Skip to main content

Natural Areas Training Academy logo


Conservation Site Assessment and Planning

Next Course:

Online coursework: October 14 - November 3, 2024

Live virtual welcome session: (via Zoom) 3:30-4:30 pm ET on Monday, October 14th, 2024

In-person workshop days: November 7 (10:00am-5:30pm) and November 8 (8:30am-3:30pm) see agenda below

Registration link will be HERE

  • REGULAR registration will open September 4, at 10:00 am.
  • EARLY registration is available for previous NATA graduates*. You must email the Training Coordinator before August 22nd to request an early registration code, and code will expire on September 3rd.
  • Registration will close when capacity is reached or by September 20; we expect course will fill to capacity quickly!

Join our listserv to receive updates

Course Description:

This is a NATA Core workshop, leading to the Certificate in Natural Areas Management. This training builds a foundation of skills useful in conducting site assessments and developing resource management plans. 

Participants will:

  • Learn how to conduct a rapid site assessment
  • Discover sources of information useful when conducting site assessments
  • Gain experience classifying the condition of forest vegetation communities
  • Identify site-specific threats to natural resources at small and large spatial scales
  • Develop management objectives and design management strategies that effectively address these objectives
  • Identify components of effective management plans based on program needs and goals
  • Learn about a variety of management plans used by county, state, and federal agencies

This workshop is presented in a hybrid format (Both the online and in-person trainings are REQUIRED)

Online coursework:

Approximately 8 hours across 3-weeks (on your own, with weekly assignment deadlines); reliable internet connection and computer required.

Attend 1-hour live virtual welcome session (via Zoom), during the first week of the online coursework.

In-person training:

Two days of in-person training at University of Florida's Austin Cary Forest Campus northeast of Gainesville, FL.

AGENDA draft: CSAP Agenda and Assignment Checklist 2024

Registration Fee:

$325 (does not include lodging)

*EARLY registration is available to any person who has graduated from one or more of the NATA core certificate courses (Managing for Visitors and Volunteers, Managing for Diversity, Collaborating to Manage Ecosystems, or Conservation Site Assessment & Planning). You must email the Training Coordinator at least 2 weeks in advance of the posted registration date to request an early registration code. Code expires the day before regular registration begins. Fire training (e.g., S130/190) is not considered a core course for early registration eligibility.

Lodging:

Participants are responsible for securing their own lodging. When selecting lodging, note that Austin Cary Forest is located 20-25 minutes drive northeast of downtown Gainesville. For convenience, we recommend a hotel near downtown/central Gainesville (University Ave & Main St, or SW 13th St).

For more information, contact: 

Training Coordinator

Natural Areas Training Academy

nata@ifas.ufl.edu

Instructor Michael Andreu instructs class