The Barbados Sea Turtle Project ,Field Volunteers Jobs Vacancies in Canada

Field Volunteers for Hawksbill Turtle Monitoring
Programme in Barbados

Position: Field Volunteers
Type: volunteer position with accommodation, small stipend (see below)
Organization: The Barbados Sea Turtle Project http://www.barbadosseaturtles.org
Location: St. Michael, Barbados, Caribbean / West Indies

Time Period:


2 Month Volunteer Period:
• May 15-July 14, 2015   (Applications close 31 March)
• July 15-September 14, 2015   (Applications close 31 May)
• September 15-November 14, 2015   (Applications close 31 July)

1-1.5 Month Volunteer Period:
• June 5-July 14, 2015   (Applications close 31 March)
• July 15-August 31, 2015   (Applications close 31 May)
• September 15-October 31, 2015   (Applications close 31 July)

Applicants for 2-month volunteer periods will be considered first,
with shorter periods considered if 2-month periods cannot be filled.
Please note that each applicant can apply for only one of the
specified periods. Period dates indicate expected arrival and
departure dates.

Location: Barbados, West Indies

Background Information:

The Barbados Sea Turtle Project is based at the University of the West
Indies (Cave Hill Campus). For more than 20 years, we have been
involved in conservation of the critically endangered marine turtle
species that forage around and nest on Barbados, through monitoring
and conservation of nesting females and hatchlings, research,
education and public outreach. Barbados is currently home to the
second-largest hawksbill turtle nesting population in the Wider
Caribbean, with up to 500 females nesting per year.

Turtle nesting occurs on most of the beaches around the island, many
of which are heavily developed with tourism infrastructure. The
Barbados Sea Turtle Project monitors an index nesting beach nightly
and operates two mobile patrol groups that monitor up to 15 other
nesting beaches per night. The mobile groups also respond to public
reports of turtle activity and turtle emergencies made through our
24-hour Sea Turtle Hotline.

Professor Julia Horrocks, the director of the Barbados Sea Turtle
Project, is the Country Coordinator for the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle
Conservation Network (WIDECAST) in Barbados, and coordinator of the
regional WIDECAST Marine Turtle Tagging Centre.

Duties:

The duties of volunteers vary based on their assignment to either
Night or Day Patrol teams.

Night Patrol Duties:

You will be required to patrol beaches along the south and west coasts
of Barbados from 7:30 pm to 4:30 am, six nights per week (i.e. one
night off per week) for the duration of your time as a volunteer.
During beach patrols, you will be required to record nesting and
hatchling emergence events, tag nesting females, and to collect
morphometric data and environmental data with a high degree of
accuracy and reliability.

You may also be required to rescue disoriented hatchlings and adult
turtles, undertake relocations of nests laid in unsuitable locations
and educate the public and tourists about marine turtles. Sea turtles
often nest in front of hotels, and therefore are highly visible to the
public. Ensuring the safety of the nesting female, collecting data,
and answering questions are all aspects of a BSTP patrol.

Day Patrol Duties:

You will be required to patrol beaches along the south and west coasts
of Barbados from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, six days per week (i.e. one day
off) for the duration of your time as a volunteer. During beach
patrols, you will be required to record tracks from the previous
night’s activities, nests, hatchling emergence events and to collect
environmental data with a high degree of accuracy and reliability.
There is a reduced likelihood of seeing nesting females during Day
Patrol, though female turtles will occasionally nest during the early
morning or late afternoon.

You may also be required to rescue disoriented hatchlings which have
moved toward well-lit properties during the night, to deal with
nesting females that have become trapped in drains or within the
boundaries of beachfront properties and to deal with turtle stranding
events. There is a much greater emphasis on public interaction and
education during the daytime and this, therefore, is a larger part of
the day patrol responsibility than that of the night patrol.

Volunteers will be assigned patrol duties (day or night with potential
rotation between the two) during the nesting season depending on the
Project’s needs. However, volunteers will be assigned primarily to
either day or night patrol.

Other Responsibilities:

Volunteers have several other responsibilities outside of their beach
monitoring obligations. Completed data sheets must be carefully
reviewed then entered into the project database before being filed for
long-term storage.

Equipment used on the beach, particularly electronics, must be well
maintained and kept clear of sand, water and salt. The Project’s
vehicles and the volunteer living quarters must also be kept clean and
well-maintained.

Interested volunteers can learn to guide school and hotel
presentations, as well as to lead public releases of disoriented
hatchlings. At times, volunteers may be asked to design or maintain
educational materials.

If a candidate has experience in public outreach or has art/craft
experience, it is often beneficial. Please mention any skills, talents
or previous experience in your cover letter or CV/résumé.

Dive-certified day patrol volunteers MAY also have the opportunity to
participate in our long-running in-water tagging programme during the
months of June-July, but this is entirely dependent on the Project’s
needs at that time. This programme involves SCUBA diving and in-water
capture of juvenile hawksbill/green turtles, followed by tagging,
marking and the collection of morphometric data. Applicants who wish
to be considered for opportunities to participate in the in-water
programme should be dive certified (Advanced/Rescue Diver), have
logged a minimum of 50 dives (i.e. must be very comfortable in open
water, and at depth) and must have their own dive insurance (e.g. DAN
insurance). Participants will be further assessed for capability in
Barbados.

Requirements:

The position requires that candidates are
• 21 years of age or older
• Fluent English speakers
• Responsible, dedicated and hard-working
• Outgoing, with good people skills
• Able to maintain professional conduct under varied situations

All volunteers must understand the importance of accurate and thorough
data collection, and be able to work and live closely with others as
equally contributing members of a team. As the Barbados Sea Turtle
Project is also a public outreach organization, candidates must have
excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to relate to people of
different nationalities and socio-economic backgrounds.

Candidates must be physically fit (potentially walking up to 20 km per
shift in soft sand at night, in the heat of the day or in adverse
weather) without health problems that could prevent sustained high
levels of activity. Proven field experience is desirable.

Candidates who can drive should hold a valid, clean (preferably manual
transmission) driving license.

Candidates should have their own health, travel and/or accident insurance.

Expenses:

Shared, basic accommodation with cooking facilities will be provided.
A small stipend to cover food and incidentals will be paid on a
monthly basis. Airfare to Barbados is NOT covered by the Project.

Application Process:

If interested, please send an email to:
thebstp@yahoo.com
with the subject line clearly indicating your selected volunteer
period. The following format is suggested:

“Volunteer Application 2015: [Month,Day]-[Month,Day]”.

Please include the following:
• Letter of introduction
• Curriculum Vitae (Résumé)
• A list of three references (including email contact information)
• A clear statement of your age

Be sure to indicate which volunteer period you are applying for very clearly.

Please indicate where this volunteer advertisement was seen.

Applications will be accepted through the 31 July, 2015.

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