Other 2010 Internships High School Volunteer Internship Opportunity: Brook Trout Survey and RestorationOn Saturdays during March-May of 2010, opportunities will be available for motivated high school students to take part in Black Rock Forest’s Brook Trout Restoration Program. Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are New York’s state fish, but their populations have diminished over the last century due to human-induced environmental changes (e.g., habitat alteration, habitat fragmentation, competition with introduced brown and rainbow trout). Students will work with Black Rock Forest staff and a consulting aquatic biologist to survey stream life and assess brook trout reproductive status through seine netting and electro-survey techniques. This work will help provide the basis for a comprehensive brook trout restoration plan for the region. Students will receive training in all field techniques. Interested students should contact Katie Pavlis at the Forest in February. Stream bank restoration work will also run on Saturdays through spring and early summer 2010. Students will assist Black Rock Forest Manager John Brady with on-site stream habitat improvements for brook trout. This will include streamside planting of native conifers to cool water temperatures and enhancement of trout pools. Students will receive training in restoration practices and learn tree identification and forestry techniques while working with Mr. Brady. Interested students should contact him at the Forest in early spring. Undergraduate Paid Internship Opportunity: Highlands Stream Habitat Assessment SurveyTwo paid internship opportunities are available for the month of August 2010 to assess stream habitat suitability for enhancement and reintroduction of brook trout populations around the Highlands region. Assessments will focus on quantifying minimum summer stream flow (m3/sec) and maximum water temperatures, since brook trout can only survive in streams with cool, moving water. This work will require students to travel through Orange and Rockland Counties, so access to a vehicle will be required. The information will contribute to a comprehensive brook trout restoration plan for the region. More information is available here. Students will receive training in techniques and use of equipment, and will receive a stipend for four weeks of survey work. Interested students should contact Dr. William Schuster at the Forest during spring 2010.
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