ARCTIC ALASKA SHOREBIRD DEMOGRAPHICS PROJECT

at Wildlife Conservation Society

Location:
Arctic Alaska

Duration:
25 May to 25 July 2012

Job Type:
Seasonal

Application Deadline:
04/15/2012

Job Description:
Field Associates (2) and Crew Leader (1) – needed from 25 May to 25 July 2012 to participate in a study with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a project assessing breeding population demography of shorebird species nesting in tundra habitat in Arctic Alaska. We will target two species (Semipalmated Sandpipers and Dunlin) although other species may be studied. The main duties will include conducting nest searches (using both rope-drag and behavioral techniques), floating eggs to determine age, monitoring nests for survivorship, trapping birds using bow nets or mist nets, placing both color-bands and USFWS metal bands on birds, collecting basic morphometric information, and resighting color-banded birds (using both binoculars and spotting scopes). We will also collect feather and blood samples from all captured birds for future genetic studies. Other duties will include insect sampling (using terrestrial pitfall traps and aquatic sweep net sampling), setting up a weather station for automated climate data collection, categorizing nesting habitat type, and data entry. One of the field associates will work ½ time on a separate side-project identifying nest predators at active nests of tundra-nesting shorebirds and passerines using 15 motion-triggered cameras. This position will require maintenance of the Reconyx® camera systems and relocating cameras to new nests when the previously monitored nests are no longer active, and be responsible for managing the data (downloading predation events, data entry, etc.). The crew will be located at a field site in a remote location accessed by bush plane (near the Ikpikpuk River). Another crew of 2 working on a separate project will also be stationed at this camp. Employees at this site will be working out of a remote field camp (tent living) for approximately 7 weeks and will be expected to participate in camp set-up and maintenance. Employees will be paid a monthly stipend of $1200-1800 depending on experience. Lodging and travel within Alaska will be provided and food costs will be covered upon arrival to the field site. Essential camping gear will be provided for. Travel to Alaska will be partially covered ($500 voucher) by WCS.

To Apply:
Please send a cover letter, resume and at least three references (with contact information) by email to JOE LIEBEZEIT (EM: jliebezeit AT wcs.org) in a SINGLE MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENT. Include in your cover letter any relevant experience and your interest in applying for this position. Application deadline: April 15, 2012 although hiring will begin AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Qualifications:
Preferred applicants will have outdoor camping/wilderness and firearms experience. Preferred applicants will have excellent nest-searching ability and bird handling/trapping experience, and be familiar with using a compass, GPS, and Micro-soft Excel. Applicants must be enthusiastic, in excellent physical condition and willing to hike many miles each day in hip boots, and be able to work independently as well as with others for long hours in, sometimes, difficult field conditions. Field conditions will often be wet and cold, then buggy later in the season. Applicants must be comfortable working in bear country. . A B.S. degree in wildlife ecology or a related field is preferred, but not required. Non-U.S. citizen applicants must have (or obtain) a social security number.