The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Fish and Wildlife Conservation office in Flagstaff, AZ is once again looking for volunteers for our upcoming 2012 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 ten days long and we 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. 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 volunteers who are comfortable in primitive camping situations, working in difficult or adverse weather conditions, and hiking long distances (up to ~6 miles in a day) over rough terrain. Federal travel budgets are very tight again this year, so while some travel assistance may be provided, priority will be given to volunteers who are local or can cover their own travel costs. 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, as well as contact information for three references that we can call to discuss your previous work history. Also, please indicate from where you would be traveling and if you would need travel assistance. Once we have filled all of the volunteer positions and established standby lists for each trip, you will receive an email from us notifying you of your position.

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 however, due to logistics, we are unable to accept volunteers coming from outside the United States.

We look forward to hearing from you!

2012 Little Colorado River monitoring trip dates:

Apr. 17-27, 2012
May 15-25, 2012
Sep. 11-21, 2012
Oct. 9-19, 2012

Contacts:

Mike Pillow - Biologist & Volunteer Coordinator
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Randy VanHaverbeke - Biologist & Helicopter Safety Trainer
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