We are currently seeking volunteers who would like to visit New Zealand and help work on invasive species research. The research is funded by Landcare Research (http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/) and based at Lincoln University (http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/). Lincoln University is located in the pastoral countryside of Canterbury on the South Island, just minutes outside of NZ's second largest city of Christchurch. But the majority of the intensive field research takes place on the wild West Coast.
Most any duration of stay between 1 Nov 2008 and 28 Feb 2009 is welcome, but volunteers *must pay for their own travel-related costs to get to Christchurch*. We will provide you with: • Free accommodation • Food consumed during fieldwork • A stipend of NZ$200 per week (~US$150) • 2 L of local, microbrewed NZ beer The West Coast is characterized by different habitat types from the rocky *Southern Alps *(dominated by southern beech forests (*Nothofagus *spp.), alpine tussock grasslands, braided rivers, numerous hot springs, and over 3,000 glaciers!!!) to *West Coast rainforests *(characterized by vast swaths of native bush dominated by native podocarps with a broadleaf & tree fern under story and an enormous variety of other vascular and non-vascular flora. The entire region is punctuated with tens of thousands of waterfalls & pristine streams and is host to many unique and endangered endemic species of animals including kea (*Nestor notobilis *), *Arachnocampa *glowworms, weka (*Gallirallus australis *), burrowing little blue penguins (*Eudyptula minor*), whio (*Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos*) and kiwi (*Apteryx *spp.). The basic work regimen will consist of four or five days working and camping in the field followed by three full days off. If you are interested or would like more information please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you wish to volunteer please include a CV and a couple of references. Cheers! Scot Waring Bio-protection & Ecology Division Lincoln University PO Box 84 Lincoln 7647 New Zealand [EMAIL PROTECTED] tel: 64 (03) 325 2811 x8856 fax: 64 (03) 325 3864 www.lincoln.ac.nz/bpec "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." ~ John Muir
