Workshops - Seminars - Volunteer Opportunities »
Training Workshops
Great Lakes Worm Watch training workshops for formal and non-formal educators are hosted periodically during the year and at different locations across the region. Check back for updates as new workshops are scheduled.
Contact, Great Lakes Worm Watch at greatlakeswormwatch@gmail.com if you would like to schedule a workshop in your area!
Typical workshops can be 3 hours to full day events and may include:
- Introduction to the research, what it shows and how it led to Great Lakes Worm Watch.
- Earthworm anatomy and identification of ecological groups and species.
- Sample methods and strategies for designing a study of your own.
- Getting into the field, hands on introduction to earthworm surveying/sampling options basic soil characteristics; describing habitat and vegetation in a site.
- Learning activities you can use including instructions for conducting habitat, soil & earthworm surveys, Forest ecosystem game “Invasion of the exotic earthworm!” and making earthworm observatories
Volunteer Opportunities
Great Lakes Worm Watch will be providing volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups to get out in the field collecting data on earthworm presence, species composition, and relative abundance along with soils and plants sampling. You will be provided the opportunity to communicate directly with researchers on study design, sampling locations, sampling protocols, identification assistance and outreach opportunities. Get out for the day (or more) conducting earthworm sampling, learning about soil and forest ecosystems and getting firsthand experience of what science is all about. For more information contact Great Lakes Worm Watch at greatlakeswormwatch@gmail.com.
On-going opportunities:
- Help us map the presence of earthworm species across the landscape. This can be done at anytime once the ground thaws up to the first hard frost of the fall.
- Every fall (last week in September first week in October) we hold our "Big Worming Week". By conducting your surveys during our "Big Worming Week", it minimizes the seasonal variability of your data making it more comparable from year to year.
- If you have ideas or suggestions let us know at greatlakeswormwatch@gmail.com.