The aim of the workshop is to have participants able to use the Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA) software as a tool to provide better estimates of habitat loss for a trust resources.  The theory applications, pros and cons of using the HEA model scale for natural resource impacts will be discussed.  Examples of case histories where HEA was used and what ecological metrics will be covered. Students will bring their own laptops (or they will be provided) for hands-on experience manipulating the model and completing real world exercises.  The workshop will be tailored to fit the needs of the region to assist managers and technical staff with pertinent habitat examples or field visits.

College Credit:  N/A

Who Should Attend:  Each session of this workshop will be tailored to the region where it will be held.  Biologists assigned to NRDAR cases, OPA oil spill cases, FWS coastal program staff, federal projects, and refuge staff would be interested in this workshop.

Pre-requisites:  Must be familiar with situations and circumstances in which agencies attempt to mitigate or restore natural resources that are impacted or lost through human actions.

Length:  3 days/24 hours

Objectives:  At the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

• Discuss the relative positive and negative aspects of applying the HEA model to their natural resource losses;
• Apply the appropriate ecological metrics required in the HEA modeling;
• Demonstrate how the model treats ecological parameters and how inputs affect outputs; and
• Develop a plan for collecting data and applying HEA as a tool for scaling natural resource losses.