Intensive seminars: Seminars range from four to 10 days in length and provide introductory to advanced GIS skills, dependant on the needs of the groups requesting training. We schedule seminars to take place in a central location in order to include representatives of more than one organization, not only helping to develop GIS skills but also facilitating technical connections between groups working toward shared goals.

Individualized training: We arrange for intensive training sessions with organizations that address specific training and equipment needs. Such trainings range from two to four weeks at the location of the trainee organization and include instruction in GIS software, satellite image analysis, database management, and conservation mapping strategies.

Funding: Our trainings are funded in two ways. We work with prospective trainees to develop training programs funded by grant support from foundations and government agencies, for trainings scheduled six to nine months in advance and contingent on obtaining adequate travel and operational funds. We also provide trainings funded by private donations and direct support from trainee organizations, with scheduling restricted only by our existing training commitments.

Recent trainings:
Altai Republic - 2004
In August of 2004, Rankin Holmes of BSCI traveled to the Altai Republic to work with Arkhar NGO in their efforts of coordinating a transboundary monitoring system for the threatened Altai Argali sheep.  Arkhar is developing a GIS Geodatabase for the Altai-Sayan Region to better protect and understand the remaining Argali sheep and changes occurring in their habitat.  This endangered species lives in the transboundary region of the Altai-Sayan Mountains on the borders of Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan making it very difficult geo-politically to protect and manage for.  There are currently a few groups such as Arkhar NGO, the World Wide Fund for Nature-Mongolia and Russia, and the Eco-Altai NGO working with smaller Protected Areas in the region to assist one another with data collection and monitoring of poaching of the Argali in this region.  Groups are also actively working to develop better conservation management plans for this region to better help land management and wildlife protection.

Gorno-Altaisk, Altai Republic - 2004
In November 2004 with the support of the Trust for Mutual Understanding and the ESRI Conservation Program, the Big Sky Conservation Institute conducted a GIS training seminar in the city of Gorno-Altaisk, Altai Republic of Russia.  The training was an intensive week of GIS and learning ESRI’s ArcView 9.x software with Spatial Analyst with numerous working examples of GIS work being conducted throughout this region of Russia.  Participants traveled from all around the surrounding region to attend.  Some of the groups represented were the Altaisky Zapovednik, Katunsky Biosphere Zapovednik, the World Wide Fund for Nature-Mongolia, ECO-Altai NGO, Taiga Research and Protection Agency (AIST), Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina Biosphere Zapovednik, Administration of Protected Areas of the Altai, and the Administration for Protected Areas of Uvs Lake Basin, Mongolia.  This training allowed groups working in and around the Altai-Sayan Eco-region a great opportunity to learn how to implement GIS and analysis in local and regional conservation projects as well as establish better communication and planning between groups.

  Gorno-Altaisk training

Severouralsk, Sverdlovskaya Oblast - 2005
In April, the Big Sky Conservation Institute traveled to the Ural Mountains of Russia to the small mountain town of Severouralsk, home to the Denezhkin Kamen Zapovednik.  The Denezhkin Kamen Zapovednik was our host for our second GIS training seminar in Russia for the year 2004-2005.  This training was our first ever in the Ural Mountain region of Russia and we are proud to say that it was highly successful.  Groups, which attended were the Basegi Zapovednik, Visherskiy Zapovednik, Visimskiy Zapovednik, Orenburgskiy Zapovednik, Malaya Sosva Zapovednik, Bashkirskiy Zapovednik, Kondinskie Ozera Natural Park, Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology and the Taganay National Park.  Participants learned and worked with ESRI’s ArcView 9.x and Spatial Analyst, thanks to the continued support of the ESRI Conservation Program.  In addition to learning GIS and Analysis this training also allowed many of the Zapovedniks whom are part of the Ural Association of Protected Areas a chance to formulate new ideas and plans for more regional and landscape scale cooperative work.  This training was a one-week long course full of GIS lectures, discussion, analysis and ideas.  It was all made possible by the continued support of the Trust for Mutual Understanding to whom once again we would like to express deepest thanks.