Agenda

Bioassessment is a prevalent approach for assessing attainment of aquatic life use under the Clean Water Act. Yet, many bioassessment tools currently used were developed over 15 years ago. This workshop will review existing bioassessment theory and new analytical tools available for development and interpretation of bioindicators. It will serve as a solid introduction to bioindicator and biocriteria development for those unfamiliar or new to the concepts, as well as a review of novel considerations and approaches for setting thresholds. Workshop format will encourage active discussion and exercises. Topics include: 1)Development (or recalibration) of a bioindicator: multimetric indices (MMI) and observed/expected models, 2) Establishment of bioassessment thresholds, 3) Characterization of uncertainty around bioassessment thresholds (such as I/E test), 4) Approaches and tools for making decisions when data lies within a statistically valid zone of uncertainty (e.g., Use of alternative models), 5) Statistical approaches and tools for determining significant improvement or degredation at an individual site using bioindicators (e.g., how to distinguish if change is due to anthropogenic activities or natural variation)

Participants will learn the basics of aquatic plant identification, best management practices for nuisance species, data collection and reporting tools in aquatic plant management. Individuals partaking in the workshop will receive hands-on identification experience with live plant samples and utilizing taxonomic appropriate keys. The workshop will explore a variety of SAV (Submersed Aquatic Vegetation) survey techniques through recent case studies and participants will be immersed in aquatic field experiences (pending suitable weather conditions and as time allows). Participants will receive (via email) a Northeast Aquatic Plant Identification Guide as part of the workshop and are welcome to bring their own magnifying glasses, tweezers, field boots and weed rakes.

Participants will learn the distribution and identification of fishes in the sucker family Catostomidae from the Central Appalachian region of North America; emphasis will be given to adult specimens. Individuals partaking in the workshop will also learn to categorize sucker lip patterns, count lateral line scales and soft rays, and how to find and pull pharyngeal teeth. You should also bring a dissection microscope with an adequate light source (or separate illumination, such as a fiber optic light), fine forceps to count soft rays (preferable with non-serrated inner edges), a can of compressed air (used to dust keyboards), your favorite fish identification key/source, and any specimens that you wish to confirm. Vinyl gloves, identification handouts, and pans (to keep fish moist) will be provided.

R is a versatile programming language widely used in the data science and geospatial communities. This workshop will focus on leveraging R to perform simple but powerful geospatial operations, including spatial clips and selections, buffers, and calculation of point, line, and polygon statistics. Accessing and importing spatial data from various sources will be covered. Presentation quality and interactive map creation will be included. Projections, transformations, and exporting geospatial features produced in R will also be covered. The workshop will follow tidy coding principles, utilizing sf and tidyverse packages. Workshop materials will be available online and fully reproducible. Participants will ideally have some experience with R, but newcomers are welcome. It is important to have R, and R Studio, already installed on your computer. Questions about the course are welcome.

Stonefly nymphs can be difficult and frustrating to identify. This new and revised workshop will provide tips on how to make stonefly identifications less difficult and how to avoid the pitfalls that lead to common misidentifications. Concentration will be on the more troublesome genera, such as the gill-less nemourids and taeniopterygids, the chloroperlids, some surprisingly difficult perlids, and leutrids vs. capniids, with an overview of the other families. The use of habitat, life cycle and emergence times in identifying nymphs will also be discussed. The presentation will use photos, drawings, specimens, taxa lists and new keys to genera in the region. Participants are encouraged to bring along specimens that they would like identified. Handouts will include regional keys to some families, an identification guide, and confirmed regional species lists.