The Evidence-based Restoration Lab with Dr. Jones is gearing up for their small mammal trapping session at Nachusa Grasslands in Franklin Grove, IL (transportation available) July 12th through July 20th!
This is an opportunity for students to gain hands-on research experience. You will get to see how a research project is run and participate in data collection. They are sampling small mammals - including species of mice, voles, ground squirrels, and more!
They are in need of student volunteers to help with setting small mammal traps each afternoon and checking traps each morning to perform data collection, as well as project clean up on July 20th.
July 12th: Start at 3pm. They will set out small mammal live-traps at their long-term research sites. (Time: 3pm-7pm)
July 13-20th: Each morning, they aim to begin around 7am to check traps and do data collection. They expect data collection to finish up before or around 12pm each day. (Time: 7am-11am) Each afternoon, they re-bait and reset the traps beginning around 4:30pm. This usually takes 1-2 hours. (Time: 4:30pm-7pm)
July 20th: They will check and collect all the traps, and then stay for project clean up. Extra hands on this day are greatly appreciated! (Time: 7am-2pm)
If you are available and interested, please let them know the following:
Which days are you available for trapping and for which sessions (morning, afternoon, or both)?
If you are comfortable with carpooling, they can help to arrange this. If you are available to stay for a whole day to help (morning and afternoon sessions) they will have use of one of the research houses at Nachusa as a home base for meals and relaxing between sessions. There is a full kitchen, beds to take naps, and space to chill.
Thank you all so much for your help! Please respond to lsmall1@niu.edu with any questions!
Elizabeth "Lizzy" Small (she/her)
MSc student | Evidence-based Restoration Lab
Northern Illinois University | Montgomery Hall 429
