Snowy Plover Monitoring Program Community Recreational Use Intern

National Audubon Society

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Snowy Plover (SNPL) Monitoring Program and Community Recreational Use Intern will assist in implementing surveys of human recreational use on and near SNPL habitat of the South Shore of Great Salt Lake, Utah. The western intermountain population of SNPL is believed to be in decline as documented breeding pairs at Great Salt Lake (one of the two most important breeding areas in North America) have plummeted in recent years. Audubon Rockies and Saline Lakes of the National Audubon Society and Tracy Aviary initiated a pilot breeding SNPL monitoring project during the summer of 2023. This ongoing project continues this year and includes camera trap surveys and surveys to quantify the extent and type of human-related disturbance to the birds. Survey types may consist of (but are not limited to) visitor usage surveys, geospatial monitoring, remotely accessed data with trail cameras, etc. Interns have the opportunity to 1) work closely with the Sr. Associate of Community Building, Gillmor Sanctuary, to maintain trail camera installations, image analysis and data management, and help conduct 2 types of recreational surveys; and 2) work closely with Audubon and Tracy Aviary staff throughout the study. These internships are an excellent introduction to wildlife and human recreation research that is intended to drive the co-creation of conservation actions by science and the community. Interns will gain invaluable experience from interactive communications with diverse community members, conducting research in the field, honing data management skills, and opportunities to present key findings to key conservation partners that will help prepare them for advanced degrees and future employment.

Requirements

A Bachelor of Science, or currently enrolled in wildlife biology, conservation biology, environmental science, or related field.
Excellent communication skills and technical capacity to operate and maintain equipment such as geo-locators and remote trail cameras and download data and images to user-interfaced platforms (Qualtrics, ArcGIS, Survey123, Excel, etc.).
Have good data management skills and be able to assist with or independently conduct basic statistical analysis.
Tolerance to working outdoors in low and high temperatures, extreme sun exposure, and being physically able to walk on uneven terrain for up to 5 miles at a time while carrying research equipment.
Must have a valid driver’s license and be willing to drive their personal vehicle if applicable.
Must be willing to work some evenings and weekends.
Commitment to Audubon’s organizational values of care, collaboration, change, integrity, impact, and innovation.

Responsibilities

Conduct and quantify in-person and remotely acquired surveys of recreational use of South Shore access points of Great Salt Lake by diverse groups of community members.
Place and retrieve nesting site cameras.
Retrieve and replace SD memory cards from nesting sites and other area trail cameras.
Analyze nesting site images for anthropogenic or predator disturbance and hatching results.
Log image analysis to program database.
Interact with the core research team at regular weekly meetings to share observations and troubleshoot any issues.
Equipment management and inventory, maintenance, storage.
Prepare a summary report of seasonal disturbance survey data by the end of internship.

Benefits

Mentorship from trained and skilled scientists
Participation in a scientific study
Conducting in-person surveys
Operating and maintaining scientific equipment
Working independently in the field with partner
Large dataset management
Basic data analysis approaches
Scientific reporting
Learn how the intersection of biological monitoring and recreational use surveys are used to co-create conservation actions
Collaboration and communication skills