:::::::::::::US Forest Service: INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS: Wildlands & Protected Area Management Field Course:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

International Seminars and Workshops

INTERNATIONAL SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS: General Information
FIELD COURSE IN WILDLANDS AND PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT SEMINAR--Spanish-language based
FOREST MANAGEMENT SEMINAR (ISFAM)
PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT SEMINAR
WATERSHED MANAGEMENT SEMINAR
LATIN AMERICA INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON FOREST ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
AFRICAN LEADERSHIP SEMINAR

Seminar Date and Cost:

The Center for Protected Area Management and Training at Colorado State University will host the physically intensive International Field Course in Wildlands and Protected Area Management, which will be held entirely in Spanish.

DATE: July 7 - August 9, 2009

COST: estimated $5,250 (does not include air travel expenses to and from the seminar)

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
March 14, 2009

Introduction
This course, taught entirely in Spanish, is an intensive 4.5-week field course designed for mid-level professional and technical personnel who are interested in improving the management of protected areas in their countries. The course is designed for personnel who work for government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and in the private sector, in the field of protected areas planning and management. Almost 75% of the training program is conducted in the field. It provides practical examples of management of a great variety of protected areas and an ample range of exercises to provide participants with the practical concepts, methods, and techniques required to improve management of the protected areas where they work.

Course Objectives
The principal course objectives are to provide the participants with:

1. A broad introduction to the main concepts, principles, and methods of protected areas management;

2. Direct experience in the application of those concepts, principles, and methods to the real on-the-ground situations which they must manage;

3. Ample opportunities for professional and personal growth, with strong emphasis on teamwork, in relation to the philosophy, values, and benefits of protected areas,

4. Extensive opportunities for professionals from all over Latin America to share the knowledge and experiences of protected areas management among themselves, with instructors, and with professional protected areas management personnel, resources user groups, NGOs, etc. in the USA.

Timing and Location
The course--from July 8 to August 102, 2008--begins in Fort Collins, Colorado, at Colorado State University, where the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains come together at an elevation of 1,500 meters (5,000 feet). In July and August the weather is warm and dry. Throughout the course we will make field visits at higher elevations (up to 3,500 meters) and considerably cooler, wetter weather may be encountered. The course uses a combination of the excellent resources available at Colorado State University and those offered by a wide variety of protected areas in the Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming region of the western USA.

Instructional Staff
Drs. Craig MacFarland and George Wallace combine more than 35 years of direct experience living and working in Latin America in the areas of natural resource management, wildland and watershed management, agricultural extension, and rural development. Craig MacFarland was, for many years, Director of the Wildlands and Watershed Management Program at the Tropical Agricultural Center for Research and Training (CATIE) in Costa Rica and President of the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands. George Wallace teaches courses and does research in wildlands and protected area management at Colorado State University. Both provide technical assistance to protected areas in the U.S. and Latin America. Every year, the course also welcomes guest instructors from the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management. In recent years, Dr. Miguel Milano, technical director of Fundação ó Boticário de Proteção á Natureza in Brazil, has been a guest instructor for the duration of the course. Each year additional conservation specialists are invited to give guest lectures on variety of topics.

Course Themes
Six main themes will receive focus during the course: Social and environmental benefits of protected areas; Protected area systems; Working with user groups; Managing natural resources; The planning process: achieving desired resource and social conditions; and fostering effective management. Within these major themes, various specific topics will be developed:

Basic concepts of biodiversity conservation and wildlands management
Planning for national protected area systems
Obtaining the necessary support for the protection of wildland areas
Integrating wildland protection with social and rural development
Conflict resolution and consensus building
Management of impacts to soil, vegetation, water quality, and wildlife
Management of non-conforming uses
Building user constituencies
Interpretation and environmental education
Visitor management
Ecotourism: working with concessionaires, guides, and outfitters in protected areas
Administration and leadership in the management of protected areas
Concepts, principles, and methods of conservation biology and ecosystem management
Managing natural and human disturbance to restore natural conditions (fire, forest harvesting, grazing, etc.)
Developing facilities and infrastructure

Course Methodology
The course will include a review of the principles, concepts, methods, and techniques of protected area management, combined with a strong emphasis on practical exercises and case studies both from developing countries and the United States. Work in the classroom will focus on wildlands outside the U.S. and the special problems that participants bring with them. Field trips will expose participants to the kinds of wildlands and wildland management that exist in the U.S.-both public and private. Interagency cooperation and integrated resource management will be major themes during the field trips. Both good and bad examples will be used. Most field sites will have problems common to developing countries (i.e. poaching, winning support from local people, pressure from private resource user groups, lack of adequate interagency coordination and collaboration, non-conforming uses, etc.).

Course Expenses
FEES: The course fee of $5,195 includes: registration and tuition, books and other course materials, lodging and meals in Fort Collins and on field trips, insurance (health and accident), the field trips, basic camping equipment, honoraria for guest speakers, refreshment breaks, transportation during the course, certificates and photographs, administrative costs, and a closing banquet.

EQUIPMENT STIPEND: It is recommended that each participant or institution budget $300 for personal field equipment expenses (waterproof boots, rain pants, rain jacket, long underwear, etc.). The field-based portion of the course requires participants to be prepared for extreme weather conditions in remote natural areas (snow, hail, and below freezing temperatures are possible during our field trips (7+ days) above 12,000 feet above sea level). The conditions experienced in Colorado are often times quite different from what participants experience on a daily basis in their home countries. In order to ensure proper preparation and safety during the field-base portion of our course we highly recommend that sponsors provide this equipment stipend. This stipend can be given directly to the participant or the funds can be sent to CSU along with the course fee.

SUMMARY OF COSTS: US$ 5,195 course fee to CSU (fixed) and $300 for the equipment stipend (highly recommended but not obligatory). Air travel is not included in the course fees.

Travel Arrangements
Air travel is the responsibility of the participant or institution. Participants should arrive at the Denver International Airport (DIA) in Denver, Colorado. Course staff will attempt to meet participants in the airport. Updated arrival and departure information will be sent to those selected as participants.

Applications
Admission, which is competitive, is limited to 22 participants due to the nature of the field trip activities. To apply for the course, please complete an application form and submit the following three additional documents:

1. A resume (curriculum vitae) of formal education and experience in the field of natural resources, wildlands, etc.
2. A summary of specific interests in the field of protected areas management, as well as those you would like to see covered in the course.
3. An official letter from your institution authorizing your participation.

The application deadline is March 14, 2009. For application details and further information, please contact:

Ryan Finchum
Coordinator for Training and Technical Assistance
The Center for Protected Area Management and Training
Department of NRRT
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1480 USA
Tel: (970) 491-6593
Fax: (970) 491-4982
E-Mail: wildlands@cnr.colostate.edu and finchum@cnr.colostate.edu

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