The Evidence-based Restoration Lab with Dr. Jones and Lizzy Small is gearing up for our small mammal data collection session at Nachusa Grasslands in Franklin Grove, IL (transportation available) October 11th - October 19th! (Please pass this on to your undergraduate students, you can use the attached to advertise during class.)
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. We are sampling small mammals - including species of mice, voles, ground squirrels, and more!
We 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 October 19th.
October 11th: Start at 3pm. We will set out small mammal live-traps at 8 of our long-term research sites. (Time: 3pm-7pm)
October 12-19th: Each morning, we aim to begin around 7am to check traps and do data collection. We expect data collection to finish up before or around 11am each day. (Time: 7am-11am)
Each afternoon, we re-bait and reset the traps beginning around 4:30pm. This usually takes 1-2 hours. (Time: 4:30pm-7pm)
October 19th: We 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 me know the following:
Which days are you available for trapping and for which sessions (morning, afternoon, or both)?
Use this link to fill in your availability or preference for volunteer shifts:
https://whenisgood.net/octobersmallmammals
If you are comfortable with carpooling, we can help to arrange this. If you are available to stay for a whole day to help (morning and afternoon sessions) we 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!
