I am currently seeking 3-4 volunteers to assist me in tracking toucans for movement and home range quantification in a fragmented landscape in Turrialba, Costa Rica, as part of my dissertation research on seed dispersal at the University of Louisiana Lafayette.
POSITION: Volunteer (unpaid) field assistants
DURATION: Start dates are flexible and can begin at any time from immediately to as late as spring 2013, but a minimum commitment of 6 weeks is required. Applications will be considered immediately.
STUDY SITE: The campus and adjacent farm of the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE). CATIE is located at the edge of Turrialba, at about 2,000 ft above sea level on the Caribbean slope of the central valley in Costa Rica. Additional information can be found at: http://www.catie.ac.cr.
QUALIFICATIONS: Assistants must be in good physical condition and willing to work in the field for up to 8 hours a day several days a week, often in hot and humid weather. Preference will be given to applicants with the following skills and experience, but they are not necessary to apply: radio telemetry, mist-netting, tropical seed and plant identification, tropical field experience, GPS, Spanish.
LIVING CONDITIONS/EXPENSES: Volunteers must be able to cover their own lodging and living expenses, and transportation to and from the study site. However, the cost of living in Turrialba is relatively inexpensive and is within 3 km of the field site. Temperatures range from the mid 60s (F) to the mid 80s and modern conveniences are readily accessible.
MAIN DUTIES: Assistants will be tracking toucans in a landscape of tropical forest fragments and agricultural habitats such as pasture, sugarcane, coffee, and chocolate plantations. Additional projects may develop, but assistants will gain valuable experience in the following methods:
-radio telemetry
-mist-netting
-behavioral sampling
-tropical bird identification
-GPS use
For more info, contact:
Those interested should send a current CV or resume to Landon Jones at lrj1327@louisiana.edu with “Volunteer Toucan Assistant” in the subject line.