Map and Compass Classes

Map and Compass Classes

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

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The Smoky Mountain Field School is offering two separate classes on the use of maps and compasses. On September 19, the school will offer an introductory beginners class. On the following day, an advanced class will be offered.

Both classes are all day affairs and both will require a $49 fee.

The beginners course will include an introduction to the use of a forester's compass and a basic understanding of reading a topographical map as used by land managing agencies for control and management of emergency incidents. The course includes lecture, classroom activity, and outdoor exercise. Participants will meet in the training room at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.

The advanced course will encompass in-depth instruction of map and compass skills by incorporating the use of the forester's compass and the 7.5 topographical map series of the U.S.G.S. to conduct a simulator multi-agency search & rescue exercise in basically a "table top" format. The team approach will be used. In order to qualify for this course you will have to attend the beginners course.

The Smoky Mountain Field School is a partnership program in conjunction with the University of Tennessee.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store Quality gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands.

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Black Bear Field Study Workshops

Black Bear Field Study Workshops

Sunday, March 15, 2009

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Looking for an interesting and educational alternative for a vacation this year? You may want to check out the Black Bear Field Study Course offered by the Wildlife Research Institute.

The black bear workshops are lead by Lynn Rogers, Ph.D., and are designed for anyone interested in bears. You may have seen Dr. Rogers on the Animal Planet documentary "The Man Who Walks With Bears."

The courses are designed to teach you to safely learn vocalizations, body language, behavior, and ecology directly from wild bears in their wild habitat near Ely, Minnesota. The workshops also emphasize how people can better coexist with bears.

Class sizes are kept small (8 people) to maximize individual opportunities to participate in close-up black bear research. There are also daily discussions and slide presentations to amplify the information learned directly from the bears.

The Wildlife Research Institute offers eight black bear courses throughout the spring and summer; however, four of the workshops (all in August) are already closed. The cost is $1500.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with Ely, MN, I can tell you from first hand experience that this area of the country is absolutely beautiful. Ely is within the Boundary Water Canoe Area, providing perhaps the finest canoeing experience in the country, as well as within close proximity to Minnesota’s beautiful North Coast region along Lake Superior.

For more information on the workshops, please click here.

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Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store Quality gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands.

Read More