AZ Acoustic Survey Training: Elgin 2023

VENUE DETAILS

Customize Your Training: Choose from the full 5-day course, a 4-day "Passive Monitoring" only course, or pay for just the day(s) offering the training-subjects you need most.

Inclusive Dates: Monday 10 July thru Friday 14 July  - 9am to 5pm daily*

NOTE: Students must make their own travel arrangements to the workshop location. Arizona does not participate in Daylight Savings and remains on Mountain Standard Time (MST) year round. 

Location and Directions: This training course is located near the small community of Elgin, in the "wine country" of Arizona. Several of our survey locations are at National Audubon Society, Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch and all daily lectures and demonstrations will be offered at the Ranch. 

Airport: The closest airport is Tucson International (TUS), which is about 65-miles (90 minutes) by vehicle. Other convenient airports include Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) about 90-minutes from Tucson, by vehicle. A map and driving directions will be provided upon registering.

Lodging: Participants must make their own lodging arrangements. Lodging and camping is be available at the Research Ranch, at the student's expense. Upon registering, information about the Ranch lodging options and a list of other local resources will be provided. It is strongly suggested that visiting students obtain lodging at the Ranch or in nearby Elgin, but it would be possible to commute from Green Valley, Sierra Vista or Tucson. Most hotels offer very favorable rates during this time of year. 

Meals: All meals are “on your own” and students are given 2-hours for lunch and will break for dinner at 5pm each day. A full kitchen is available at the Ranch for students wishing to bring their own lunches and dinners. Options for food services are available in nearby Elgin and Sonoita. Optional evening geek sessions will be offered after dark. Please plan accordingly to bring food or patronize nearby outlets.

Pre-course Preparation: This training is ideal for students needing specific, focused experience with non-contact survey methods for bats using full-spectrum bat detectors. Most instruction will be classroom-based with one daytime field trip and a night-time mobile acoustic transect planned. Click here for our agenda.

*The Friday class includes a 2-hour mobile acoustic transect beginning at approximately 8pm. After the transect, students will join instructors to post-process the data as a group. This activity will end by midnight, so students should plan to spend Friday night locally.

Students should bring appropriate field gear, including appropriate clothing for summer, triple-digit desert-like temperatures and sturdy hiking boots to take full advantage of the field components. Consult the draft agenda for daily activities.

No prior acoustic-survey work is necessary. Approximately 7-10 days prior to the start of class, students will receive a complete list of what to bring and how to prepare for class, but feel free to contact us at any time if you have specific questions about the class or how to prepare. No bats will be handled during this event. Rabies pre-exposure vaccination is not required.

How to Register: Please register by adding the appropriate course (or days) to your "cart." NOTE: To register multiple people, please checkout each person individually so that we can obtain the proper contact information for each participant. Use the Student Registration Details link to provide complete student information for our records.