Dear Colleagues: Do you have some extra telemetry gear sitting on a shelf collecting dust? Does it still work? Would you be interested in donating or loaning such equipment to a good cause? If so, please read on!
The Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society runs a 2-week field course in cooperation with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Castleton State College in Vermont in mid to late May each year. The course provides hands-on training to undergraduate and graduate students in a wide variety of field techniques commonly required in entry-level technician positions and for new graduate students, all taught by volunteer wildlife and ecology professionals like you. We strive to keep costs low, total cost of the course including tuition for 3 college credits is $850. As such, we do not have a large equipment budget, but usually do not need to replace much from year to year. One need we do have is to assemble 5 or 6 good working radiotelemetry kits including receivers and matching antennae and transmitters. Used transmitters are fairly easy to obtain, at least on loan, but good working receivers are always in need. If you have a receiver that you are willing to donate or loan to the course please contact me at the email or phone number below. We teach the basics of telemetry so older equipment is fine for our purposes, as long as it is in working order and capable of being charged. Receiver/antenna combos are even better! Transmitters with some life in them are also welcome. Please visit the Field Course website for more information on what we do and where we do it: http://joomla.wildlife.org/NE//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=191&Itemid=302 This is our 4th year offering the course and the class is full for this year, with 21 students from 13 different schools enrolled. Please share this request with any of your colleagues that may have equipment to share. Thanks, John John E. McDonald, Jr., Ph.D Wildlife Research Specialist Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program US Fish & Wildlife Service--Region 5 300 Westgate Center Drive Hadley, MA 01035 413-253-8675 phone 413-253-8487 FAX [email protected] Northeast Section Representative, The Wildlife Society
