Post by kaima on May 24, 2006 22:39:08 GMT -7
Here is your chance to visit Poland and to study wolves.
www.biosphere-expeditions.org/expeditions/poland.htm
Monitoring grey wolves of the East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (Poland / Ukraine / Slovakia).
QUICK SUMMARY
This expedition will take you to the winter mountains of the Carpathians to snow- and radio-track wolves in an urgent effort of preventing them from being declared legitimate hunting targets and thus being hunted into local extinction. You will be out on the hills counting tracks, scratch marks, kills and other signs of wolf presence, and tracking them using radio telemetry equipment. There may also be wolf trapping for radio collaring. The Carpathians are medium-sized mountains (up to 1346 m) covered in thick temperate forests and the climate will be wintery with snow cover expected. Base is on a comfortable mountain village farm, complete with log fire and modern amenities.
Snow- and radio tracking wolves in an area with the world's highest density of wolves, brown bears and lynx. This expedition is part of an on-going population study designed to protect the animal from pressures to declare it a legitimate hunting target (with likely overkill into local extinction), and to conserve wolves in coexistence with the local human population. (Can laypeople really be of help to serious research & conservation projects?)
Expedition aims:
(1) To determine number of wolves and wolf packs in the study area.
(2) To monitor wolf population dynamic and density (number and size of packs, mortality rates, reproduction rates, territory size, home range size).
(3) To monitor basic ecological parameters of prey species (wild ungulates) such as density, mortality, reproduction.
(4) To determine wolf diet.
(5) To determine impact of wolves on wild ungulates (kill rate, prey selection).
Dates:
Not applicable, as past expedition.
Expedition team size:
Up to 6 team members + 1 local scientist + 1 expedition leader. (Please contact us for places left on each team. Who can join and how do I join?)
Expedition contribution:
Not applicable, as past expedition.
(Where does my money go, are there any other expenses for me, why is the airfare/travel to the assembly point not included, can I join for more than one slot and are there any discounts if I do?)
Please note: expedition contributions are quoted in British pound sterling and the approximate Euro and US Dollar equivalent. Try the Oanda currency converter for other currencies and an up to date Euro and US Dollar exchange rate.
Background (why we are there):
Official wolf censuses conducted by game managers consistently overestimate the actual number of wolves in the area. They also claim that wolves have a negative impact on red deer numbers. Combined, these results are then used in efforts to change the status of wolves in the area from protected animals to legitimate hunting targets. The data collected during this expedition will be an independent and scientifically accurate means of determining true wolf numbers and their predatory impact on red deer. Recent expedition work has shown that proposed hunting quotas for wolves (calculated based on the official overestimates) would in fact eradicate the entire population that actually exists within the Biosphere Reserve. It also shows that hunting has a more significant impact on red deer mortality than wolf predation. However, more work over a number of years is needed to make our conclusions even more persuasive and to protect the wolf from being hunted into local extinction.
Primary study species:
Grey wolf (Canis lupus).
Secondary landmark species present:
Brown bear, lynx, European bison, elk, wild boar, red deer, roe deer, eagle. All in temperate beech and fir forest environment.
Location:
East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, SE Poland with borders to the Ukraine and Slovakia.
Local & expedition base conditions:
The research area covers about 500 km² of mountainous terrain inhabited by five wolf packs. About 80% of it is covered by forests of mainly beech and fir. The climate is mountainous with mild summers and cold winters, and usually continuous snow cover from December to March.
The expedition teams will be based in the mountain village of Chmiel in a mountain village farm cabin, complete with log fire and converted to include bathrooms and some modern amenities. All meals will be prepared for the team locally and vegetarians or vegans can be accommodated. (What's the accommodation and level of comfort like?)
Fitness level required:
Moderate. Ability to walk about 15 km per day in mountainous, usually snowy terrain. Snow shoes will be provided if the snow is high. (Is it for me? Am I too old/young/unfit?)
Skills & prerequisites:
You don't need to be a scientist or have any special qualifications - everyone can take part and there are no age limits whatsoever. Ability to recognise tracks of ungulates and large carnivores, as well the use of radio tracking equipment, GPS, compass and map will be taught as part of the expedition. You must speak English. (How good does my English have to be?)
Please also always remember that our expeditions are not about playing the primitive, neither are we a military style 'boot-camp'. We believe strongly that we get the best out of our expedition teams by making them comfortable, safe and well fed. You won’t be living in the lap of luxury, but we will do our best to make you feel comfortable and at home in your working environment, as this is the key to a well-balanced and successful expedition. (Can laypeople really be of help to serious research & conservation projects?)
Typical day:
After breakfast, we travel by Land Rover to specified spots in the forest to start trail/tracking work in pairs, looking for wolves and any indication of their presence like resting and meeting places, leftover prey, scratch marks, radio signals etc. It will get dark quite early, so we usually return to base by 15:00 – 16:00 to log the day's results. After dinner there is usually plenty of time to rest, read and play games in front of the log fire. One some days we may be out for a few hours at night radio tracking or checking wolf traps.
