EPP 701 Introduction to Common Plants for Wetland Delineation
Course Summary: This class is focused on commonly occurring species of wetland plants in the Pacific Northwest. The course is designed to give participants the knowledge and skills necessary to identify common plants that grow on either side of the wetland boundary. Students will learn the characteristics of common wetland plant families, providing a basis for identification of individual species. Students will be introduced to the use of regional floristic keys, field guides, and internet resources for species identification. The course will provide an overview of wetland plant community types including discussion of basic plant species assemblages, species distribution across the various wetland types, and habitat preferences of common species. The course will introduce the concept of wetland indicator status of plant species and use of the National Wetland Plant List to determine species status across various regions of the U.S.
Lab work will provide students with hands-on experience in examination of basic plant morphology, observation of characteristics of common plant families, and practical experience keying out individual specimens. Field trips to local wetlands will provide opportunities to use skills learned in class to identify species in the field. While some familiarity with northwest flora is helpful, students are NOT expected to be proficient in plant taxonomy or wetland ecology.
Duration: 2 days in the lab, 1 day in the field and and 6 online lectures
Available Professional Credit: 3.0 CEU, 30 PDH.
Student Testimonials:
"I really enjoyed learning the identification of key plant characteristics in the field, seeing habits and working through unfamiliar plants"
"Field days are awesome- really the most useful is having you ID each plant you see until it sticks in our brains"
"Really wonderful class- I learned a ton!!! I think there's a good balance of lecture and lab in the class and the field day was great!"
Topics:
• Field identification characteristics.
• Plant morphology and taxonomy.
• Use of identification keys.
• Wetland and upland plant identification.