Training & Courses
MBI's education program is driven by methods routed in science and the core value of environmental stewardship. We offer training courses aimed not only at professionals, but anyone interested in increasing their knowledge and skills in aquatic resource ecology and evaluation.
Professional Training Overview
MBI has conducted a variety of training courses for many years. We believe that when environmental and conservation professionals are fully informed, better decisions about the wise use of resources are made possible.
Ohio Credible Data Program
Level 3 QDC: Fish Level 3 QDC: Macroinvertebrate Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI)Additional Professional Training
Ohio Rapid Assessment Method for Wetlands (ORAM) Primary Headwater Training (PHW)Looking for something but can't find it or not sure which course is right for you?
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Community & Citizen Science
Participate in our Citizen Science Program and become part of meaningful ecological research. No prior experience is needed—just a passion for the environment. Contribute to important studies, deepen your understanding of local ecosystems, and engage in discussions on pressing environmental topics.
Ohio Qualified Data Collector Training (QDC)
MBI offers courses for those seeking Qualified Data Collectors certification under the Ohio Credible Data Program through Ohio EPA .
Professional Training
Level 3 Bioassessment: Fish
Fish are widely used by federal, state, and local governments as a key biological assemblage to monitor river and stream health. MBI offers instructional training in the concepts, methods, and applications of fish assemblage data to environmental monitoring and assessment.
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Additional Professional Training
Hello there!
Meet Your Instructors
Our instructors are among the most experienced in their fields and have been pioneers in the development of aquatic resource monitoring and assessment. Many of our staff have developed the methods we present through our training, which are widely applied in effective bioassessment programs today.
Edward T Rankin
Aquatic Ecologist
Martin J Knapp
Lead Macroinvertebrate Ecologist
Brian Gara
Wetland Ecologist
Jack T Freda
Macroinvertebrate Ecologist
Edward Hicks
Fish Ecologist and Crew Leader
Chelsea Dingess
Education/ Administrative Coordinator and Aquatic Ecologist
Our Course Reviews
See What Others Are Saying
Joshua P.
I recently completed this course and was thoroughly impressed. The content was well-structured and directly applicable to real-world fieldwork. I left feeling genuinely confident in my ability to apply the ORAM scoring methodology in the field. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to sharpen their wetland assessment skills or those first starting out in the field.
Lindsey S
The Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) training significantly enhanced my ability to assess and document stream quality accurately and comprehensively. Mr. Rankin’s expertise, combined with his genuine scientific curiosity, created an engaging and highly effective learning environment. During the classroom portion of the training, he provided thorough explanations of each metric, including the rationale behind them and the supporting scientific data. The field component was equally valuable—evaluating streams alongside an expert and applying the concepts in real-world settings reinforced and clarified everything we had learned the previous day. The experience was both educational and enjoyable, and I look forward to future opportunities to learn from the talented team at MBI.
Anonymous
The training was great! The field portion was especially great
Allie E
Thorough, great practice and good mix of hands on vs in classroom training
Anonymous
Fantastic! The training did a great job of preparing me to identify and analyze all the various conditions that can be present in a headwater stream, and
Lisa B
MBI's PHWH course made me more comfortable and confident assessing primary headwater streams and using the HHEI to score streams.
Kristy S
The content of the course was perfect for the projects that our company completes
Rick N
Excellent, fun and educational
Nick V
I thought it was very well done and covered all ORAM caveats.
Michael R
MBI's ORAM course is extremely in-depth and provides clarity for some of the more objective assessment criteria, as well as a great experience in the field.
Mitchell M
This training directly touched on all the topics within the ORAM form with which I had questions about, and provided me with the necessary tools to more accurately score wetlands.
Hannah C
I felt the content and scope were very relevant to learning and understanding ORAM methodology.
Hannah C
I thought Brian was an excellent instructor. I do not feel there should be any changes. He gave the group may opportunities to ask questions as well as test our knowledge. Everything was very valuable for me.
Our Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Get Started?
Because it varies by course, this information as well as complete course instructions are available when you view your order. Simply go to “My Account”, and click on view.
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Yes, as long as the person who made payment/paid for the course sends an email message from the email account on record to info@mbieducation.com prior to the start time of the first day of the course. The e-mail must indicate the name, e-mail and phone number of the new participant.
Yes - we ask that course participants provide their own transportation to and from field sites. However, we encourage car pooling and will make every attempt to minimize the number of vehicles traveling to the field sites.
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