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Description
During the summer of 2006, Elliotsville Plantation, Inc., a non-profit conservation foundation working to acquire and preserve wild lands in the forests of northern Maine, will be conducting an ecological survey and natural community mapping project on three properties comprising 30,000 acres along the East Branch of the Penobscot near Baxter State Park.
The goals of the project are to:
(1) enable informed appreciation of the unique features of the properties,
(2) highlight the ecological significance of the properties in the context of the surrounding landscape, and
(3) provide baseline data for subsequent development of stewardship plans.
Interns enrolled in an academic program leading to either an undergraduate or graduate degree with appropriate background or experience will be considered.
Duties include navigating on foot to preselected sampling sites using maps, map coordinates, and a GPS receiver; identifying and describing woody and herbaceous plant composition and structure at the site using a rapid assessment protocol, and recording data on field forms; identifying natural community types found en route using a dichotomous key and adding corrections to a preliminary natural communities map; performing presence-absence surveys for various animal species; noting and photographing rare or unusual plants, wildlife sightings and sign, and uncommon natural communities, especially wetlands, encountered en route to the sampling sites; noting and photographing important wildlife habitat features; locating and documenting property boundary lines and corners where encountered; identifying and documenting stewardship issues and needs where encountered; support with post-survey data integration, mapping, and report writing.
Interns will normally work in pairs and must be in excellent physical condition, be able to rapidly cover several miles per day off trail, crossing streams and wetlands, and work under all weather conditions in the presence of biting insects.
Skills required include the ability to navigate with map and compass and GPS receiver, the ability to identify to woody plants and the most common herbaceous species of northern New England, and field experience in quantitative and qualitative plot sampling.
Preference will be given to persons possessing any of the following additional skills: ability to recognize common northern bird species by sight and sound; ability to recognize wildlife tracks and sign; ability to locate and identify amphibians and reptiles present on the property; experience in identifying less common plant taxa including rare species, aquatic species, and graminoids; experience in identifying bryophytes and lichens; experience in identifying insects and other invertebrates.
Access to a car and a valid driver's license helpful. Stipend available for an 11-week field season, May 15 - July 30 (nominally 300 hours with some flexibility in working hours and weeks), with a one-day organizational meeting to be held in late April. Housing provided while in the field. Proof of health insurance required.
Positions open until filled. Please email or send cover letter and resume as soon as possible, preferably before March 15, to:
Bart DeWolf Science Director,
Elliotsville Plantation, Inc.
153 Reed Street, Lexington, MA 02421
cell: (339) 927-5152