[ECOLOG-L] The Bee Course 2009

[Gretchen LeBuhn]

THE BEE COURSE is a workshop offered for conservation biologists,
pollination ecologists and other biologists who want to gain greater
knowledge of the systematics and biology of bees. The course objectives
are presented in the course announcement, which can be clicked on below.
Also available is the application form for the 2009 course, which will
be held at the Southwestern Research Station, Portal, Arizona, from
August 31 to September 9, 2009.



For more information, visit:
http://research.amnh.org/invertzoo/beecourse/

[ECOLOG-L] Job-Seasonal Avian Point Counters

[=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Rebecca_Cahall?=]

BIRD POINT COUNTERS needed May-July 2009 to assist in the study of the
longer-term effects of thinning forest stands on songbirds. This is a
continuation of an Oregon Dept. of Forestry/Oregon State University project
that examined the short-term effects of thinning; study sites were thinned
13 years ago. Fieldwork will be conducted in the Tillamook Forest, located
in the northern Coast Range of Oregon. Responsibilities include point count
surveys, nest searching for focal species, vegetation surveys, and data
entry. Must love early mornings (4 am), be physically fit, and able to
maintain a good attitude. Shared housing near site and field vehicles are
provided. Salary: $1550-2000, depending on experience. 

QUALIFICATIONS: Prior field experience, identification of western birds by
sight and sound, experience with detailed collection of data, and sense of
humor for unpredictable field experiences. Strongly prefer previous
experience conducting point counts. Applicants should be tolerant of living
and working closely with the same crewmembers throughout the field season,
and be flexible to changing tasks. 

TO APPLY: Please send application materials (cover letter, resume, and at
least 2 references) as a single document to Rebecca Cahall (rebecca.cahall
 oregonstate.edu). Include in your letter any relevant experience and
your interest in applying for this position. Review of applications begins
immediately and candidates will be hired as applications are received.

[ECOLOG-L] Vegetation Technician Positions in Ely, Nevada

[Neil Frakes]

The Eastern Nevada Landscape Coalition (ENLC) is seeking applications for 
Vegetation Technicians.

JOB TITLE: Vegetation Technician
DURATION: March 30th through the end of August
SCHEDULE: 40 hours per week, in an eight-on, six-off schedule (10 hour 
days)
PAY: $14.00/hour 
LOCATION: Ely, Nevada
APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 9th, 2008

POSITION DESCRIPTION: This is a field position that requires extensive 
camping and backcountry travel. Technicians will be responsible for 
collecting and entering post-fire vegetation response data from recently 
burned areas located in remote parts of Eastern Nevada on public lands 
administered by the BLM. Data collected will be used to evaluate the 
effectiveness of emergency stabilization and rehabilitation treatments. 
Common treatments include aerial and hand seeding of perennial grasses, 
forbs and shrubs to stabilize soils and prevent the introduction and 
spread of invasive plants and noxious weeds. All Technicians will be 
responsible for driving and hiking to sampling locations. Technicians will 
be required to collect data following rigorous sampling protocols. This is 
a great opportunity to learn about the flora of the Great Basin and Mojave 
and also to learn about fire ecology in the region. 

TECHNICIAN QUALIFICATIONS: 
•   Interest in plant identification (experience preferred)
•   Data entry into a PDA
•   Operating 4X4 pickup over rough roads
•   Backcountry navigation using topographic maps, compass, and GPS
•   Hiking up to 10 miles per day carrying a 30 pound pack
•   Camping in a remote backcountry setting for 3-4 day stints
•   Working 10-hour days in temperatures that can exceed 100ºF. 
•   Follow rigorous sampling protocols
•   Ability to work as part of a crew
•   Authorization to work in the U.S.

AREA BACKGROUND: Eastern Nevada is a sparsely populated region with a 
diverse array of landscapes including the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts 
as well as mountainous areas containing forests, alpine environments, 
lakes, and streams. While the area is rather unknown, Eastern Nevada 
contains excellent outdoor recreation opportunities including hiking, 
backpacking, mountain biking, rock climbing, backcountry skiing, fishing, 
and hunting. The region has well over 1 million acres of designated 
wilderness and scenic Great Basin National Park. Ely is a town of 
approximately 5,000 residents. Ely has most services typical of a town its 
size including restaurants, bars, motels, campgrounds, laundromats, a 
large grocery store, a community garden and a movie theater. Every field 
season Ely receives a large influx of seasonal employees working on public 
lands. 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Please follow these instructions carefully. 
Applicants should E-MAIL a cover letter and resume including contact 
information for at least three references to Neil Frakes at 
nof_e...@sbcglobal.net. Materials should be e-mailed by February 9th, 
2008. Please indicate which or both positions you are interested in. 

