College of Applied Biologists

Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association
2025-07-27 - 2025-08-01 | Victoria Conference Centre, 720 Douglas St, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3M7, Canada
The 73rd annual international conference of the Wildlife Disease Association will be held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from July 27 to August 1, 2025, at the Victoria Conference Centre. The conference vision, Community, Collaboration, and Communication provides direction in sharing concepts and relationships built with regional First Nations, those further afield, other communities, and One Health practitioners.
In addition to dedicated sessions, workshops and presentations, the many ways we learn, teach and share will be highlighted in discussions on wildlife health and stewardship of the land, water and sky and animals sharing those ecosystems. Our conference graphics are representative of species from the location, the west coast of Canada; unique, diverse and vulnerable.
WDA 2025: Building communities promotes collaboration and communication for change.

Electrofishing Certification - Online (self-paced) & West Vancouver, July 24th, 2025
2025-07-24 | Online (Self-paced) & West Vancouver, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification West Vancouver Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session.

Electrofishing Certification - Online (self-paced) & Cochrane, July 18th, 2025
2025-07-18 | Online (Self-paced) & Cochrane, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification Cochrane Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session.

Wetlands in Alberta’s Peace Region – July 15&16 in Grimshaw, AB
2025-07-15 - 2025-07-16 | Grismshaw, Alberta, Alberta, Canada
On July 15&16, in Grimshaw, AB, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance (MPWA) are teaming up to host Wetlands in Alberta’s Peace Region – A Wetlands in the Boreal Workshop Series Workshop Series, a free two-day workshop all about wetlands in the Peace Region!

Electrofishing Certification - Online (self-paced) & Kamloops, July 12th, 2025
2025-07-12 | Online (Self-paced) & Kamloops, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification Kamloops Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session.

Electrofishing Certification - Online (self-paced) & Kamloops, July 11th, 2025
2025-07-11 | Online (Self-paced) & Kamloops, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

Survey Methods and Health Training: Advance Your Expertise in Whitebark & Limber Pine Restoration
2025-07-10 - 2025-07-11 | Manning Park, 7500 BC Hwy 3, Manning Park, BC, V1K 1P3
Join the leading experts in whitebark and limber pine recovery for an immersive, field-based training experience. WPEFC has been at the forefront of delivering specialized training for consultants, field staff, and professionals committed to restoring these endangered keystone species.
Our accredited two-day field courses offer a rare opportunity to learn directly from the best in the field, build a strong professional network, and gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge restoration techniques.
What You’ll Gain:
Expert-Led Training – Learn from top specialists in whitebark and limber pine conservation.
Field Experience That Matters – Develop the technical skills needed to collect high-quality field data.
Professional Development Accreditation – Earn a recognized certificate from WPEFC to showcase your expertise.
Course Overview:
📍 Day 1: Comprehensive introduction to whitebark and limber pine ecosystems, threats, and recovery strategies.
📍 Day 2: Fieldwork focused on species identification, disease and pest assessment, plus-tree selection, and precise data collection.
Accurate field data is the foundation of effective restoration. Without the right skills, costly errors can lead to setbacks for these fragile ecosystems. Whether you’re a consultant, land manager, or researcher, this training equips you with the knowledge and competency to make a real impact.
Hands-On Learning Topics Include:

Identifying whitebark & limber pine and differentiating them in the field
Detecting white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle damage
Understanding why rust ID is critical for endangered species recovery
Selecting plus trees for rust resistance potential
Collecting high-quality field data for conservation and long-term monitoring
Best practices for cone collection, handling, and transport

Take the next step in your professional development while contributing to the recovery of these iconic high-elevation forests. Join us and be part of the movement leading the way in whitebark and limber pine conservation.
Our 2025 Training Session will take place in Manning Park, BC on July 10th & 11th (register by July 1st).
Registration Fees:
Professional = $620 + GST/ Members $550 + GST

Avian Nest Sweeps and Monitoring Methods - Online - July 3rd - 4th, 2025
2025-07-03 08:30 - 2025-07-04 16:00 (America/Vancouver) | Online
The two-day, fully online Avian Nest Sweeps and Monitoring Methods training program provides information on conducting nest sweeps for breeding birds. Participants will be introduced to regulatory and environmental considerations relevant to nest surveys and will gain insight into the methods commonly used to plan and carry out these activities.

Electrofishing Certification - Online (self-paced) & Prince George, July 3rd, 2025
2025-07-03 | Online (Self-paced) & Prince George, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification Prince George Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session.

Fish Habitat Assessment – Theory (Online) June 13th & Kamloops – June 26th – June 27th, 2025
2025-06-26 09:00 - 2025-06-27 16:00, 2025-06-13 09:00 - 12:00 | Online & Kamloops, Canada
The Fish Habitat Assessment course is an intensive, ‘hands-on’, online, and field-based two-day review of standard North American fish and fish habitat assessment and evaluation methods. In this course, participants will learn first-hand how to conduct measurements, assessments and evaluations of stream morphology, fish habitat features, substrate, pebble counts, stream impacts and habitat limiting factors.

Construction Monitoring — Wildlife Mitigation – Online – June 24th, 2025
2025-06-24 08:30 - 12:30 | Online
Emphasizing hands-on learning, you’ll navigate timing considerations for various species and explore terrestrial and aquatic isolation methods. By course end, you’ll master the art of assessing, executing, and refining wildlife mitigation to uphold environmental regulations and foster sustainable construction practices.

