Field Assistants Required - Black-tailed prairie dogs
Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada
I am looking for 3 volunteers to assist with fieldwork beginning March 10
and continuing until July 10 (with a possibility of extension to Oct 10 for
at least 1 of the positions). The project investigates the ecology of
Black-tailed prairie dogs and will involve live-trapping, handling and
monitoring of individuals. Prairie dog towns are home to (among others):
burrowing owls, swift fox and, the recently reintroduced, black-footed
ferret. Assistants will have the opportunity of seeing all of these iconic
grassland species, plus the many more resident in the Park.
This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience working with a
population of wild mammals in a spectacular setting and in collaboration
with university, park and zoo researchers. All fieldwork is carried out in
Grasslands National Park, southern Saskatchewan, one of the largest
remaining tracts of native prairie in Canada. We will be staying in Parks
Canada housing in the heart of the park. Food and accommodation are
provided. Volunteers are required to provide for their own travel to
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Travel between the field station and Saskatoon is
provided.
Training will be provided and no experience is necessary, but candidates
should have an interest in the following (the more the better!): ecology,
evolutionary biology, wildlife, field biology, and conservation biology. The
field house and study population is isolated (the nearest town is approx. 45
min away) and, as such, successful applicants need to be able to cope under
these conditions, enjoy the outdoors, be up-beat, positive, responsible and
work well as a member of a team.
If you wish to apply for one of these posts then please send a CV with a
cover letter and contact details for three references (with e-mail
addresses), by email to Jeff Lane (contact info below) by January 31, 2015.
Contact:
Dr. Jeff Lane
Department of Biology
University of Saskatchewan
jeffrey.l...@usask.ca
www.lanelab.ca
