VOLUNTEERS FIELD HELPERS RECRUITMENT
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PROJECT: Long term study of marine megafauna of the Falklands.
POSITION: Volunteer (unpaid) field helper.
DURATION: about 3 months and a half, two periods: 1) late August 2017
to mid December 2017, and 2) mid December 2017 to late March 2018;
exact dates in the field to be established later.
LOCATION: Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands, Southern Atlantic.
Sea Lion Island on Google maps:
https://www.google.com/maps?q=Sea%25Lion%25Island,%2520Falkland%25Islands
DUTIES:
- Southern elephant seals: counts, marking, mapping, observation of
behavior, pup handling, collection of samples, sedation and handling
of females for TDR and satellite tag deployment
- Killer whales: photoidentification, observation and videotaping of
behavior, necropsies of preys
- Falklands skuas: counts, nest identification and mapping,
observation of behavior
- Striated caracaras: counts, nest identification and mapping,
observation of behavior
- Marine birds: counts and mapping of different species of marine
birds (different species of penguins, cormorants, gulls, geese, and ducks)
- Environmental monitoring: collection of microclimatic data, habitat
classification, collection of GIS data
DEADLINE: June 9th 2017; please note that, capabilities being equal,
positions will be allocated with a first come first served policy
DESCRIPTION
Volunteer field helpers are required for the 2017-2018 field season
of various long-term research projects on marine megafauna of the
Falkland Islands carried out by the Elephant Seal Research Group. The
field work site is Sea Lion Island.
Successful applicants will receive adequate training and will help with:
- a long term project (22 years) on individual life histories and
breeding strategies of southern elephant seals
- a long term project (4 years) on social and hunting bejaviour of
mammal-eating killer whales
- a study of Falklands skua demography, behavior and vocal communication
- various monitoring projects on the different marine and raptor bird
species breeding on Sea Lion Island
- general environmental monitoring of the island, including the
collection of data for the Sea Lion Island GIS
Volunteers will be supervised by the PIs and/or by trained
technicians. Previous experience of field work is appreciated but not
essential. We are recruiting helpers for two periods;
- late August to mid December: focus is elephant seal breeding,
killer whale predation on weaned elephant seal pups, establishment of
pairs and territories by skuas
- mid December to late March: focus is elephant seal moulting,
general killer whale activity and behavior, intensive study of skuas
behavior and communication, monitoring of breeding of marine birds
and raptors, collection of general environmental data
Only applicants who can stay for a whole period (about 3 months and a
half) can be taken into consideration. No volunteer is allowed to
apply to stay for both periods, so please state clearly in your cover
letter for which one you are applying (first or second) or, if you
are available for both, which of the two you prefer (although we
cannot guarantee to meet your preference).
Applicants are required to pay all expenses to get to Sea Lion
Island, and telephone/Internet expenses while there. Accommodation
and food at SLI will be provided by the ESRG. Accommodation on SLI is
rather basic and self-catering, but comfortable for a field research
setting (heating, hot water, shower, Internet connection hotspot in
the nearby lodge). We are asking volunteers a 300 Euro contribution
to help us with management expenses and research equipment maintenance.
Applicants will be required to work in the field for the whole length
of the day, six days per week. Once per week volunteers will not work
in the field. That day they will carry out two hours of house keeping
and four hours of data processing, being free for the rest of the day.
Volunteers are required to help with cooking, cleaning of their cabin
and general maintenance tasks . The data collection protocol is
complex, the field work is physically very hard, and it is often
carried out in bad weather conditions. People without a good
tolerance to cold are discouraged to apply. It is a very rewarding,
but demanding, experience.
The island is a wonderful place with large unspoiled sandy beaches,
and a very rich and very tame wildlife, it is the best hot spot for
wildlife oriented tourism in the Falklands, it is an Important Birds
Area and an Important Plants Area, a RAMSAR convention site, and it
is becoming a National Nature Reserve.
APPLICATION
To apply please send 1) a cover letter describing your interest in
the position and summarizing your qualifications for it, 2) a
detailed CV, and 3) a copy of an identification document (with
picture). Reference letters (3 maximum) are appreciated, but not
essential, and should be sent directly to the email address mentioned below.
If you think you may have extra documentation that can be relevant
(eg, copy of a thesis, certificates, etc.) please mention them in
your email, but don't send them unless requested.
Please place all documents in a single PDF file, name it as
"your_surname - ESRG2017 - application", and email it as an
attachment of an email to dr. Filippo Galimberti ([email protected]).
Deadline for first call applications is June 9th, 2017. Due to the
limited number of positions available we warmly suggest perspective
candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Thanks
The ESRG team
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