We are very excited to announce the first series of new educational workshops at Floracliff called the Floracliff Field Studies. The main purpose of the workshop series is to highlight biodiversity through hands-on experience. For the first four workshops, we will be focusing on the botanical, aquatic, or fungal diversity of mostly Floracliff and Kentucky, but in some cases also examining national and global diversity of some groups of species. Workshop participants will gain experience in species identification, biological surveys, stream sampling techniques, creating urban habitats, observing relationships between species, and more.
While the workshops are open to anyone, we think they will be of particular interest to naturalists, biology students, science educators, and land managers, as well as those with a strong passion for the subject. Each workshop will cost $50, which covers a book or other resource for everyone who attends. All workshops will start at Floracliff, but will include field trips to other regional locations. To ensure a spot, early registration is strongly encouraged. We will be offering one scholarship per workshop to a current college student.

Registration Form

Scholarship Application

Workshop Schedule

June 22-23: Backyard Wildlife Habitats
Instructor: Mary Carol Cooper

Backyard and schoolyard habitats provide important sanctuaries where urban wildlife can find food, water, and shelter.  They also serve to beautify the landscape and provide wildlife viewing opportunities for residents and students.  This seminar will provide participants with resources to get started creating their own habitat and introduce them to the definition of native, why attracting insects is important, plant identification, plant propagation, microforests, wildlife, and nest box building.  Field trips will include a hike at Floracliff, native plant gardens, a rain garden, and an outdoor classroom.  All participants will receive a Backyard Wildlife Habitat kit and nest box materials.  Full description and tentative itinerary here

Mary Carol has recently retired from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources where she served as the Coordinator of the Salato Native Plant Program for 14 years. There she maintained 2 greenhouses full of native plants which are used to landscape Salato exhibits and are donated to public lands and schools who are installing outdoor classrooms.

July 13-14: Mushrooms
Instructor: Walt Sturgeon

** As of February 10th, there are only 3 spots available, plus 1 scholarship position for a current student. **

This workshop will stress the diversity of mushrooms and will include information on spore printing, identification, edibility, ethnomycology (people & mushrooms), ecology, and folklore. Participants will be introduced to bioluminescent, edible, toxic and deadly poisonous, and dyeing mushrooms. Mushroom field guides will be discussed. Field trips will include Floracliff and the Daniel Boone National Forest. All participants will be given a copy of Mushrooms of West Virginia.  Full description here

Walt Sturgeon has 35 years of experience studying wild mushrooms. He is an award winning mushroom photographer and author and the recipient of the North American Mycological Association's Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology and the Northeast Foray Federation's Friend of the Amateur award.

September 7-8: Kentucky’s Aquatic Biodiversity
Instructors: Michael Compton & Ryan Evans

This workshop will focus on the diverse groups of aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish in Kentucky. An introduction of Kentucky’s Aquatic Natural History, with a focus on the species within the Palisades and Bluegrass Region of the state will be presented. Field trips to local streams will be made. Students will spend time in-stream and in the laboratory, collecting, identifying, and discussing the ecology, behavior, habitats, and conservation of aquatic organisms. Course material will be provided but all participants should have the proper clothing and footwear to efficiently and safely navigate within the stream channel. Students should plan to get wet and have fun and experience Kentucky’s rich Aquatic Biodiversity!  Full description and tentative itinerary here

Michael currently is the Aquatic Zoologist for the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. He has 20 years of experience in the collection, identification and conservation of Kentucky’s fish, crayfish, mussels, and insects. Ryan has worked with invertebrates in positions in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky.  His speciality is with freshwater mollusks (freshwater mussels and snails).  He is employed as an aquatic biologist with The Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection – Division of Water. 

November 3-4: Conifers
Instructor: Rob Paratley

In this workshop we will survey the families of living conifers, including some Southern Hemisphere and East Asian conifers that we don’t often see in our region except as occasional ornamentals or in indoor conservatories. Important Northern Hemisphere families will be treated in detail, covering all genera and many important species. We will learn identifying characteristics, adaptations, and utility of many of these, including pine, hemlock, fir, spruce, Douglas-fir, larch, cedar, juniper, false-cypress, arbor-vitae, cypress, incense-cedar, redwood, giant sequoia, bald-cypress, dawn redwood, yew, and torreya. We will review conifer evolutionary history, some controversial new ideas about their evolutionary relationships, and take a tour of many of the world’s conifer-dominated forest systems. We will visit the Lexington Cemetery to look at their collection of conifers. On the second day, we will travel to the Daniel Boone National Forest to look at native conifers.  Full description here

Rob Paratley is the curator of the University of Kentucky herbarium. For the last 15 years, he has taught courses in the Department of Forestry, including Taxonomy of Vascular Plants, Silvics and Tree Identification, and Economic Botany.