Tropical Herpetofauna Technician Internship

T.R.E.E.S., United States

Updated: 11 months ago
Deadline: 01 Oct 2023

Agency
T.R.E.E.S.
Location
27.5 Hummingbird Highway, Belize
Job Category
Internships
Salary
n/a
Start Date
06/01/2023
Last Date to Apply
10/01/2023
Website
https://www.treesociety.org/
Description
Overview of Internship Program Internships are held at the T.R.E.E.S Hosting Center, a research and education center in the Maya Mountains of Belize. The center is operated by the Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society (T.R.E.E.S), a small grassroots not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to conserve Belize’s natural and cultural heritage through education, conservation, and research. One way in which we meet our mandate is through hosting interns. By training international and local Belizean students in environmental and wildlife management field research techniques and data collection protocols, knowledge on the biodiversity of Belizean fauna and flora will be gained. This knowledge will then be compiled into peer-reviewed publications, Belizean government reports and regulations, field guides, and other publications that will increase the global visibility of Belizean fauna and flora and aid in their management and ultimately their conservation. Our internship program is designed so that students will gain invaluable skills in their field which will aid them in finding their career paths and give them experiences that will help them find future employment. The hands-on experiences gained will increase the student’s opportunities for employment in government agencies, Environmental NGOs, and in consultant firms. Through working on long-term monitoring projects that will be designed to be published in peer-reviewed journals and stressing the importance of good note taking, standardized data collection, and scientific writing, students will also be prepared for a future career in academia. Interns pay a daily fee to cover their expenses and gain training and life experiences that they would not otherwise get at home. All fees go directly to supporting the development of conservation projects in Belize through paying T.R.E.E.S incurred expenses of hosting the student, for materials, tools, and transportation required for the intern’s project, and for paying for locals’ time in sharing their knowledge. A portion of the fees are set aside and used for scholarships and bursaries so local Belizean students can have the same training opportunities as international students. If you are an international student in financial need, your academic institution may be able to offer a scholarship or bursary for this opportunity. Potential interns should also look into the possibility of getting accredited through their school for the internship. You should identify an academic advisor willing to support you in this internship, and we will discuss this opportunity directly with him/her as well as provide a letter of support to your academic institution. Internship Specifics You want to learn more about neotropical amphibian and reptile (collectively called herpetofauna, or herps) species, herp census techniques, and herp field work? Want to spend time living and learning about the jungle in the beautiful country of Belize? Want to learn from professional herpetologists? Then this is the internship for you! The goal of this internship is to give the student various experiences in tropical herpetofauna studies that will aid the student in developing their skills for a variety of future education and employment opportunities. The main component of the project will be to work with T.R.E.E.S biologists and staff in establishing long-term herpetofauna monitoring projects (habitat characterization, transects, observational surveys, and mark-recapture specifically for frogs and turtles). These baseline data will contribute to future ecological studies on frog and turtle populations present on the T.R.E.E.S property and elsewhere in the adjacent protected areas in the Maya Mountains. We are looking for interns who are independent yet willing to work in a team environment. Applicants should have a certain level of herpetofauna identification skills and should be interested in improving their techniques for proper identification and survey methods applicable in the tropics. Applicants should have a desire for learning about the incredible biodiversity of Belize through systematic field surveys and data collection. If you are interested, you can always join our other ongoing research to gain a broad experience. Tasks • Learn tropical herps by sight and sound in the Maya Mountains. • Learn and perform a variety of herp surveys that will be most adequate to answer project questions, including: habitat characterization, visual-acoustic encounter surveys along transect lines and as timeconstrained search, telemetry study (VHF), occupancy modelling methodology, capture-mark-recapture, etc. • Possibility of learning frog recording techniques. • Help in establishing a more complete frogs of the Maya Mountains audio data bank. • Work with T.R.E.E.S biologists, international collaborators, and other interns on the development of protocol design and complete a short summary report that will help to establish future research protocols for continuing field work and data collection. • Lead your own research project with the help of trained T.R.E.E.S and international biologist. • Implement protocols in the field using the help of T.R.E.E.S staff and Ecorana tutors to find the best places to set-up long-term monitoring locations. • Be trained on use of GPS to navigate to and mark survey locations. • Possibility of mapping frog/turtle habitat using ArcGIS. • Share knowledge with locals and with other fields. • Learn to enter data in a systematic manner and compile it into a scientific report with introduction and literature review, methods, results (including basic statistical analysis), and discussion using peerreviewed scientific articles. • Depending on involvement in project, may have opportunity to collaborate on future publications. Physical Requirements and Work Conditions • Ability to tolerate high temperature and high humidity • Ability to work in environments where exposure to spiky plants, toxic vines, scorpions, spiders, ticks and biting flies is common. In addition, it is the jungle; venomous snakes are uncommon but present. • Ability to live in remote conditions away from electronic amenities • Possible indoor work is performed in a typical office setting. • Ability to lift, carry, and position objects weighing up to 30 pounds. Benefits • Gain a working knowledge of herp inventorying and monitoring methods. • Learn Central American herps by sight and sound. • Work with herpetologists in a professional setting. • Opportunity to attend personal/professional development days with local experts on a range of projects. • Opportunity to live in and enjoy the scenery, wildlife, and cultural resources of a beautiful country in Central America. • Opportunities to work with other interns, guides and locals from diverse backgrounds that share a common interest in preserving and protecting our natural lands. Terms • Multiple positions available • No application deadline • Start-date: whenever but preferably during wet season (End of May-December) due to higher activity • Length of position: minimum 6 weeks; longer is preferable. • Schedule: 30 hours per week, Monday–Friday. Fees Fees for internships for international students are $354USD/week. This includes lodging and use of all facilities at the T.R.E.E.S Hosting Center, training on methodologies by T.R.E.E.S biologists and local experts in their field of study, as well as mentorship from T.R.E.E.S managers (tutors) for the duration of the intended internship. International students must have international travel medical insurance during their stay in Belize. At the discretion of the T.R.E.E.S managers, local Belizean students (especially those not staying on site) can have fees reduced or exchanged for work. All interns (international and local) are required to pay for transportationto/from the site. To Apply Please email your resume and a thoughtful cover letter to: [email protected] Please indicate the position title in your email subject line. No phone calls please.
Qualifications
Scientific research and writing skills (be able to navigate through peer-reviewed resources and write a basic literature review). • Previous experience working with amphibians and/or reptiles in the Temperate zone (minimum) or in the Tropics (asset). • Previous experience conducting field work at night (after dark). • Previous experience working in streams and conducting stream ecology field work. • Knowledge of herp inventorying and monitoring techniques an asset. • Experience with wildlife recording techniques an asset. • Experience using Microsoft Office Suite • Experience using sound recording software, statistical analysis software, and ArcGIS software an asset. • Flexible easy-going attitude.
Contact Person
Internship Coordinator
Contact eMail
[email protected]

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