Wetland Classification: An Introduction
2025-06-23 09:00 - 2025-06-25 17:00 | Okanagan College, 1401 1 St W, Revelstoke, BC, Canada
This course is designed to introduce students to the basics of wetland identification and classification. Students will be introduced to the foundations of how to recognize, map, classify, and describe wetlands using the Canadian Wetland Classification System and will provide an overview for identifying common wetland ecosystem sites and plant associations using the Wetlands of British Columbia and other updated Land Management Handbooks (LMH). Other topics such as wetland delineation and assessment (function and condition) will be introduced but are not the focus of this course.

Fish Habitat Assessment – Theory (Online) June 13th & Nova Scotia (Central) – June 23rd & 24th, 2025
2025-06-23 - 2025-06-24, 2025-06-13 09:00 - 12:00 | Online & Nova Scotia, Canada
This course is an intensive, ‘hands-on’, online, and field-based two-day review of standard North American fish and fish habitat assessment and evaluation methods. In this course, participants will learn first-hand how to conduct measurements, assessments and evaluations of stream morphology, fish habitat features, substrate, pebble counts, stream impacts and habitat limiting factors.

Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & West Vancouver, June 20th, 2025
2025-06-20 | Online (Self-paced) & West Vancouver, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification West Vancouver Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session. If the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training is not completed at least 5 days prior to the Field Session, you will be automatically deregistered from the Field Session. Your tuition fee will be held and can be applied to another course.

Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Cochrane, June 20th, 2025
2025-06-20 | Online (Self-paced) & Cochrane, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification Cochrane Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session. If the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training is not completed at least 5 days prior to the Field Session, you will be automatically deregistered from the Field Session. Your tuition fee will be held and can be applied to another course.

Fish Habitat Assessment – Theory (Online) June 13th & Fort St. John – June 19th – June 20th, 2025
2025-06-19 09:00 - 2025-06-20 16:00, 2025-06-13 09:00 - 12:00 | Online & Fort St. John, Canada

Communicating Environmental Science – Online – June 18th, 2025
2025-06-18 10:00 - 14:00 | Online
In this interactive four-hour MicroCourse, you’ll learn practical strategies to simplify scientific concepts, craft compelling narratives, and navigate common communication challenges with confidence.

Field Soil Description & Classification Course
2025-06-18 09:00 - 2025-06-20 17:00 | Okanagan College, 1401 1 St W, Revelstoke, BC, Canada
This course covers procedures for observing, measuring, and describing soils in the field. The goal is to produce consistent data for soil inventory, mapping and classification using techniques that improve the consistency of determining soil properties in the field. Students gain experience with describing and classifying forest and wetland soils in the Revelstoke area using soil horizons and properties measured in the field. Students discuss how soil data collected in the field can inform soil management practices relating to conservation, agriculture, forestry, mining, and oil & gas activities.

9th Indigenous Resource Opportunities Conference
2025-06-18 - 2025-06-20 | Vancouver Island Conference Centre, 101 Gordon Street, Nanaimo, BC, V9R 5J8, Canada
The conference will focus on sharing success stories of First Nations, resource developers and the Government working together to advance positive projects.

Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Kelowna, June 18th, 2025
2025-06-18 | Online (Self-paced) & Kelowna, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification Kelowna Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session. If the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training is not completed at least 5 days prior to the Field Session, you will be automatically deregistered from the Field Session. Your tuition fee will be held and can be applied to another course.

Species at Risk – Online, June 17th – 18th, 2025
2025-06-17 09:00 - 2025-06-18 16:00 | Online
Species at Risk is an applied, two-day, online with a student led field component course focusing on how to determine which species at risk are known to occur in a particular area, how to identify potential habitat opportunities, and how to assign a relative potential for that species to be present.

Wetland Plant Identification – Online – June 9th & June 16th, 2025
2025-06-16 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-06-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Online
This course is intended for students, young professionals, or plant enthusiasts with a beginner level of knowledge of plant identification looking to improve their skills and become more effective at wetland plant identification.

Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Whitehorse, June 16th, 2025
2025-06-16 | Online(Self-paced) & Whitehorse, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification Whitehorse Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session. If the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training is not completed at least 5 days prior to the Field Session, you will be automatically deregistered from the Field Session. Your tuition fee will be held and can be applied to another course.

Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Cranbrook, June 13th, 2025
2025-06-13 | Online (Self-paced) & Cranbrook, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification Cranbrook Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session. If the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training is not completed at least 5 days prior to the Field Session, you will be automatically deregistered from the Field Session. Your tuition fee will be held and can be applied to another course.

Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Mayo, June 12th, 2025
2025-06-12 | Online (Self-paced) & Mayo, Canada
By registering for the Electrofishing Certification Mayo Field Session, you will also be registered in the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training. Please note that the online Self-Paced Training must be completed before attending the Field Session. If the Electrofishing Certification Self-Paced Training is not completed at least 5 days prior to the Field Session, you will be automatically deregistered from the Field Session. Your tuition fee will be held and can be applied to another course.

BC Native Bee Course
2025-06-11 - 2025-06-15 | Penticton, BC
This course is a deep dive into the biology and taxonomy of the diverse and amazing native bees of BC. We will spend three days in the lab at Okanagan College Penticton with Lincoln Best and Bonnie Zand looking at bee specimens under the microscope. You will learn to ID bumble bees to the species level, and all other BC bees to genera. This will be followed by two field days in the South Okanagan learning field survey methods and observing a great diversity of native bees and plants. This course is an amazing resource for professionals looking to expand their knowledge and skills and also a wonderful and accessible course for entomology enthusiasts and students alike.
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19PwgzuBNd/
Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHmTekxhnTA/
