Online Learning Library

Onlne Learning Library

The Trail Conference offers digital learning and engagement opportunities for volunteers. From live webinars to on-demand content, we're providing workshops and lectures to boost your skills and knowledge. Many of the below courses count towards our Trail U program.

Sincere thanks to our friends at Subaru Distributors Corp. for their generous support for helping to make these webinars and workshops possible.

Content Categories
 

Volunteer Skills Training
     -Trail Skills
     -Ecology Program and Invasive Species Skills

General Skills Training
      -The Ecosystem Around You
      -Preparing for the Trail
      -Making the Most of Your Legacy Series


"Trail Talks"
      -Making Trails and Navigation Possible     
      -Exploring the Region
      -Trail Insider Series    

Volunteer Skills Training

Trail Skills


Trail Maintenance


Corridor Monitoring


Trail Building

 

Ecology Program and Invasive Species Skills

2024 Invasives Strike Force Training Resources and Webinars

Below is a series of training videos for Lower Hudson PRISM's Invasives Strike Force Survey Program. This community science program is designed to help with the mapping of high priority and/or emerging invasive species in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York and northern New Jersey. If you are interested in potentially becoming an Invasives Strike Force Surveyor, please contact our invasive species team by emailing us at [email protected] for the next steps or by filling out this surveyor questionnaire.

For all volunteers who have been in touch with us and are ready for the next steps in training or you are simply looking for access to on-demand survey training resources, look no further than the next sections for help!

Invasives Strike Force Survey Resources

Step 1: Watch Part 1 Training Video

Invasives Strike Force Surveyor Training Workshop Webinar- Part 1 (Species ID)
Description: This video is the first of two required training videos for the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and Lower Hudson PRISM's Invasives Strike Force Survey Program. This required course helps Invasives Strike Force volunteers gain the skills necessary to identify invasive viburnums, honeysuckles, Japanese spiraea and beech leaf disease in addition to native counterparts to these invasive species. This webinar is a combination of a live Powerpoint Presentation and taped field videos focused on IDs. As trained volunteers, you will then conduct monitoring along assigned trail sections that are convenient to your own home and according to a schedule that works for you!

Step 2: Download Data Collection apps and set up iMapInvasives Account

For this year's survey, you will need to download and use 2 primary mobile applications. The Seek by iNaturalist app and the iMapInvasives app.

1. Visit https://www.nyimapinvasives.org/ (note this step is NOT the same as downloading the iMapInvasives app)

2. Click the “Create Account” button on the webpage and set up your account by following the prompts. For the jurisdiction pulldown option, please choose “New York” if you plan to survey in NY or choose "New Jersey" if you plan to survey in NJ. If you are unsure, then just select NY. Make sure to save your login and password information as you will need to enter it into the mobile app version.

3. You will then receive an email from the iMapInvasives team asking you to officially activate the account. Make sure to check your email and spam. Just click on the link to activate it and you should be set.

4. Once your online account is created on your computer, download the iMapInvasives Mobile app from the App Store (Apple)/Google Play (Android). The app’s icon is a bug and a green leaf against a white background. 

5. Lastly, download the Seek by iNaturalist app on your phone. The Seek app has a green background with a white leaf in the foreground. This app isn't required for surveying but we find it extremely fun and helpful!

6. Once you have both apps ready to go, you can watch Part 2 below!

Step 3: Watch Part 2 Training Video on Data Collection Proceures

Invasives Strike Force Surveyor Training Workshop Webinar- Part 2 (Survey Protocols)
Description: This video outlines the data collection and reporting protocols for the Invasives Strike Force Survey Program organized by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and Lower Hudson PRISM. This webinar is a combination of a live Powerpoint presentation and taped video demonstrations of the field survey, data recording and data reporting process. Once completed with this part of your training, you will officially be ready to take on an assignment and become an official ISF surveyor in 2024!

Step 4: Fill out Survey Questionnaire so we can get an assignment out to you!

Surveyor Questionnaire : Once you have viewed both webinars, you are ready for a field assignment. Fill out this questionnaire so we can assign you a trail convenient for you!

Other Important Links and Resources

ISF Survey Species QuickID Guide : Key features and photos of all the species on the 2024 ISF Survey species list.

ISF Survey Field Data Sheet : This is a .pdf of the data sheet you will need to take with you into the field if you have volunteered as an ISF Standard surveyor. Please take at least 5 copies of this document with you when you go out!

Volunteer Service Agreement: Check this link to to see if you need to fill out a Volunteer Service Agreement for the park you've been assigned. This mainly applies to those of you who were assigned to a NYS State Park or State Forest. The State Park form is very easy to fill out- the State Forest one is a little more complicated so make sure to follow instructions.

Invasives Strike Force Parking Pass: While this isn't an official parking pass for the park, often showing this to a gate attendant and explaining your volunteer role will help with waiving parking fees.

Trail U Credit Link: Interested in getting Trail U Credit? Make sure our volunteer coordinators know you took these courses and earn credit towards your Ecological Expert badge!

Returning Data Instructions

There are three major steps to follow.

1. Make sure you complete STEP 8 of the Training Video to upload all the "yellow boxes" to iMap once you are back in wifi range. You can find this instruction starting at minute 1:10:42 of the ISF Training Video- Part 2 . Your field iMap data points can't be viewed by us until they are uploaded in the manner I refer to above!!!! It sometimes takes a while/takes a few attempts to upload these results even at home so be patient. I recommend uploading 5 yellow boxes at a time! They tick off/get processed one at a time which looks like it keeps "thinking" but it is actually processing (just slowly). Plug in your phone when you start uploading and do something else while it uploads (make dinner, call a friend, whatever)! You'll know everything went through successfully when all of the yellow boxes have disappeared (which means they uploaded properly and are no longer in the queue to be uploaded).

2. We also need everyone to take time out to transfer their written field data into Excel format. Here is the link to the Excel file template you will need to fill out. Please download and fill out this spreadsheet to transfer over the field data into. We have filled in the first 20 rectangle rows in the first column just so you are aware where the data goes and that each row represents a new rectangle. It's in the exact same format as the field data sheet essentially with the exception of cells A1-A4. Remember to count your travel to and from your survey site as part of your volunteer hours as well as count the time you spent inputting data and record the grand total in cell c3! Save the file in the format of SurveyorLastname_TrailName_2023. If we didn't give you an actual trail name in the assignment, just name it after the park and some other signifier such as blaze color or trail section name (e.g., FahnestockBlue or SouthMtnHemlockFallsTrail). We have records of what everyone did so it's easy for us to know exactly where you were.

3. Once the Excel spreadsheet is filled in, please email us at [email protected] to say you are done and have completed the above two steps with the Excel spreadsheet attached! 

Other Invasive Species Spotlight and Field Identification Videos (Not Part of the 2024 ISF Survey)

Check out our invasive species spotlight and field ID series! These short, ~5 minute videos highlight specific common, emerging and/or aquatic invasive species in our region. Each species spotlight video will feature information on the species' introduction history, ecology and impacts in addition to reasons for its invasion success and key ID features. For the species that are included in our Invasives Strike Force Survey program (and for other species featured in our monthly EcoQuest Challenge), we will also be releasing short field identification videos including how to tell it apart from other look-alikes!

Common Invasive Species

Emerging and Less Common Invasive Species

Aquatic Invasive Species

 

General Skills Training

 

The Ecosystem Around You

 

Preparing for the Trail

 

Making the Most of Your Legacy Series

 

"Trail Talks"

Making Trails and Navigation Possible

 

Exploring the Region

 

Trail Insider Series

 

Keep checking our events calendar for new listings!