Training for New Parabotanists

This class is mandatory for all new volunteers. The classroom lecture introduces the project and the atlas grid square system, reviews guidelines for participation, and outlines procedures for collecting field data and keeping a field notebook. Included is a classroom demonstration of plant collecting and pressing techniques. Participants have the opportunity to purchase supplies (e.g., plant presses, field notebooks, maps) and sign up to adopt an atlas grid square. Held either on a weekday morning or in the evening at the San Diego Natural History Museum . Trainings are scheduled on an “as-needed” basis. Check the Schedule (above) for available dates.

Refresher for Trained Parabotanists
We occasionally offer this refresher class to parabotanists who have already completed the mandatory introductory training class but wish to receive further instruction. We meet at the San Diego Natural History Museum and walk over to Florida Canyon where we do a more detailed demonstration of plant collecting techniques, teach how to use maps to correctly find your site coordinates, and review how to record field data. This hands-on class is intended to allow parabotanists to review what they learned in the introductory class, find out what is new since taking their training class, and ask specific questions in a field setting.