Herpetofauna of the Duke Forest, our volunteer-driven program monitoring amphibians and reptiles, returns for its fifth year! We are looking for a dedicated team of community scientists of all experience levels to help us collect data in 2023.
Volunteers will observe and record the herpetofauna they encounter in designated locations across the Duke Forest’s Durham Division. This program contributes to a larger effort underway at the Duke Forest to learn more about the wildlife species that call it home and how to better manage the Forest so that they thrive. Additionally, we can share data from this program with wildlife biologists, faculty, and students that have particular teaching and research interests in these animals. We need new and returning community scientists to help us continue this important work.
If this sounds interesting to you, please read more about the program and mark your calendars for both required trainings: Mon, Feb 13 from 6-8pm (virtual) and Sun, Feb 19 from 9-11am (outdoor, in-person). EVERYONE that wants to participate in the first session*, which will run from February 13 to June 25, must attend both trainings.
Commitment: Each community scientist is placed on a team, and at least two members from each team will be responsible for completing 1 monitoring visit every week. A monitoring visit consists of both field data collection and smartphone or computer-based data entry. The total time commitment per week is ~1 – 2 hours (excluding travel time).
*The Herpetofauna Program season is divided into two sessions. The first session runs February – June, and the second session runs June – October. The application is now open for Session 1 and Full Season commitments.