Our Headwaters Assessments are an annual survey in which volunteers explore the headwaters of the San Diego River and collect data for our organization and other land managers, such as the U.S. Forest Service. Similar to last year, we are focusing our efforts on documenting the Southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida), an endemic freshwater turtle in central/southern California, along with other threatened and endangered species, hydromodifications, non-native invasive species, and more. Our assessment in April involves strenuous hiking through pristine wilderness, encompassing varied terrain and requiring bushwhacking.
During this virtual event, we will cover the basic protocols and procedures for our annual Headwaters Assessment. Volunteers will learn how to observe and record threatened and endangered species, hydromodifications, non-native invasive species, and more. We will also discuss the segment locations that we will be surveying on April 18th. Additionally, we will provide information on basic safety and best practices to minimize your impact while hiking in these pristine areas. The virtual training session will last for one hour. We hope to see you there!
If you are unable to attend the in-person training, we have a recorded virtual training available. Follow this [link] for the recording and the presentation from last year.
