Volunteer for Fieldwork in the Maitland

Every year we call for volunteers to join us on our yearly monitoring program of the endangered Queensnake in the beautiful Maitland River near Goderich, Ontario.

We are happy to announce that Huron Stewardship Council is running their volunteer-based Queensnake surveys again near Goderich. Please share with colleagues and/or students. We look forward to seeing you (again or for the first time).

Please sign up here

The format will be similar to previous years:
Saturday: Training and sampling at Falls Reserve. This day is usually 9am-4pm.
Sunday: Team splits in two (minimum 3 at each location). This day is also usually 9am-4pm
Times depend on how many captures we have and processing times. Tentatively our survey dates are below (see also google sign-up sheet for available dates.

May 24-25, June 14-15, July 5-6, July 26-27, Aug 16-17, Sept 6-7 : backup date

What can you expect? Seasonal weather, walking in flowing water (perhaps knee deep depending on precipitation), humid temperatures.
What can you learn? Monitoring techniques for estimating population abundance, hands-on experience with finding snakes, measuring snake morphometrics, PIT tagging to mark snakes for individual identification, blood extraction for the sampling of DNA.
What we will provide? We will do our best to secure camping again this year. Please stay tuned. It is essential we know how many tents, people and cars are coming to ensure enough sites on the Friday and Saturday nights.
What do I need to volunteer? Good soled shoes that can get wet (water shoes/old shoes). Using rubber boots you will likely get a soaker. Bring lunch, water, pants that can get wet, hat, sunscreen and a good attitude!
Is this event family friendly? We welcome anyone interested and with the ability to walk the river. Kids are welcome and have made great contributions.
Can I carpool with people? We try to accommodate this as much as possible, but it really depends on who is volunteering any particular weekend.

If you have any questions or concerns please send us a message using the detailed form below.

Volunteer for Fieldwork in the Maitland

What can you expect? Seasonal weather, walking in flowing water (perhaps knee deep depending on precipitation), humid temperatures.

What can you learn? Monitoring techniques for estimating population abundance, hands-on experience with finding snakes, measuring snake morphometrics, PIT tagging to mark snakes for individual identification, blood extraction for the sampling of DNA.

What we will provide? We will do our best to secure camping again this year. Please stay tuned. It is essential we know how many tents, people and cars are coming to ensure enough sites on the Friday and Saturday nights.

What do I need to volunteer? Good soled shoes that can get wet (water shoes/old shoes). Using rubber boots you will likely get a soaker. Bring lunch, water, pants that can get wet, hat, sunscreen and a good attitude!

Is this event family friendly? We welcome anyone interested and with the ability to walk the river. Kids are welcome and have made great contributions.

Can I carpool with people? We try to accommodate this as much as possible, but it really depends on who is volunteering any particular weekend.

If you have any questions or concerns please send us a message using the detailed form below.