (V2P2) and Naturalist-in-residence at the Sweet Briar College in central Virginia

Cost: $45 (reduced rate for students and non-profits on request).

Click here to RSVP!

Fee collection instructions: Please mail your check for $45 per person by (DATE), marked "VP Workshop, 3/23/11", made out to "Lands and Waters, Inc" to: Jeanette Stewart, 2909 Charing Cross Rd. #9, Falls Church, VA 22042. Checks must be received by 3/14. To pay by paypal or credit card, please go to Lands and Waters website and click on the "Donate" tab at the bottom of the page.

Description: Vernal pools or seasonal pools are extremely dynamic freshwater habitats that consist of temporary pools of water that are devoid of fish. Vernal pools fill with stormwater, surface runoff, snowmelt, or groundwater in the fall, winter, or spring and may be completely dry by the summer. They provide important breeding habitat for threatened amphibians (e.g. mole salamanders), unique invertebrate communities and habitat to other wildlife species such as turtles, snakes, birds and mammals. Vernal pools are facing the increasing threat of habitat destruction mostly caused by land development, destruction and fragmentation of the surrounding woodland habitat, amphibian diseases, climate change, and other problems.

This workshop will give participants an introduction to vernal pool ecology and restoration and will be divided into two sessions, a classroom presentation and and onsite assessment where participants will visit vernal pools in the Anacostia watershed.

1. Classroom presentation at AWS headquartes (duration: 2 hours):

• Quick overview of vernal pool ecology
• Landscape analysis: survey potential sites, assess quality of forest buffer and surrounding landscape
• Need maps and master plan designs

2. Onsite assessment (2 hours/site):

• Visit two vernal pool sites in the Anacostia Watershed, in Greenbelt, MD; and Hyattsville, MD. The sites are candidate restoration projects in the Anacostia River Watershed Restoration Plan
• Conduct a Rapid Bio-assessment (RBA) of the sites (to charachterize fauna and flora species)
• Use standardized checklist to assess each site, surveying stormwater patterns, soil, revegetation/forest buffer zone, and other aspects
• Open discussion about site-specific restoration techniques

Who should attend the workshop? environmental sciences students (and professionals), watershed stewards, naturalists, teachers, biologists and other people involved in ecological restoration, urban wildlife conservation, environmental education and watershed stewardship.

What to Bring: We strongly recommend the use of waterproof clothing (and even an umbrella) for the vernal showers! Light-colored apparel, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, long socks (to tuck your pants in), and closed-toe shoes (hiking or waterproof) or rubber boots.

For more information please contact Kris Unger (Land and Waters) at (703) 527-2457 or krisunger@gmail.com, or Jorge Bogantes (AWS) at (301) 699-6204 or jmontero@anacostiaws.org.