Field volunteers required for nesting beach monitoring programme for hawksbill turtles
Volunteer Opportunity
Submitted: 2011-01-03 18:03:14
Contact: Darren Browne thebstp@yahoo.com
WWW Link: http://www.barbadosseaturtles.org
Period
May 15-July 14, 2011; June 5-July 14, 2011; July 15-September 14, 2011; September 15-November 14, 2011 (each applicant can apply for only one of the periods specified)
Location
Barbados, West Indies
Background Information
The Barbados Sea Turtle Project is based at the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus). For more than 20 years, we have been involved in conservation of the critically endangered marine turtle species that forage around and nest on Barbados, through monitoring and conservation of nesting females and hatchlings, research, education and public outreach. Barbados is currently home to the second-largest hawksbill turtle nesting population in the Wider Caribbean, with up to 500 females nesting per year.
Turtle nesting occurs on most of the beaches around the island, many of which are heavily developed with tourism infrastructure. The Barbados Sea Turtle Project monitors an index nesting beach nightly and operates two mobile patrol groups that monitor up to 15 other nesting beaches per night. The mobile groups also respond to public reports of turtle activity made through the 24-hour Sea Turtle Hotline.
Professor Julia Horrocks, the director of the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, is the Country Coordinator for the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) in Barbados, and coordinator of the regional WIDECAST Marine Turtle Tagging Centre.
Duties
Night Patrol:
You will be required to patrol beaches along the south and west coasts of Barbados from 7:30 pm to 4:00 am, six nights per week (i.e. one night off) for the duration of your time as a volunteer. During beach patrols, you will be required to record nesting/hatching events, tag nesting females, and to collect morphometric data and environmental data with a high degree of accuracy and reliability. You may also be required to rescue disoriented hatchlings and adult turtles, undertake relocations of nests laid in unsuitable locations and educate the public and tourists about marine turtles. Sea turtles often nest in front of hotels, and therefore are highly visible to the public. Ensuring the safety of the nesting female, collecting data, and answering questions are all aspects of a BSTP patrol.
Day Patrol:
You will be required to patrol beaches along the south and west coasts of Barbados from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, six days per week (with one day off) for the duration of your time as a volunteer. As part of beach patrols, you will be required to record tracks and nests and hatching events (there is a reduced likelihood of seeing nesting females) and rescue disoriented hatchlings. There is much more emphasis on public interaction and education during the daytime, and this therefore is a larger part of the day patrol responsibility than that of the night patrol.
Volunteers will be assigned patrol duties (day or night) during the nesting season depending on the Project’s needs, but primary responsibility will be assigned to either day or night patrol.
Other Responsibilities:
Other responsibilities may include data management, equipment maintenance, school and hotel presentations and designing educational materials. If the candidate has experience in any of these areas it will be a benefit (please mention previous skills or experience in your cover letter/resume).
Dive-certified day patrol volunteers MAY also have the opportunity to participate in our long-running in-water tagging programme, but this is entirely dependent on the Project’s needs at that time. This programme involves SCUBA diving and in-water capture of juvenile hawksbill/green turtles, followed by tagging, marking and the collection of morphometric data. Applicants for day patrol positions who wish to be considered for opportunities to participate in the in-water programme should be dive certified and have logged a minimum of 50 dives (i.e. must be very comfortable in open water, and at depth) and possess their own dive insurance. Participants will be further assessed for capability in Barbados.
Requirements
The position requires candidates to speak English fluently, be 21 yrs or older, responsible, dedicated and hardworking. Proven field experience is desirable. All volunteers must understand the importance of accurate and thorough data collection, and be able to work/live as a team member. As the Barbados Sea Turtle Project is also a public outreach organization, candidates must have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to relate to people of different nationalities and social backgrounds.
Candidates must be physically fit (potentially walking up to 10 km per shift in soft sand in hot sun or adverse weather) without health problems that would prevent sustained high levels of activity, and hold a valid, clean (preferably manual transmission) driving license. Applicants should have their own health/accident insurance.
Benefits/Costs
Shared, basic accommodation will be provided with cooking facilities and a small stipend to cover food and incidentals will be paid on a monthly basis. Transportation to Barbados is NOT covered by the Project.
Additional Contact Information
If interested, please send an email to thebstp@yahoo.com with the subject line “Volunteer application for the 2011 nesting season”.
Please and include the following:
- A letter of introduction
- Your CV and a list of three references (with email contacts)
Please be sure to state clearly which volunteer period you are applying for and indicate where this volunteer advertisement was seen. Applications will be accepted through the 31 July, 2011.