Workshop Registration Instructions

To register click “Add to Cart” on the desired workshop. From the cart you may change the quantity of spots reserved as well as “Continue Shopping” which will allow you to add other workshops. To pay through PayPal you do not need your own PayPal account, just a credit card. If you choose to pay by check (payable to “Aton Forest, Inc.”) please email or call us and send payment to:

Aton Forest // PO Box 509 // Norfolk, CT 06058

After registering, you will be directed to a confirmation page. If you required a receipt, please email us at contact@atonforest.org.

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July 10 & 11 - Sedge Identification


This plant identification workshop focuses on field identification, ecology, and indicator value of genus Carex, i.e. the “sedges”, the most diverse genus of vascular plants in Connecticut.  Considered by many a “cryptic” (i.e., hard-to-identify) group, the sedges are actually a well-behaved taxonomic group with relatively little hybridization. The majority of sedges are in fact identifiable in the field with no more than 10X magnification, and many Carex species have high value as indicators of hydrologic regime, fertility regime, and natural community types of special biodiversity significance. The workshop will emphasize development of field identification skills, as opposed to collection and keying out of specimens in the lab.  If/when weather is severe, we will work inside with collected specimens. For the information of those who have attended our earlier Carex workshops, we will cover several of the same habitats and most of the same species as in previous years, but we also visit some new sites and habitats, and will cover some species not covered in previous years. Also, there will be new, improved editions of the class handouts available.

In addition to the field sessions there will be an optional lab session offered on July 10th after a dinner break.

Each participant should bring: a good quality hand lens with at least 10X magnification; fine-pointed forceps that can be carried in the field; a centimeter/millimeter ruler; hip or chest waders; his/her choice of insect repellent, sun protection, etc. The waders are not absolutely essential, but participants should in any case be prepared be in thigh-deep water/muck some of the time. A waterproof field notebook and collecting bags are highly recommended.

Taxonomy will follow Arthur Haines' Flora Novae Angliae.

BILL MOORHEAD is an independent consulting field botanist based in western Connecticut.  He has specialized for 20 years in the search for populations of rare plants and their habitats, and the study of plant communities and the factors determining their species composition and distribution.  He leads plant and plant community walks and canoe-trip “eco-tours”, and teaches plant identification workshops in difficult plant groups, such as sedges, grasses, asters and goldenrods, as well as invasive species and their native look-a-likes.

Location: Aton Forest Headquarters - 270 North Colebrook Rd. Norfolk, CT 06058
Date: Wednesday July, 10 – Thursday July, 11 2013
Time: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuition: $150 - we accept check by mail (PO Box 509 Norfolk, CT 06058) or card via PayPal, lunch and refreshments provided.

  • 5 CEU's are available for CT Forest Practitioners
  • 4 Credits are available for Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals
  • 1 Renewal Point is available for the Society of Wetland Scientists' Professional Certification Program

Workshop limited to 15 participants, registration and payment required in advance.

For more information/registration please contact us at (860)542-5125 or contact@atonforest.org


Note: If a session is canceled by us for any reason, tuition payments will be refunded in full, by mail.  If a registered participant cancels, tuition may or may not be refunded, at our discretion, depending upon the final class size.

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