Team assembly point:
Krakow
www.biosphere-expeditions.org/expeditions/poland.htm
Monitoring grey wolves of the East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (Poland / Ukraine / Slovakia).
QUICK SUMMARY
This expedition will take you to the winter mountains of the Carpathians to snow- and radio-track wolves in an urgent effort of preventing them from being declared legitimate hunting targets and thus being hunted into local extinction. You will be out on the hills counting tracks, scratch marks, kills and other signs of wolf presence, and tracking them using radio telemetry equipment. There may also be wolf trapping for radio collaring. The Carpathians are medium-sized mountains (up to 1346 m) covered in thick temperate forests and the climate will be wintery with snow cover expected. Base is on a comfortable mountain village farm, complete with log fire and modern amenities.
Snow- and radio tracking wolves in an area with the world's highest density of wolves, brown bears and lynx. This expedition is part of an on-going population study designed to protect the animal from pressures to declare it a legitimate hunting target (with likely overkill into local extinction), and to conserve wolves in coexistence with the local human population. (Can laypeople really be of help to serious research & conservation projects?)
Expedition aims:
(1) To determine number of wolves and wolf packs in the study area.
(2) To monitor wolf population dynamic and density (number and size of packs, mortality rates, reproduction rates, territory size, home range size).
(3) To monitor basic ecological parameters of prey species (wild ungulates) such as density, mortality, reproduction.
(4) To determine wolf diet.
(5) To determine impact of wolves on wild ungulates (kill rate, prey selection).
Dates:
Not applicable, as past expedition.
Expedition team size:
Up to 6 team members + 1 local scientist + 1 expedition leader. (Please contact us for places left on each team. Who can join and how do I join?)
Expedition contribution:
Not applicable, as past expedition.
(Where does my money go, are there any other expenses for me, why is the airfare/travel to the assembly point not included, can I join for more than one slot and are there any discounts if I do?)
Please note: expedition contributions are quoted in British pound sterling and the approximate Euro and US Dollar equivalent. Try the Oanda currency converter for other currencies and an up to date Euro and US Dollar exchange rate.
Background (why we are there):
Official wolf censuses conducted by game managers consistently overestimate the actual number of wolves in the area. They also claim that wolves have a negative impact on red deer numbers. Combined, these results are then used in efforts to change the status of wolves in the area from protected animals to legitimate hunting targets. The data collected during this expedition will be an independent and scientifically accurate means of determining true wolf numbers and their predatory impact on red deer. Recent expedition work has shown that proposed hunting quotas for wolves (calculated based on the official overestimates) would in fact eradicate the entire population that actually exists within the Biosphere Reserve. It also shows that hunting has a more significant impact on red deer mortality than wolf predation. However, more work over a number of years is needed to make our conclusions even more persuasive and to protect the wolf from being hunted into local extinction.
Primary study species:
Grey wolf (Canis lupus).
Secondary landmark species present:
Brown bear, lynx, European bison, elk, wild boar, red deer, roe deer, eagle. All in temperate beech and fir forest environment.
Location:
East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, SE Poland with borders to the Ukraine and Slovakia.
Local & expedition base conditions:
The research area covers about 500 km² of mountainous terrain inhabited by five wolf packs. About 80% of it is covered by forests of mainly beech and fir. The climate is mountainous with mild summers and cold winters, and usually continuous snow cover from December to March.
The expedition teams will be based in the mountain village of Chmiel in a mountain village farm cabin, complete with log fire and converted to include bathrooms and some modern amenities. All meals will be prepared for the team locally and vegetarians or vegans can be accommodated. (What's the accommodation and level of comfort like?)
Fitness level required:
Moderate. Ability to walk about 15 km per day in mountainous, usually snowy terrain. Snow shoes will be provided if the snow is high. (Is it for me? Am I too old/young/unfit?)
Skills & prerequisites:
You don't need to be a scientist or have any special qualifications - everyone can take part and there are no age limits whatsoever. Ability to recognise tracks of ungulates and large carnivores, as well the use of radio tracking equipment, GPS, compass and map will be taught as part of the expedition. You must speak English. (How good does my English have to be?)
Please also always remember that our expeditions are not about playing the primitive, neither are we a military style 'boot-camp'. We believe strongly that we get the best out of our expedition teams by making them comfortable, safe and well fed. You won’t be living in the lap of luxury, but we will do our best to make you feel comfortable and at home in your working environment, as this is the key to a well-balanced and successful expedition. (Can laypeople really be of help to serious research & conservation projects?)
Typical day:
After breakfast, we travel by Land Rover to specified spots in the forest to start trail/tracking work in pairs, looking for wolves and any indication of their presence like resting and meeting places, leftover prey, scratch marks, radio signals etc. It will get dark quite early, so we usually return to base by 15:00 – 16:00 to log the day's results. After dinner there is usually plenty of time to rest, read and play games in front of the log fire. One some days we may be out for a few hours at night radio tracking or checking wolf traps.
Team assembly point:
Krakow
I said if the money was good or I was independently wealthy, I'd volunteer to hunt poachers with a rifle, and let the bears eat their remains.