I spent a little over 9 months in the "Environmental Consultancy" FAT Program at Earthquest from February through November 2009. The formal courses I took as part of that program were: Levels I and II of plant identification, Level I of bird identification, principles and concepts of Ecological Land Classification, Wetland evaluation, and the GIS course; we also covered use of Microsoft's Access database program.

I did this work after completing the 2-year Horticultural Technician program at Fanshawe College, with the main objective of expanding my knowledge and experience with native plants. I achieved that objective in spades for several reasons:

 

1) Dave Jolly has a breathtaking breadth and depth of botanical knowledge that must be experienced to be believed - you will hardly ever find a plant (or piece of a plant) that he can't identify at any time of the year, and he is more than happy to share that knowledge with his students.

2) Dave has also worked out a very efficient and effective system for plant identification involving a focused inspection of the sample and progressive matching of observed characteristics from family through genus to species. With this system the student is able to grow their plant familiarity and knowledge in manageable, bite-sized bits, so while there is an overwhelming amount to learn, you never really get discouraged but instead can see your performance and ability improve consistently over time.

3) Dave has produced some very helpful guidebooks, plant collections and photos, and your fellow students also share hints and tips for finding good reference materials for use in the field.

4) Finally, all students are encouraged to contribute to the database of flowering dates, and if appropriate, contributions to the Natural Heritage Information Centre (in Peterborough, Ontario) database of rare plants. Again, this gives one a motivating sense of accomplishment.