Class Number | CED.1025.H01

Section 60316

CLASS DETAILS

Dates/ Times

Thursday, May 23
5:30pm-8:30pm

Cost

$10 per family (appropriate for kids 7 and up)

Location

Harrison Campus, Room 275

Instructor

Julie R. Crick, Natural Resources Educator
Michigan State University Extension

Course Description

Vernal pools provide important breeding habitat for frogs – and many other species! This three-hour workshop will provide an overview of vernal pool ecology, their importance to the landscape ecosystem as well as teach you how to identify the macroinvertebrates and egg masses found in the pools.

This three-hour workshop will begin with a short indoor presentation prior to heading outdoors to a vernal pool. The indoor presentation will provide an overview of vernal pool ecology, hydrology and the indicator species that use the temporary wetlands. The outdoor portion will take us into the woods where participants can closely investigate a vernal pond by following the protocols established for collecting data necessary to monitor the ecology of the pool over time. The monitoring protocols were created by the Michigan Natural Features Inventory to create a database of vernal pools across the state. Participants will be provided with all of the documents necessary to monitor a vernal pool of their choosing in the future.