Next offering of the course: October 18-26, 2025
Amphibians and reptiles are among the most threatened vertebrate taxa on Earth. Knowledge of the biology, ecology and identification of both amphibians and reptiles along with sound field survey and data collection skills are an asset to people working in or planning to work in the environmental sector. This course will provide specific training in herpetology at an intermediate level for those who wish to gain more experience with and knowledge of amphibians and reptiles in a tropical setting. Participants in the course will assist with targeted field surveys at Tirimbina Biological Reserve in Costa Rica. They will learn about and assist with appropriate field survey and monitoring methods while developing identification, data collection, and data analysis skills. Data collected during the course will serve to provide critical baseline data about amphibian and reptile biodiversity at Tirimbina Biological Reserve.
Enrollment Requirements
This course is open to students, graduates, and industry professionals. Current students must have successfully completed a minimum of all semester 2 courses in their designated program to participate in this course. Participants may be in semester 3, 4, 5 or 6 of their program OR they can be graduates of environmental programs. Priority will be given to applicants who have already completed at least two of the following courses: Amphibian Biology & ID, Reptile Biology & ID, Monitoring Amphibians & Reptiles, a university level herpetology course or have the equivalent in field experience with amphibians and reptiles. Community members and professionals wishing to participate in the course will be assessed based on relevant work/volunteer experience. Each applicant will be scored based on how many of the courses they have completed and their semester of study. As an example, an applicant that has completed 2 courses and is in their 6th semester would have a score of 2 (courses completed) + 6 (semester of study) = 8. The top 16 scores are offered a spot on the team first.
This course is open to students, graduates, and industry professionals. Current students must have successfully completed a minimum of all semester 2 courses in their designated program to participate in this course. Participants may be in semester 3, 4, 5 or 6 of their program OR they can be graduates of environmental programs. Priority will be given to applicants who have already completed at least two of the following courses: Amphibian Biology & ID, Reptile Biology & ID, Monitoring Amphibians & Reptiles, a university level herpetology course or have the equivalent in field experience with amphibians and reptiles. Community members and professionals wishing to participate in the course will be assessed based on relevant work/volunteer experience. Each applicant will be scored based on how many of the courses they have completed and their semester of study. As an example, an applicant that has completed 2 courses and is in their 6th semester would have a score of 2 (courses completed) + 6 (semester of study) = 8. The top 16 scores are offered a spot on the team first.