Thursday, November 3, 2011

Gray Whale Count


Preview 2012: coming to the Channel near you ...
whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and the occasional sea otter.

This is your opportunity to be something special ... to Count!

Gray Whales Count conducts an annual survey of the northbound migration of gray whales through the nearshore of the Santa Barbara Channel. 

From February through mid-May, the fifteen-week survey is conducted from land at Counter Point (above Devereux and Sands) in the Coal Oil Point Reserve by community volunteers, including students from UCSB. 

Since 2006, UCSB's Coastal Fund has supported the project with funding for student internships and special equipment needs.

There are three choices for UCSB students. Most participate as volunteer observers with a scheduled two-hour shift, ideally each week through the Count.  

Interns make a much bigger commitment, training to be shift supervisors. Interns will learn to identify and distinguish marine mammals in the Santa Barbara Channel with one of the most abundant and diverse populations of marine mammals in the world. Interns commit to a four-hour shift per week through the Count, fifteen weeks. 

Most first-year interns are volunteers, but there are a few stipends available for need and exceptional qualifications. Experienced interns returning to the Count are eligible for a stipend.

All stipends are funded by the Coastal Fund. We are very grateful for their dedication and support.

To learn more about these opportunities please visit our web site: www.GrayWhalesCount.org

Information meetings will be scheduled in January, after break, when we enlist Counters and select the team of Interns. 

Get to the Point in 2012.

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