Arizona Fish Survey in Remote Areas, Need VOLS

Subject: USFWS volunteer opportunities - Little Colorado River, Arizona

Greetings!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Fish and Wildlife Conservation office in Flagstaff, AZ is looking for volunteers for our upcoming 2010 field season. Each spring and fall we conduct sampling trips to monitor native fishes in the Little Colorado River, a tributary of the Colorado River near Grand Canyon National Park. Our trips are typically two weeks long and use hoopnets to capture and collect information on native fish, including the federally endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha).

Sampling is conducted from three remote field camps along the river, with nets fished each day within a specific reach. If you enjoy hiking, these trips are for you! Due to the remote area in which we work, crews are transported to camps via helicopter, and contact with the outside world is extremely limited. We are looking for people who are comfortable in primitive camping situations and working in difficult or adverse weather conditions. We provide some travel assistance for qualified individuals. Please check out the attached document for more information. A biology or fisheries background is preferred but not essential. The dates of our trips are below.

If you are interested in volunteering, we ask that you please provide us with a resume or brief summary of your background, highlighting your experience in conducting fieldwork and working in remote situations, and contact information for three references that we can call to discuss your previous work history. Volunteers are selected on a first-come first-served basis, so apply early! In exchange for your labor, you will get to see one of the most remote and beautiful areas of the southwest, work with endangered species, and you will eat very well!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering! Feel free to call or email Mike or Randy with any questions you have. Also, please help us distribute this volunteer announcement and pass along this along to your students, colleagues and friends. We apologize but due to logistics, we are unable to accept volunteers coming from outside the United States.

We look forward to hearing from you!


2010 Little Colorado River monitoring trip dates:

Apr. 13-23, 2010

May 11-21, 2010

Sep. 14-24, 2010

Oct. 12-22, 2010

Contacts:

Mike Pillow – Biologist & Volunteer Coordinator
Michael_Pillow@fws.gov
928-226-1289 ext 112

Randy Van Haverbeke – Biologist & Helicopter Safety Trainer
Randy_Vanhaverbeke@fws.gov
928-226-1289 ext 114

I have actually done this exact same stuff for a different group in the Little Colorado River (LCR) and it is an awesome trip. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is in reasonable shape and is happy roughing it. It is a very unique opportunity and the fish are pretty cool. Here are some pics taken from the LCR.

Gila cypha
http://desertfishes....a__/gcypha3.jpg

Catostomus discobolus
http://desertfishes....bo/cdiscob4.jpg

Catostomus latipinnis
http://desertfishes....in/clatipi2.jpg

Cheers
Peter