Introduction to Wildlife Ecology, Conservation, and Monitoring Short Course

The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment is offering a three-day course at Yale-Myers Forest Camp.

October 22 – 24, 2026

Yale-Myers Forest Camp

In Person Event

The Forest School is offering a three-day intensive wildlife monitoring short course. The course will provide a comprehensive overview of wildlife ecology, conservation, and management issues and link to relevant wildlife monitoring approaches.   

The course is intended to provide a hands-on, applied, and practical overview of wildlife issues likely to be encountered by forestry and environmental professionals over the course of their careers. There will also be opportunities for 1-1 consulting meetings with the instructor to discuss individual projects.

The short course will combine introductory lectures on wildlife ecology, conservation, and management with case studies from California and across North America. These cases will provide an insider’s perspective on working within a state wildlife agency. The course will also include time in the field demonstrating camera traps and evaluating what makes for good wildlife habitat. There will be computer lab sessions for getting familiar working with wildlife data to support conservation planning. There will also be several group, role-playing activities focused on environmental review and designing wildlife monitoring projects.

Learning Outcomes

  • Understand the fundamentals of wildlife ecology, conservation, and management in the United States
  • Ability to evaluate wildlife imagery, habitat, and data
  • Opportunity to meet 1-1 with instructor

Intended Attendees

  • Natural resource managers
  • Private landowners
  • Wildlife professionals
  • Foresters

Lead Instructor

 Brett Furnas, PhD

Brett Furnas, PhD, has over 25 years of experience as a wildlife ecologist, applied biostatistician, environmental professional, and supervisor of a research support unit at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. His work has directly supported review of timber harvest permits, endangered species status assessments, and development of statewide management plans for “big game” species. He is also a research associate at UC Davis and has authored, or co-authored, over 40 scientific papers in peer reviewed journals covering topics including climate-change impacts to songbirds and the effects of drought on human-wildlife conflict. 

Registration Details

The short course is held over three days at the Yale-Myers Forest Camp in Eastford, CT. Registration costs $400 and is open through October 19. Lunches are included. Lodging and transportation to and from the course are not included. Refunds are not available for this course.
 

Register Now

 

This course is hosted by The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment.

Questions? Please contact Gary Dunning at forestry@yale.edu.

The Yale-Myers Forest Camp hosts students, foresters, researchers, and practitioners throughout the year for events, workshops, and apprenticeships. The camp is equipped with indoor and outdoor classrooms, a commercial kitchen, dining room, library, and computer lab.