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positions for birders, and thoughts on the "birding lottery"



Hi C-birders,

Ever since I posted here about it yesterday, I've been pondering "The 
Texas Birdwatching Bonanza", the Texas Parks and Wildlife contest wherein 
each entrant pays $10, the grand prize winner gets a three-week guided 
birding tour for two across the whole state of Texas, runners-up get 
shorter, less extravagant Texas-birding-themed prizes, and the rest of 
the money goes to bird conservation projects. The lottery, of course, is 
a big issue now in North Carolina, where candidates for Governor are 
debating whether to use one to fund public schools. Do we dare attempt to 
put together a Carolina analog to the Texas Birdwatching Bonanza?

Prizes should be no problem. In place of the Rio Grande/ Gulf Coast 
spring migration/ Big Bend triple grand prize, the Carolinas could offer 
(for example) a weekend of pelagic trips with Brian Patteson or Mike 
Tove, fall birding along the Outer Banks with John Fussell or John 
Wright or another big-name local birder, and a spring trip along the Blue 
Ridge with Simon Thompson or Wayne Forsythe or whomever was willing to 
contribute up there. The total number of species wouldn't compare to the 
Texas possibilities, but we have a few species here that Texas can't offer 
(especially on the pelagic trips). And if we could attract enough 
entries, there's no doubt we could find uses for the money, as 
development gobbles up valuable wildlife habitat around communities like 
Greenville SC, Columbia, Charlotte, and of course the Triangle, and 
conversion to tree plantations threatens much of the forested land not 
yet at risk to developers... Just a thought. Probably best to wait and 
see how much money TPW raises with their version before trying it here.

Anyone out there looking for a bird-related job? I will be as soon as I 
escape grad school (although I'll take herp- bug- or other critter- 
related, I don't discriminate based on taxon). However, I noticed on the 
Georgia listserv a couple which are available sooner than that, one of 
them based in NC (why they didn't send an announcement here themselves I 
don't know), the other a regional SouthEastern position. The former is a 
short-term deal, just a month, perfect for a student who doesn't yet have 
a summer job; the latter is a longer-term deal with tougher 
prerequisites. I'll paste both below.

Good birding,

Josh

-----Original Message-----
From:   GOLDER, Walker [SMTP:WGOLDER@Audubon.org]
Sent:   Thursday, June 01, 2000 10:38 AM
Subject:        Golden-winged Warblers

The Cornell Lab of Ornith. is looking for a field technician to conduct
Golden-winged Warbler surveys in North Carolina THIS SEASON and I am trying
to assist in finding a person to do the work.  DO you have a grad or
undergrad student, or someone else, that could do the surveys?  They would
need to begin immediately and work for about 1 month.  Pay is $1000.

>We are hoping to gather a
>minimum amount of data from all of our field assistants this season. We
>would like a minimum of 20 point count days per field assistant which would
>equal about 6-10 pages of your state delorme atlas if you take 2 mornings
>per page. We would like field assistants to concentrate on the Hybrid Index
>protocol and if GWWA hot spots are found then the Population Survey can be
>conducted in these areas as well. We are looking for extensive surveys
>rather than intensive surveys, just like CEWAP. We need as much territory
>covered as possible. We are not looking for information on nesting or
>behavioral observations, unless you come across this while conducting your
>quick surveys or point counts.

Please call me ASAP if you have someone that would be interested.

Walker Golder
(910) 251-0666
wgolder@audubon.org

******************************************************************

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

SOUTHEAST PARTNERS IN FLIGHT COORDINATOR

Partners in Flight is a voluntary alliance of bird conservation interests 
including state and federal government, conservation organizations, 
forest products industry and academic institutions (see 
http://www.PartnersInFlight.org for more information). In the fall of 
1995, Partners in Flight (PIF) began the ambitious goal of developing 
conservation plans for over 400 migratory birds inhabiting a variety of 
habitats ranging from grasslands, wetlands, and forests to deserts. PIF 
is now embarking on Phase II. The objective of Phase II is to assure the 
greatest likelihood for successful implementation of these plans thereby 
assuring PIF*s goal of restoring and maintaining migratory bird 
populations across our nation. The approach to bird conservation in Phase 
II will focus primarily on three elements: communication of plan concepts 
and objectives, initial coordination of implementation, and further plan 
refinement. PIF achieves these objectives through four regional 
coordinators (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and West) as well as help 
from numerous individuals associated with all of the key players. The SE 
coordinators position is the only one of these positions now open. This 
position is full-time and funded for at least two years.

The SE coordinator*s main responsibility will be to:

Lead in communicating the evolving direction and needs of the PIF Plan 
Implementation Phase to a focused external audience of key 
decision-makers;

Facilitate information exchange within and among PIF regions and 
technical working groups regarding ongoing activities, techniques, 
improvements, and accomplishments;

Stimulate implementation of important bird conservation actions within 
their regions;

Integrate PIF objectives in cooperation with those of Joint Ventures of 
the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the Shorebird Plan, and 
other conservation initiatives;

Facilitate the creation of at least one new pilot bird conservation 
delivery mechanism in each region, similar perhaps to a Joint Venture, 
where no such mechanism currently exists;

Refine the PIF Bird Conservation Plans, fostering a continuing and robust 
relationship among planning, implementation, and evaluation;

Qualifications: 1.) Advanced degree in wildlife management, zoology, 
biology, or other similar field; 2) Excellent writing/editing skills; 
keen attention to detail; 3) Demonstrated ability to deal perceptively 
and communicate effectively (verbal and written) with a diverse array of 
people and institutions; 4) Demonstrated ability to work productively and 
independently as part of a team; 5) Demonstrated interest in and 
commitment to the conservation of wildlife, 6) Knowledge of the 
southeastern U.S irds and habitats a plus, and 7) Willingness to travel 
frequently

Location: TBD but somewhere in the SE (likely in a state or federal 
agency or conservation organization)

Salary and Benefits: Compensation will be based upon qualifications.
End Date: June 15 or until filled.
To apply: Send resume, cover letter, writing sample (1-2 pages), and 3 
references to: Naomi Edelson, International Association of Fish and 
Wildlife Agencies, 444 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 544, Washington DC 
20001. Or via email to iafwa=40sso.org or fax at 202/624-7891. NO PHONE 
CALLS PLEASE.

Naomi Edelson
International Assn. of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
444 N. Capitol St., NW
Suite 544
Washington DC 20001
tel: (202) 624-7890
fax: (202) 624-7891
IAFWA Website: http://www.sso.org/iafwa
Check out the Teaming with Wildlife web site: http://www.teaming.com
******************************************************************

Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Zoology

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/