CONSERVATION FELLOWSHIP IN WATERBIRD MONITORING AND RESEARCH - The Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies seeks a Fellow to contribute to regional conservation efforts through waterbird monitoring. Prescott College is a private liberal arts institution of higher learning in Arizona offering B.A., B.S., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies is Prescott College’s field station on the central shores of the Gulf of California in Sonora, Mexico. The Center’s mission is to protect priority species and habitats through the integrated application of science, education, information exchange, and community participation. The Center promotes and models collaborations between people from different cultures and institutions to co-create solutions to complex conservation challenges.
The waterbird monitoring program monitors migratory and resident waterbirds in an assortment of habitats ranging from rocky islands to muddy estuaries in the Gulf of California in Mexico, a very important region for nesting and migratory waterbirds. Data has been collected over many years through projects including: multispecies waterbird censuses in coastal wetlands, nest monitoring, productivity studies, and pelagic seabird monitoring. Focal species include ~20 species of waterbirds including wading birds, shorebirds, pelicans, murrelets and gulls.
Responsibilities: The focus of the 2017-2018 WMP Fellowship is the application of data to management, conservation and outreach. The fellowship recipient will work in collaboration with interns, students, researchers, local indigenous groups and community members to conduct monitoring and to enter, analyze and apply data. During the 2017-2018 season there will be an emphasis on analysis of long-term datasets, the preparation of reports and manuscripts for publication and the application of data to regional management and outreach efforts. The fellowship allows for some degree of freedom to pursue independent research interests. The fellow will participate in events, outreach, and collaboration with other programs at the Center. Additionally, interfacing with students taking field classes and visiting researchers, as well as just pitching in at the field station generally is essential. Everyone at the center is expected to contribute to the Center’s vision of modeling multi-cultural and co-creative collaborations.
Required experience/skills include:
- Strong interest in and commitment to bird conservation; familiarity and confidence identifying and estimating group size for waterbirds (esp. shorebirds, gulls, terns, ducks, wading birds, seabirds);
- Ability to collect data accurately in harsh conditions (desert sun, high heat, biting insects); Experience developing and following research protocols for field studies;
- Experience entering and maintaining data in Excel and running statistical analyses; experience using GPS units and ArcGIS;
- Excellent organization and writing skills with experience preparing and publishing peer-reviewed articles;
- B.S./B.A in natural resources, ornithology, or related field required, M.S./M.A. preferred
- English and Spanish language skills (fluency in one and competency in the other);
- Experience and passion for teaching and public speaking for a range of audiences;
- Ability/desire to collaborate with governmental agencies and NGOs toward regional goals;
- Ability to work and live as a part of a bilingual team in a remote communal field station in a small fishing village in northwestern Mexico;
- Ability to be self-directed/motivated as well as work alone in the field;
- Ability to lift 40 lbs. and be in relatively good shape (able to walk 10+ km in a day sometimes through thick mud and waist-deep water);
- Willingness to pitch in beyond project work to create a functional and positive field station atmosphere.
- Strong interest in and commitment to bird conservation; familiarity and confidence identifying and estimating group size for waterbirds (esp. shorebirds, gulls, terns, ducks, wading birds, seabirds);
- Ability to collect data accurately in harsh conditions (desert sun, high heat, biting insects); Experience developing and following research protocols for field studies;
- Experience entering and maintaining data in Excel and running statistical analyses; experience using GPS units and ArcGIS;
- Excellent organization and writing skills with experience preparing and publishing peer-reviewed articles;
- B.S./B.A in natural resources, ornithology, or related field required, M.S./M.A. preferred
- English and Spanish language skills (fluency in one and competency in the other);
- Experience and passion for teaching and public speaking for a range of audiences;
- Ability/desire to collaborate with governmental agencies and NGOs toward regional goals;
- Ability to work and live as a part of a bilingual team in a remote communal field station in a small fishing village in northwestern Mexico;
- Ability to be self-directed/motivated as well as work alone in the field;
- Ability to lift 40 lbs. and be in relatively good shape (able to walk 10+ km in a day sometimes through thick mud and waist-deep water);
- Willingness to pitch in beyond project work to create a functional and positive field station atmosphere.
Housing, a living stipend, project expenses and partial reimbursement of travel expenses will be provided. To apply please send a resume, contact information for 3 references and a cover letter addressing your interest in the position and your relevant experience and skills to the Prescott College Kino Bay Center kino_bay@prescott.edu and to Elizabeth Gregg liz.gregg@prescott.edu with the heading “WMP Fellow application”. Fellowship term is September 15, 2017 through at least July 30, 2018. We are expecting that this will be a two year appointment, although the second year is dependent upon funding. Applications will be accepted until June 30th 2017. For more information please visit our website: http://www.prescott....nter/index.html