Student contractor position with EPA in Gulf Breeze, FL

EPA seeking a student or recent graduate to work in Gulf Breeze, FL. 

The Gulf Ecology Division of the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking an individual who is at least 18 years of age and who has completed a Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, mathematics, statistics, computer sciences or related field of study. 

The student contractor who is selected by EPA will receive hands-on Laboratory experience and shall provide technical support services with EPA scientists under the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program (SHCRP) Puerto Rico Sustainable Communities project. The student or recent graduate will support research efforts directed at developing information to be integrated into decision support tools, including geospatial data layers, ecosystem service production functions, dynamic models for spatially-explicit scenario analyses, and metrics of human well-being.

The details pertaining to this announcement, including application instructions, are available at http://www.epa.gov/oamsrpod/lasc/RFQDC1300075/index.htm. 

The deadline for submitting offers for RFQ-DC-13-00075 is 4:30 PM ET on July 16.

Bio tech positions for whooping crane ecology and field data collection

Opportunity for recent grads!

When: Preferred start date: September 1, 2013

Where: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas Gulf Coast=20

Housing provided: Yes

Benefits provided: No

How long: One year

Pay: $1,800-2000/month depending on experience

Do you love to work outdoors?  Interested in contributing to a greater understanding of the ecology of the endangered Whooping Crane?  Interested in the use of remote sensing technology to identify habitat for an endangered species?  If you said yes to all three of those questions, this is the perfect field experience for you! With this position will be involved in collecting and managing data related to the conservation and management of whooping cranes habitat along the Gulf Coast of Texas.  Position will include an initial 1-2 months dedicated to establishment of camera traps for freshwater use by cranes. The remaining 10 months will focused on collecting field validation information for remotely sensed data.  In addition, the successful applicant will be responsible for data entry, proofing and management of collected data.  The successful applicant should be meticulous at collecting detailed and accurate field data as well as proficient in managing data.

The position assists implementing the USFWS Natural Resources Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) effort. Work occurs on and off FWS managed lands.  However, the position will be hired and paid through Blue Heron Consulting Company, a partner with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.  These positions will be supervised by a USFWS ecologist. 

EDUCATION:

 Preferably a BS in biological sciences, conservation biology, natural resource management, or a related field of science underlying wildlife management, zoology, botany, ornithology or avian ecology.

EXPERIENCE

 Required:

-Familiar with navigation by maps, compass and GPS

-Critical-thinking skills, attention to detail and a positive attitude

-Valid drivers license with a good driving record

Desired: Experience with collecting and compiling field data into a database structure, application of software (such as Excel or Access), in order to populate biological databases.  Experience using handheld GPS for navigation and data collection is desirable.  Ability to implement scientific inventory and monitoring protocols. Attention to detail for data collection.  Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing with diverse individuals and groups.

Ability to safely operate light trucks and off-road utility vehicles (e.g., ATVs, Kubota, Polaris Ranger,etc.) and 4-wheel drive vehicles. Competent in the safe use of watercraft ranging from kayaks to twin engine cabin boats. Proficiency with driving an airboat is a huge plus.  Experienced with towing, backing, loading and unloading of boats. Strong plant identification skills, ideally pertaining to the coastal and wetland plants of the Texas coastal bend is desirable.  Experience with developing and maintaining partnerships with local, state, and/or federal agencies/contacts. Comfortable working as part of a group or individually to accomplish tasks.

This position will be located at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, however travel will range from 2-5 days /week.  Aransas is a beautiful wildlife refuge located on an undeveloped portion of the Texas coast. It is the primary wintering ground for the only wild migrating population of whooping crane but also boasts a number of other wildlife species.

Housing will be provided on Aransas NWR. This will be shared housing in either a trailer or bunkhouse located on the Refuge.

Please send 1) cover letter addressing your qualifications and your fit to this position, 2) resume, and 3) name and contact information for three references who can verify your qualifications electronically to kris_metzger@fws.gov with the SUBJECT: Aransas Bio position

Please submit by June 10, 2013.

Tech and volunteer positions in tidal marshes on Sapelo Island, Georgia

Research Technicians, Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long-Term Ecological Research Program.

The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER program seeks a Research Technician to be based at the UGA Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, Georgia. The selected individual will work as part of the field crew supporting the GCE LTER project (http://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/).. He or she will be primarily involved in maintaining and monitoring a large experiment focusing on sea level rise and effects on freshwater tidal marshes. This includes helping to maintain permits and comply with appropriate regulations, maintaining boardwalks and a water delivery system, measuring salinity in plots, and monitoring soil, plants and invertebrates in plots. The position will occasionally require strenuous physical activity and irregular hours. Applicants must be able to hike through mud, marsh grass and other difficult terrain; lift and carry heavy gear in the field; and assist in light construction.

The position is based out of the UGA Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, GA (http://www.uga.edu/ugami/). The selected individual may either live on the Island (in UGAMI housing at a subsidized cost) or on the mainland. The ideal candidate will have a B.S. in an appropriate field; small boat piloting experience; first aid certification; field research experience; basic computer skills, including experience with email, word-processing and spreadsheet programs; and the ability to work harmoniously with a wide variety of people.

The salary range for the position is $22-30,000, and includes full benefits. Applicants should be willing to make at least a 2-year commitment to the project. Apply online at https://www.ugajobsearch.com/ posting number 20130726. Applications will be considered starting May 27 and until the position is filled. Inquiries may be addressed to Dr. Steve Pennings (scpennings@central.uh.edu). The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Volunteer opportunity in salt marsh ecology

We are looking for volunteers to assist with two large experiments examining links between crab ecology and tidal creek morphology in Georgia salt marshes. The project will involve strenuous physical activity outdoors at the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, GA. We will provide reasonable transportation to Sapelo Island, housing and food expenses.  Vacancies are available now. This is a great opportunity to gain experience with salt marsh ecology and meet a wide variety of salt marsh scientists working at the institute.  If interested, please send a letter of interest, your resume, and contact information for 3 references to Huy Vu (hdvu4@central.uh.edu) and copy Steve Pennings (spennings@uh.edu). We will consider applications as they arrive.

Summer internships in Louisiana wetlands

SCA Natural Resource Interns

Position Description

The Natural Resource Interns will assist the park's Natural Resource Management staff with several projects at the Barataria Preserve Unit.  Interns will undertake field work, lab work and office work in support of establishing environmental monitoring instrumentation (including water level loggers, surface elevation assessment installations, a weather station …), implementing natural resource assessment programs (including feral pig impacts, breeding bird monitoring, invasive plant species monitoring and management, and developing aspects of a ‘citizen science’ environmental monitoring program) and assisting with various research projects.  In addition, these interns will play a key role in supporting the “science” field operations of the 2013 National Park Service/National Geographic Society BioBlitz which will take place at the Preserve on May 17th and 18th.

These positions will entail field work across the matrix of coastal wetland ecosystems that comprise the Barataria Preserve, including off-trail work in swamps and marshes and travel by foot and small boat, during late Spring and Summer – times of high heat and humidity when biting insects are abundant.  Field activities will range from low skill low expertise tasks like invasive species removal and basic sampling to high skill and/or high expertise tasks like datalogger communications, identifying birds by call and operating power tools in remote settings.  Lab type work will include small scale construction, sample processing, some microscopy, instrument calibration and data acquisition.  Office work will include data management, programming dataloggers and the like.

Useful skills include the ability to navigate in terrestrial systems using a compass and/or a gps unit, experience working/playing in subtropical coastal wetland landscapes, familiarity with some of the biota of these ecosystems, work with simple dataloggers, power tool use, small boat operation, lab task skills, data collection &/or data management skills, and the ability to work in teams and independently.  Interested interns may be able to complete the Department of the Interior Motorboat Operator Certification Course.

Student Conservation Association (SCA) position ID's (both for 'natural resource management interns'; begin now through early May; 16 weeks) (url is http://mysca.force.com/member/MemberPositionsScout):

PO-00245955

PO-00322998

AMERICORPS ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARD POSITIONS

Project Description

Over the past few decades a suite of invasive floating aquatic plant species have invaded waterways in the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, so that their mats now prevent boat access to large areas of the Preserve for much of the year.  Focal species include the Water Hyacinth – introduced about 100 years ago, Giant Salvinia – a comparatively recent invasive species in the northern Gulf Coast with an exceptionally rapid rate of population growth, and ‘Cuban’ nutsedge – another newer invader in the Preserve that utilizes mats made of other invasive floating aquatic species to establish.  As a group, these are among the most problematic invasive species in the region and much effort is directed toward their control.  Besides impeding boat access through waterways, these invasive plant species compete with native floating aquatic vegetation and change the quality of food available to wetland- and waterway inhabitants.  While it is easy to detect their impact on the composition of floating aquatic plant communities, we suspect these invasive species dominated mats have cascading impacts on community structure and biological diversity and on ecosystem properties ranging from light penetration into the water column to patterns of productivity in the aquatic and adjacent terrestrial ecosystems.

Located just 15 miles south of New Orleans, Louisiana, the Barataria Preserve protects 23,000 acres of coastal wetlands in the Mississippi River delta.  These wetlands are among the most biologically productive ecosystems in the nation, and they sustain some of the most productive fisheries and waterfowl populations on the planet.  People have altered this wetland landscape substantially, including by digging canals in order to access and extract these natural resources as well as the abundant fossil fuel resources.  The coast is now dissected by networks of canals and several aggressive invasive species – including Water Hyacinth, Giant Salvinia, ‘Cuban’ Nutsedge and others – are rapidly colonizing the surfaces of many of these waterways. 

The Preserve (and the Park as a whole) aims to protect and conserve this natural landscape, its biological diversity, human history and the diverse cultural traditions it has inspired and nurtured.  Invasive species – including these floating aquatic species – threaten both the biological integrity of Preserve ecosystems and the cultural use and enjoyment of waterway access via canoes and other small boats.  The Park’s Resource Management and Interpretation staff are charged with trying to control invasive species, and with effectively communicating the problem and our approaches to managing it to the public.  We also wish to involve the public directly – via volunteer service – in our efforts to reduce invasive species populations and their impacts on these natural and cultural resources.

Options for reducing invasive floating aquatic species’ populations and the extent of their waterway coverage include herbicide application, mechanical removal and biological control.  All of these approaches require frequent and spatially extensive effort, and the latter two require intensive investment of labor.  Because herbicide treatment impacts most or all of the floating aquatic vegetation to which it is applied – not just the invasive species – as well as the diverse biota living in Preserve waterways, and because herbicide residues may remain in the ecosystem for decades, Resource Management staff prefer other alternatives.  While mechanical removal is straightforward, it requires substantial investments in equipment and labor and it also impacts all of the floating aquatic vegetation.  Biological control targets focal species only and requires no specialized equipment.  For example, over the past several years researchers and natural resource managers throughout the tropics and subtropics have employed a specific insect herbivore – a species of weevil – to control and reduce invasive Salvinia populations.  Agricultural extension experts and researchers at Louisiana State University have developed a biocontrol approach using this weevil in which they introduce weevil-infested Giant Salvinia to waterways with Giant Salvinia invasions.  As it needs more food, the weevil moves from the plants on which it is introduced to the Salvinia in the waterway, eating the growing points of these plants.  Over time, weevil populations increase and their consumption of Salvinia can reduce, and potentially stop, the spread of this aggressive invader.  These weevils specialize in eating Salvinia and they have not been observed changing their diet and moving to other plant species, so they are not considered a threat to native vegetation or to the native food web.  In late summer 2011 Park Resource Management staff, with the assistance of Park volunteers (VIPs), initiated weevil introduction into selected waterways in the Preserve.  With the assistance of two Americorps Environmental Stewards during summer 2012, we developed this effort into a robust Giant Salvinia biocontrol program including dynamic interpretive outreach.  We seek to extend our bio-control effort to other aggressive floating aquatic invasive species, beginning with Water Hyacinth, for which two bio-control agents are being tested and used in Louisiana.

Working closely with the Park’s Natural Resource Management and Interpretation staff, the Environmental Stewards will develop this effort into a vibrant integrative program addressing Park needs and involving Park volunteers.  Key elements of this floating aquatic invasive species biocontrol program – and of the Steward’s summer work – include sustaining the introduction and re-distribution of bio-control agents in selected waterways, transferring (from our ongoing Giant Salvinia bio-control program) and implementing monitoring protocols assessing spatial coverage of floating aquatic invasive species and bio-control agent populations in these waterways, organizing and leading Park volunteer effort on this project, producing weekly reports on waterway accessibility for Park staff and the public, and developing interpretive media and/or programs communicating the need for, aims of, and status of this Park project.

Americorps Environmental Steward positions (10 weeks beginning June 2nd; invasive floating aquatic vegetation bio-control project is focus) (url is http://sccorps.org/join/environmental-stewards-summer-intern/).  

It's REU time!

It's that time of year again: time for undergraduates to apply for NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs. Search the long list of REU programs by discipline or location: http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm.
As examples, here are two announcements I received today:

Two Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities, Stream Ecology, University of Georgia. 

Two National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) opportunities in stream ecosystem ecology are available to investigate either the effects of elemental nutrient enrichment (nitrogen, N; phosphorus, P) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) enrichment or the effects of consumer removal on stream ecosystem processes. Through this research, each REU student will contribute to larger ongoing studies of stream nutrient enrichment or aquatic consumer removal in forested headwater streams. Each student will work alongside a PhD student to help design and execute lab and field studies appropriate to their specific REU study system. The REU student associated with the nutrient enrichment and carbon project will design studies to measure C breakdown and heterotrophic respiration in response to elevated concentrations of N and P, and elevated and varying DOC quality. The REU student associated with the consumer removal project will design studies to investigate food web structure and basal resource heterogeneity along stream discharge gradients. The PhD students and PI will mentor the students through the collection and analysis of data, as well as the presentation and publication of results.

These projects are based out of the Coweeta Hydrologic Lab (CHL), associated with the Coweeta LTER. The students on these projects will split time between CHL and the University of Georgia in Athens, GA.  Stipends will be $410/week for 9 weeks, with a preferred start date in early June 2013.

For more information, contact: Doctoral students David Manning (DOC; manningd@uga.edu) or Kait Farrell (Consumers; kfarrell@uga.edu), or PI Dr. Amy Rosemond (rosemond@uga.edu). Contact David or Kait to apply for one of the positions. Application materials consist of a one-page statement of interest, a current CV, including relevant coursework and prior research experience, and the names of 3 references.  Application materials due by April 12^th, but review of materials will begin as early as March 29^th. 

NSF-REU in Coral Reef Ecology at Florida International University

We seek a highly motivated undergraduate to fill a National Science Foundation, Research

Experience for Undergraduates (REU) position in coral reef ecology at Florida International

University. The successful applicant will work with Drs. Deron Burkepile

(http://www2.fiu.edu/~dburkepi/Home.html) and Rebecca Vega Thurber

(http://microbiology.science.oregonstate.edu/node/182) to conduct experiments on nutrient

exposure and coral disease dynamics in the Florida Keys. This position is for an undergraduate

student interested in pursuing a career or graduate studies in Marine Sciences. The successful

candidate will live and work on Key Largo in the Florida Keys and gain basic field and laboratory

research skills in coral reef ecology and microbiology. The primary responsibility of the student will

be to conduct experiments on how nutrient enrichment affects coral disease states and progression

rates, and coral bleaching. There will be ample opportunities to participate in other projects

studying herbivore foraging behavior, coral predation, and nutrient dynamics on coral reefs.

Eligibility: Undergraduates in their junior and senior years with interests in biology, microbiology,

and environmental sciences are invited to apply. Students cannot have graduated at the time of the

fellowship. Participants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and its possessions.

Minorities and underrepresented students are especially encouraged to apply.

Qualifications: Applicants should have a classroom/laboratory background in ecology and marine

biology. Experience working on coral reefs and/or with microbiological techniques is preferred.

Applicants MUST be certified SCUBA divers with at least 20 logged dives. Certification with the

American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) is necessary before field work begins.

This REU position runs June 3-August 23, 2013. A stipend of $5,500 will be provided to the student

for the 12-week full-time program. In addition, the student will be provided housing at no cost.

Students from outside the South Florida area also may apply for travel funds assistance. This

position is funded by the National Science Foundation Biological Oceanography Program.

Application Procedures: Applicants will need to submit: 1) Cover letter briefly stating background

and interests; 2) CV (resume); 3) College transcripts of all completed work (unofficial transcript is

fine); 4) Two letters of recommendation; 5) A statement of career goals and research interests; and

6) Evidence of SCUBA diving and/or AAUS certification.

Application materials should be sent as a single PDF file to Dr. Deron Burkepile via email at

deron.burkepile@fiu.edu. Please direct any questions to Dr. Burkepile via email.

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 25, 2013.

Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholars Program for Undergraduates

Announcing  The 2013 Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholars Program for Undergraduates

Now accepting applications until 4/19/2013.

http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/fellowships/summer-scholars

The Summer Scholar program for undergraduates helps prepare students for graduate school and careers in marine science, policy, management, and outreach.  Scholars are placed in agency offices around the state for 10 weeks over the summer. 

Volunteers needed for Prairie Ecology Field and Lab Work, Summer 2013

Announcement from colleagues at the University of Houston:

We are seeking volunteers for prairie ecology work looking at insect and plant communities. The goals of the various projects that volunteers will be working on are to: determine if old roads may be restored to functioning prairies, and determine how insect herbivores and their diversity affects how prairies function. We would like volunteers for both fieldwork that will take place off campus and lab work that will be conducted on campus.

Field volunteers. We are seeking 3-4 volunteers to help with fieldwork in a coastal tallgrass prairie south of Houston. Volunteers will gain valuable experience in ecological research and learn about plants and insects in native prairie systems.  We seek individuals that: enjoy being outside; want experience working in an ecology lab; can work at least 1-2 days per week; tolerate early mornings and strenuous / monotonous work in very hot conditions.  The research will occur at the University of Houston’s Coastal Center about 40 minutes south of campus, which contains one of the largest tracks of pristine coastal tallgrass prairie remaining. Volunteers would be determining the feeding preferences of grasshoppers, the major herbivore in these prairies, and other various projects that Dr. Prather is conducting at this prairie. Possible duties would include: collecting plants and insects in the field, setting up feeding trials in the lab and greenhouse, and collecting data on insect feeding.

Lab volunteers. We are also seeking 1-2 volunteers to help with lab work on campus grinding plant and insect material for nutrient and isotope analysis, and sorting insects to look at prairie insect community structure. We seek individuals that: want experience working in a biology lab; and tolerate monotonous and detail-oriented lab work. Working hours are very flexible once the volunteer is trained. Volunteers will gain experience in preparing plant and insect material for nutrient and isotope analyses, and in identifying insects.

If interested, please contact Dr. Chelse Prather, chelse.prather@gmail.com to set up a meeting.