Position
Beach Monitoring Research Assistant
Program
EnviroMENTOR program with Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity
(RiSE) at Rockaway Waterfront Alliance (RWA)
Mentor / Principal Investigator
Kristi Collom, Gotham Whale
Society for Marine Mammalogy Northeast Chapter
[email protected]
gothamwhale.org
Dates
June 1st-Aug 15th, 2020 (1-3 days/week)
Location
In-situ observations will be conducted at two shoreline sites along Beach 60th
and Beach 110th
Rockaway Beach, NY
(40.5844148, -73.7995866)
(40.5783010, -73.8314845)
Salary
Candidates that can commit to a minimum of 3 days per week from June 15th-July
17th will be eligible for a stipend of $500. Schedule is extremely flexible and
can easily accommodate to RA availability. Voluntary participation requires a
minimum of 10 days participating in beach monitoring survey dates. We welcome
students interested in developing their own project focus for an independent
study with their institutional affiliation.
Project
Shore-based monitoring and photo ID of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
on the Rockaway Peninsula with community based social science surveys to gauge
public awareness of marine mammal presence and interactions therein.
Goals
Our overarching aim is to identify movement patterns, human-wildlife
interaction and obtain photo-identification to compare with the current
regional catalog I’ve developed in ongoing research with Gotham Whale. The
project is two-fold, incorporating shore based surveys at Beach 60th to track
patterns of occurrence and risk assessment. Secondary is to incorporate an
assessment of public awareness to the presence of marine mammals, regulations
therein, species ID, implications for conservation as well as recommendations
for regional management. While broadly focused as a social science survey
method, we will also conduct interviews with regional authorities, fisherman
and lifeguards in the form of ethnographies. A filmmaker will be documenting
this project and all candidates must sign a waiver to be included in the film.
We will also have (4) dates aboard the American Princess whale watch to train
students in shore-based methods and learn more about whale and dolphin
behavioral observations.
Mentorship
This project is geared towards local high school students (primarily minority
groups), to provide exposure to local ecology and an introduction to scientific
research methodology. Students will propose a project focus in the vein of our
study design. The program culminates with a final presentation with the Student
Research Mentoring Program (ShRiMP) hosted at the American Museum of Natural
History and future participation in a NYC Science and Engineering Fair (NYCEF)
competition. We will have 6-8 students participating this summer.
Responsibilities
The RA will assist mentors with training students in data collection
(environmental, observational) and standard photo identification techniques.
All students will be trained to use a DSLR camera for photo and video
observations, use a rangefinder for distance sampling, odometer for wind speed
and to measure water temperature, pH and salinity. The RA will be responsible
for secondary photo-ID collection and should be comfortable using a DSLR
camera. All survey assignments will be limited to 4-hour observations with a
tent available to provide respite from the elements. Surveys will take place at
variable time frames between 8am-4pm 2-3 days per week. Specific survey dates
TBD based on RA availability.
Requirements
To be eligible for the stipend, applicants must currently own a DSLR camera, be
able to commit to 2 days per week in June and July with flexibility regarding
scheduled dates (Surveys will be conducted on variable weekdays and weekends).
The last two weeks of June is most critical as we will be conducting 5 surveys
this week on sequential dates, including morning and afternoon survey sessions.
These surveys will be evenly shared between (2) mentors and (1) RA.
No experience is needed although candidates should be currently enrolled in a
degree program or recent graduate with an interest in marine mammals and
conservation. Those that possess experience with similar fieldwork, own a DSLR
camera and can commit to a minimum of 2 days per week will be eligible for the
stipend.
Candidates must be comfortable with dedicated observation time in variable
weather conditions, often in direct sunlight at temperatures of 70-100° F.
Tents and water will be provided to provide respite for observers with
facilities on site.
If interested, submit your resume/CV to Kristi Collom with a brief email
introduction indicating interest, availability and if you would like to be
considered for the stipend.
[email protected]
__________________________________________________
Kristi Ashley Collom
Senior Research Associate, Gotham Whale
Marine Biodiversity Expedition Leader & Northeast Outreach, National Geographic
Student Expeditions
Acoustic Analyst, Ocean Giants Program, Wildlife Conservation Society
Board of Directors, Society for Marine Mammalogy Northeast Student Chapter
[email protected]
skype: kristi.ashley.collom
m. (917) 530-1198
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