For more information, please visit our website (www.envlc.org) or call 
Neil Frakes at (775) 289-7974 Ex. 6. 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] 1/26 N.Y. Times Editorial on Wild Turtle Trade,

[Jorge Ramos]

Amphibians have been experiencing a similar situation. A couple of days ago
there was a news report by the BBC about a study coming out in Conservation
Biology by Corey Bradshaw and others. The numbers are alarming and the
images and their captions are interesting.

Thanks Andrea for the heads up to this link:
http://news.
bbc 
.co.
uk 
/2/hi/science/nature/7845306.
stm 

Jorge

--
Jorge Ramos
Graduate Student
College of Forest Resources
University of Washington
Box 352100
Seattle, WA 98195
http://www.ecojorgeramos.com/
jramo...@u.washington.edu


On Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 6:53 AM, asalzb...@herpdigest.org <
asalzb...@herpdigest.org> wrote:

> THE NEW YORK TIMES
> EDITORIAL
> Eating the Wild
> Published on-line January 25, 2009
> Printed in January 26, 2009 edition
> In America, there are foragers among us, out searching for morels in
> the spring, and there are hunters too. Yet most of our food, except
> for fish caught from the sea, is farmed. We do not trap songbirds for
> savory pies. (We destroy too many of them through other means.)
>
> Once you look beyond the parochial culinary habits of most Americans
> you discover that wildness, and the tastes associated with it, have a
> talismanic power that is very hard to eradicate. It is what keeps the
> Japanese whaling and keeps some Africans eating bush meat. And it is
> one of the things that helps explain the voracious and utterly
> destructive Chinese appetite for turtles.
>
> As global wealth rises, so does global consumption of meat, which
> includes wild meat. Turtle meat used to be a rare delicacy in the
> Asian diet, but no longer. China, along with Hong Kong and Taiwan, has
> vacuumed the wild turtles out of most of Southeast Asia. Now,
> according to a recent report in The Los Angeles Times, they are
> consuming common soft-shell turtles from the American Southeast,
> especially Florida, at an alarming rate.
>
> Some scientists estimate that two-thirds of the tortoise and
> freshwater turtle species on the planet are seriously threatened. Some
> of that is secondhand damage — loss of habitat, water pollution,
> climate change. But far too many turtles are being lost to the fork
> and the spoon.
>
> In the United States, the solution is relatively straightforward.
> States should impose much tighter restrictions on the harvesting and
> export of wild turtles. Internationally, the problem is more
> complicated. There have been efforts to monitor the species of wild
> turtles found in Chinese markets, but as long as the appetite for
> turtles — and traditional medicines derived from them — persists, we
> fear it will be hard to curtail such a profitable and disastrous trade.
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/opinion/26mon4.html?_r=1
>
> Allen Salzberg
>
> HerpDigest.org: The Only Free Weekly E-Zine That Reports on
> The Latest News on Herpetological Conservation and Science
> www.HerpDigest.org
>
> HerpArts.com
> Gifts for Herp Lovers:  Reptile and Amphibian Jewelry, Art, Toys for Adults
> And Kids, Decorative Items for the House and So Much More
> www.HerpArts.com
>

[ECOLOG-L] 1/26 N.Y. Times Editorial on Wild Turtle Trade,

[asalzb...@herpdigest.org]

THE NEW YORK TIMES
EDITORIAL
Eating the Wild
Published on-line January 25, 2009
Printed in January 26, 2009 edition
In America, there are foragers among us, out searching for morels in  
the spring, and there are hunters too. Yet most of our food, except  
for fish caught from the sea, is farmed. We do not trap songbirds for  
savory pies. (We destroy too many of them through other means.)

Once you look beyond the parochial culinary habits of most Americans  
you discover that wildness, and the tastes associated with it, have a  
talismanic power that is very hard to eradicate. It is what keeps the  
Japanese whaling and keeps some Africans eating bush meat. And it is  
one of the things that helps explain the voracious and utterly  
destructive Chinese appetite for turtles.

