Job Details
Job Description
Position: ARCTIC ALASKA (QUPALUK) ASSISTANT AVIAN TECHNICIAN
Reports to: Kayla Shively, WCS Conservation Ecologist
Location: Qupaluk Flyway Network Site - North Slope, Alaska
Country Program/Sector: Arctic Beringia
Position Type: Full-Time Temporary
Internal liaison: WCS Arctic Beringia Conservation Ecologist; WCS Arctic Beringia Grants Officer
Expected travel: 95% of this position's time will be spent in the field (Qupaluk), and the remainder in Fairbanks, Alaska
Organizational Background:
The Wildlife Conservation Society ("WCS") is a New York not-for-profit corporation founded by statute in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society. WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through research, science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. That mission is achieved through our global conservation programs (WCS currently oversees a portfolio of more than 500 conservation projects in 65 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and North America, and the oceans between them) and through the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks-the Bronx Zoo; the New York Aquarium; and the Central Park, Queens, and Prospect Park Zoos (the City Zoos)
Program Overview:
The WCS Arctic Beringia Program aims to protect Arctic wildlife such as polar bear, walrus, arctic fox, muskoxen, seals, and waterbirds from pressures related to a rapidly changing climate and the onset of new industrial development. At the same time, WCS works to ensure the region's communities can continue to depend on local resources for food, as well as economic and cultural vitality. Implementing conservation in such a rapidly changing environment can only be effective through working with scientists, local experts, and Indigenous communities
Job Summary:
The Qupaluk Flyway Network Site (Qupaluk) is in the northeast corner of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) - Teshekpuk Special Area on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska. Qupaluk is one of the most important shorebird nesting sites in the entire international Arctic and was accepted into the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership in 2016. This project is a continuation of a study evaluating nesting productivity in a suite of tundra-nesting birds (primarily shorebirds and waterfowl species) within the Qupaluk site. The crew will monitor 6 plots (4 existing, 2 to be established) to assess nest density, nest survival, predator numbers, and habitat associations of Arctic birds. The 3-person crew will travel to the field site via helicopter and live in a tent-based field camp. Plots will be accessed daily on foot. Fieldwork will occur over 7-8 weeks in June and July 2024. Field conditions will be snowy and cold in June, and then wet, cold, and buggy in July. Some shorebird trapping will occur. Applicants must be able to consistently use discretion and judgement when making decisions. Experience, education, and/or training working in remote backcountry environments is essential, and experience in the Arctic or Arctic-conditions highly recommended. Applicants must be comfortable working remotely in bear country. The ability to work independently and within a small team is vital.
Major Responsibilities:
* Traveling to and from the field site in a helicopter and floatplane.
* Establishing a remote field camp and maintaining safety equipment for everyday use (e.g., weather port, shotgun, electric fence, etc.).
* Re-establishing study plots, conducting nest searches (using both rope drag and behavioural nest search techniques), floating eggs to determine age, and shorebird capture and handling.
* Conducting surveys for potential nest predators, collecting snow cover and habitat data, entering and proofing data.
* Post-season gear maintenance in Fairbanks.