Wildland Weed Field Courses

Looking to hone your wildland weed management skills? Our full-day courses provide expert instruction on core topics for your work. Courses are designed for professional land managers and restoration volunteers — newcomers and old-timers, professionals and committed volunteers alike.

Thanks to the generous support of a major donor, Cal-IPC is able to offer discounted rates for restoration volunteers for the entire 2009 Field Course Season!

We are now in our fifth year of offering field courses - learn more about our past courses.

Register Now!

2009 Field Courses

In 2009, we are offering courses on six topics:

  • Know your Wildland Weeds: Biology and Identification
  • Know your Tools: Control Methods for Wildland Weeds
  • Wildland Weed Mapping
  • Revegetation for Wildland Weed Projects
  • Advanced Mechanical Control Methods New!
  • Advanced Herbicide Control Methods New!

Calendar

San Diego -
   Sycamore Canyon/Goodan Ranch Open Space
   April 1 – Control Methods
   April 2 – Revegetation Techniques

Santa Rosa - Mountain Home Ranch
   May 13 - Biology & Identification
   May 14 - Control Methods

Santa Cruz Mountains - Olympia Well Field & Zayante Fire Station, Felton
   July 21 - Advanced Mechanical Control Methods

Visalia - Kaweah Oaks Preserve,
              Sequoia Riverlands Trust
   October 7 - Advanced Herbicide Control Methods

Los Angeles- Audubon Center at Debs Park
   December 9 - Control Methods
   December 10 - Mapping

Costs and Registration

Regular fees are $145 (Cal-IPC member)/$165 (Non-member) per course (each topic/day is a different course, thus registering as a member for both courses in San Diego would cost $290). This year we are able to offer a discounted rate of $45 per course for restoration volunteers, thanks to special grant funding. You qualify as a "restoration volunteer" if weed management is not part of your profesional work and you volunteer for an organized restoration efort.

All courses include lunch, snacks and reference material. We have applied to receive "Other" DPR continuing education credits for all courses, the specific amounts of hours given by DPR will be listed with the courses below. Registration is taken on a space-available basis. Pre-registration is required, as we are not able to handle any payments on the day of the course.

 

2009 Course Details

San Diego

April 1 – Control Methods
April 2 – Revegetation Techniques

Site
San Diego courses will be held at the 2,025-acre Sycamore Canyon/Goodan Ranch Open Space, which includes diverse vegetation that is recovering from a 2004 fire, including: coastal sage scrub, chaparral, grassland, and oak woodland.
Register | Sycamore Canyon/Goodan Ranch | Directions

Instructors
Featured instructors include Mike Kelly, Friends of Penasquitos Canyon Preserve and Cal-IPC Founder; Sandy DeSimone, Audubon CA Starr Ranch Sanctuary; Bill Winans, San Diego County Agriculture; Mark Hoddle, UC Cooperative Extension; Brad Burkhart, ECORPS Consulting, Inc.; Jason Lopez, San Dieguito River Park and others.

 

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Santa Rosa

May 13 - Biology & Identification
May 14 - Control Methods

Site
Santa Rosa courses will be held at the Mountain Home Ranch, a 300-acre secluded retreat center with comfortable conference facilities. The site is located 20 minutes northeast of Santa Rosa.
Register | Mountain Home Ranch | Directions

Instructors
Featured instructors include Joe DiTomaso, UC Davis; Ken Moore, Wildlands Restoration Team; Bob Case, CNPS; Dina Robertson, URS Corporation; Jon Roncoroni, UC Cooperative Extesion; Guy Kyser, UC Davis; and others.

Lodging
Multiple pricing options at this country style bed and breakfast, including rustic furnished cabins with multiple beds, lodge rooms, cabins and private cottages. Facilities are rustic and rentals include access to all recrational facilities. Review the Mountian Home Ranch Group Rates webpage for costs: select Retreats and scroll to the bottom of the page. Tell the innkeeper that you are with "Cal-IPC" when you call to reserve a space and you could end up with an upgrade at no cost!

 

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Santa Cruz Mountains

July 21 - Advanced Mechanical Control Methods New!

        • Course content

Site
This new course will be held at the Olympia Well Field and the Zayante Fire Station in Felton, outside of Santa Cruz, a site with spectacular views and excellent opportunities for demonstrating techniques. The site is approximately 30 minutes above Santa Cruz.

Register | Zayante Fire Station | Directions

Instructors
Featured instructors include Ken Moore, Wildland Restoration Team; JP Marie, UC Davis, Putah Creek Reserve, Mike Filbin, Central Coast Land Clearing, and others.

 

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Visalia

October 7 - Advanced Herbicide Control Methods New!

      • Course content

Site
The 324-acre Kaweah Oaks Preserve protects one of the last remaining valley oak woodlands in the San Joaquin Valley, and hosts alkali meadow habitat along with riparian forest - a perfect setting for a field course! The preserve is located just outside Visalia, where the Symposium starts the following day.

Register (Symposium form) | Kaweah Oaks | Directions

Instructors
Featured instructors include Joe DiTomaso, UC Davis; Mark Heath, Shelterbelt Builders; and others.

 

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Los Angeles

December 9 - Control Methods
December 10 - Mapping

      • Control methods course content
      • Mapping course content

Site
Los Angeles field courses will be held at the Audubon Center at Debs Park. This exciting location not only hosts a wildland in the heart the city but is also home to the first building in the nation to receive the Platinum Rating, the highest possible, from the U.S. Green Building Council. Debs Park is located in Northeast Los Angeles, between Downtown L.A. & Pasadena.

Register | Audubon Center at Debs Park | Directions

Instructors
Featured instructors include Christy Brigham, Santa Monica Mountains National Recretion Area; Jason Casanova, Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council; Mike Kelly, Kelly & Associates; John Knapp, Native Range, Inc.; Bill Neill, Riparian Repairs; Sandy DeSimone, Audubon CA Starr Ranch Sanctuary; and others.

E-mail Heather Brady with any questions on 2009 field courses.