Internship
INTERSHIPS AVAILABLE IN FIELD HERPETOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute, Inc. has two internships available in the fall and one position open immediately. The internships are at Finca de la Tortuga Biological Field Station, located 12 miles west of Gainesville, Florida.
Tortoise Assurance Colony Research and Management
The intern in this position will be conducting behavioral studies with various species of rare tortoises in natural habitat enclosures. This person will also work with various aspects of gopher tortoise behavior including movements and foraging behavior. A student who has an interest in field botany would be well suited for one of the key projects. This person will serve as a paid field tech on a long-term drift fence study in the Ocala National Forest.
Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative
ABRPI has a conservation program that involves providing educational programs for professionals, training for interpretative naturalists and biologists and training volunteers throughout the state. Several field courses and a workshop and course on producing "home rule" protected species regulations will be conducted this fall. This is a fine opportunity for a student interested in working with a conservation nonprofit as a career to get some real experience at all levels. A stipend is available for this position.
Personal Projects
Each intern is encouraged, if in school, to arrange for credit for a personal research project that each intern is encouraged to develop while at the field. Students may develop and undertake graduate research projects on site including those not dealing with tortoises.
Requirements
Internships are 3 or 6 months in length. Applicants should be in an undergraduate or graduate program or entering a graduate program. Or, employed as a
conservation officer or biologist who is managing tortoise collections or doing research or managing tortoises in the wild. Computer skills are mandatory and minimally include, MS Word and Excel, and web page management. Nonsmokers (real) only. It is preferred that the applicant has their own vehicle (except foreign applicants). Tortoise management includes working with dogs so experience with dogs is good. GTCI applicant should have good people skills and experience in teaching in informal situations is good.Contact:
Ray Ashton, ABRPI
14260 W. Newberry Rd #331
Newberry, Fl 32669
Phone: 352-495-7449, Fax 352-495-7433
Tortfarm2@aol.com www.geocities.com/ashtonbiodiversity