[CINC] xantus's murrelet volunteer opportunity

[Derek_Lohuis at nps.gov]

the request below is from kevin barnes, a biological science technician
here at the park. he is looking for help in recording murrelet behaviour.
hours that you contribute to this project may be recorded on your time
sheet and count towards your annual total.

please email kevin barnes (kevin_barnes at nps.gov) directly if you have
questions or are interested in helping out.

thanks for considering this request.


Derek Lohuis
Channel Islands National Park
1901 Spinnaker Dr.
Ventura, CA 93001
805-658-5736


   Dear Naturalist Corps members,

   Resource management’s seabird division at Channel Islands National Park
   is extending an invitation to volunteers in the Naturalist Corps to help
   view nesting footage of Xantus’s Murrelets. Since 2007, Montrose
   Restoration Settlements Program and Channel Islands National Park have
   been making efforts to restore denuded nesting habitat for Xantus’s
   Murrelets and other seabirds on Santa Barbara Island. This project is
   part of a larger plan developed to mitigate damages resulting from the
   disposal of DDT into the southern California bight by the Montrose
   Chemical Corporation.  It’s our belief that conservation efforts can be
   implemented more effectively when there is a sound understanding of the
   species’ ecology. Although there have been extensive efforts to examine
   Xantus’s Murrelet breeding biology, there are still aspects that remain
   largely unknown. For this reason, we have been filming these rare and
   state threatened seabirds over the past two nesting seasons.

   Our division doesn’t have the time to do view all of the countless hours
   of footage, but we hope that with the help of interested people who have
   a background in natural science and a keen eye, we can begin to work
   through it. Here’s a brief description of what a viewing session would
   entail. One would come into the seabird office in the Ventura Harbor.
   All files are digitized, so analyses would occur on a computer. We have
   a list of basic behaviors that are coded; such as, bird enters nest,
   bird seen incubating, bird seen turning eggs, etc. While watching the
   footage, in an excel spreadsheet you would record the behavior, the time
   it occurred, and any other pertinent notes. When you are done viewing a
   file you can check it off the list. Footage can be fast forwarded
   through, but watched closely, during periods of inactivity.
   We hope to recruit volunteers that have the following skills: keen
   observational skills, meticulous data entry, experience with computers
   and the Microsoft Office program Excel, and a basic understanding of
   avian ecology.

   We are grateful to anyone that’s interested and hope that it is
   something one can enjoy doing whenever they have some free time. If you
   would like to be involved please email me at kevin_barnes at nps.gov. Hope
   to hear from you!!

   Thanks,

   Kevin Barnes
   Biological Science Technician
   Channel Islands National Park