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.

By registering for an Aton Forest workshop you are also added to our mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time.


7/1 & 7/8 - Sedge Identification


led by Bill Moorhead

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 8th 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.

Please contact instructor Bill Moorhead, atwhmoorhead@optonline.net or 860-567-4920, if you have any questions about the level and content of the workshop (particularly as they relate to decisions about taking only one day vs. both days of the workshop).

BILL MOORHEAD is an independent consulting field botanist based in western Connecticut.  He has specialized for 25 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.
NOTE: This workshop needs a minimum of 12 participants to run.
Continuing Education Units Available:
CT Forest Practitioner - 2.5 CEU / day
CT Pesticide Applicator - 8.0 CEU (3A) / day
NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals - 4.0 CEU / day

Location: Aton Forest (270 North Colebrook Rd. Norfolk, CT)
Date: Wednesdays, July 1 & 8, 2015
Time: 8:30AM - 5:00PM
Registration: $75 (each day), lunch and refreshments provided


Select Day: