Trent University and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources are offering a post-doctoral fellowship to assess the current status and future prognosis of the eastern wolf (Canis lycaon) population in Algonquin Provincial Park. Algonquin Provincial Park may be the last refuge for eastern wolves in North America, and in 2002 the Province of Ontario established a buffer zone around the park to protect wolves that traveled to unprotected areas outside the park. We seek to assess the effect of this management action on the 2 primary threats to the park’s wolf population; 1- anthropogenic mortality, and 2- hybridization with coyotes. Using an extensive dataset on wolf survival, movements, productivity, and pack structure collected during 2002-2009, the post-doc will develop models to address: 1- the demographic status of the park’s wolf population and the role of the buffer zone in population protection; 2- the current and projected viability of the wolf population under a variety of management scenarios; and 3- the genetic integrity of the wolf population in the face of current and anticipated rates of introgression of coyote genetic material. The proposed work builds on our previous efforts to elucidate the status of the park’s wolf population (Rutledge et al. Biol. Conserv. 143:332-339; Rutledge et al. Heredity 2010:1-12; Mills et al. J. Wildl. Manage. 72: 949-954; Patterson & Murray Biol. Conserv. 141: 669-680), and offers the opportunity to address important conservation questions that will have broad implications to a diverse community. The post-doctoral fellow will have the opportunity to develop an independent research program within the framework of existing funding.
Application Procedures Applicants should hold a PhD in population ecology, landscape ecology, or a related area. The successful candidate should have expertise in population and/or landscape analysis and modeling, and statistical analysis including previous work with GIS or GPS telemetry data. The successful applicant will have demonstrated publishing success. Candidates should submit a letter of application, curriculum vita, and names and contact information for three references to Dennis Murray, Department of Biology, Trent University (dennismurray “at” trentu.ca; www.dennismurray.ca) and Brent Patterson, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (brent.patterson “at”ontario.ca; www.people.trentu.ca/brentpatterson). Applications will be reviewed immediately and the position will close as soon as a suitable candidate is found. The successful applicant will receive $45,000 annually, + benefits, and the two-year term should start no later than September 2011.