As global wealth rises, so does global consumption of meat, which  
includes wild meat. Turtle meat used to be a rare delicacy in the  
Asian diet, but no longer. China, along with Hong Kong and Taiwan, has  
vacuumed the wild turtles out of most of Southeast Asia. Now,  
according to a recent report in The Los Angeles Times, they are  
consuming common soft-shell turtles from the American Southeast,  
especially Florida, at an alarming rate.

Some scientists estimate that two-thirds of the tortoise and  
freshwater turtle species on the planet are seriously threatened. Some  
of that is secondhand damage — loss of habitat, water pollution,  
climate change. But far too many turtles are being lost to the fork  
and the spoon.

In the United States, the solution is relatively straightforward.  
States should impose much tighter restrictions on the harvesting and  
export of wild turtles. Internationally, the problem is more  
complicated. There have been efforts to monitor the species of wild  
turtles found in Chinese markets, but as long as the appetite for  
turtles — and traditional medicines derived from them — persists, we  
fear it will be hard to curtail such a profitable and disastrous trade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/opinion/26mon4.html?_r=1

Allen Salzberg 
 
HerpDigest.org: The Only Free Weekly E-Zine That Reports on 
The Latest News on Herpetological Conservation and Science 
www.HerpDigest.org
 
HerpArts.com
Gifts for Herp Lovers:  Reptile and Amphibian Jewelry, Art, Toys for Adults 
And Kids, Decorative Items for the House and So Much More
www.HerpArts.com

[ECOLOG-L] 2009 ESA Graduate Student Policy Award

[Nadine Lymn]

2009 ESA Graduate Student Policy Award


Applications due by COB, Monday, February 23, 2009

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is pleased to invite applications for 
its 2009 Graduate Student Policy Award. Offered each year, this award gives 
graduate students hands-on science policy experience featuring congressional 
meetings, briefings by federal agency officials, and networking with other 
researchers from across the country.  

The Society's Graduate Student Policy Award will be given to up to four 
applicants. Winners will participate in the annual Congressional Visits Event, 
held over two days on April 21 and 22, 2009.  ESA will cover travel and lodging 
expenses associated with this event.  Awardees will also receive a copy of 
ESA's new congressional directory.

Working with other scientific societies, ESA organizes the Congressional Visits 
Event, which is sponsored by the Biological Ecological Sciences Coalition 
(BESC).  Day one includes an afternoon of briefings from key agencies and 
Congress and an evening reception with other biological scientists, 
congressional staff, and Members of Congress. Day two features team visits with 
congressional offices to advocate in support of research and education in the 
biological sciences.

Tune into ESA's podcast, An Ecologist Goes to Washington to hear two of last 
year's Graduate Student Policy Awardees talk about their experience:  
http://www.esa.org/podcast/?p=23


Eligibility:

Applicants must be ESA members and United States citizens residing in the 
country.  


To Apply:

Send to p...@esa.org by close of business, Monday, February 23, 2009:

A cover letter outlining your interest in science policy and any relevant 
experience

A one-page statement that reflects your insights and perspective on the 
importance of federal support of science and ecology in particular.  Extra 
credit for peppering your essay with examples of ecological success stories 
(i.e. where investment of federal dollars had a tangible return, particularly 
for your home state).

A short CV with all contact information.



Questions should be directed to Nadine Lymn, ESA Director of Public Affairs at 
nad...@esa.org or 202.833.8773, ext. 205.

Winners will be notified by March 2, 2009.



 
 

[ECOLOG-L] PhD projects available, Durham University, UK

[David Inouye]

Please circulate to interested parties.

philip.steph...@durham.ac.uk

Durham University's Ecosystem Science group are advertising a range of
competitively-funded PhD projects in ecology.

Projects include:

# Climate change and the management of alpine ungulates
# The ontogeny of personality in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus)
# Developing spatially realistic cost functions for species dispersal
routes under changing environmental conditions
# The population dynamics of an invasive species: the fallow deer (Dama
dama)
# Behavioural and evolutionary ecology of lampreys - jawless archetypes
in a 21st century landscape (fully funded)
# Managing landscapes to enhance habitat connectivity and landscape 
permeability


To take advantage of all funding opportunities, candidates should apply
by the 15th of February.  Further details are available on our website:

http://www.dur.ac.uk/biological.sciences/research/groups/eco_env/studentship_opprtunities/