Earthwatch Institute is a non-profit which supports scientific field research by reaching out and providing teams of scientists with volunteers, i.e. you. Here is a list, from their website) of the expeditions you could be a part of. There are so many more and these were just a couple which stood out. Go check it out for yourself, you never know, you might find your calling in life, for now your biggest challenge is going into Outlook and sending that e-mail that says “I’ll be out from…” to your boss…or your employees.

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Amazon Riverboat Exploration

From the Ayapua, a vintage boat from the Amazon's rubber boom period, you will work with a team of skilled Peruvian biologists to collect information about the wildlife populations in one of two river areas, Lago Preto or the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, depending on the season. Volunteers rotate between aquatic surveys for dolphins, manatees, giant river otters, fish, and river turtles from motorized canoes. You will also count macaws and conduct land surveys of peccaries, tapirs, deer, monkeys, and game birds. At night, you will do spotlight surveys for caimans. With expedition staff, you will meet and talk to local people about their fishing, hunting, and conservation efforts, and practice some Spanish. In your recreational time, you can peruse the well-stocked library, enjoy a selection of Amazon-themed films on movie nights, or simply relax with a glass of wine on deck in one of the Earth's greatest wild places.

Bahamian Reef Survey

In the crystal clear waters of a remote Bahamian island, you'll systematically survey the reefs to document their health and what threats they are facing. You'll learn to conduct a number of ecological field measurements while snorkeling: surveying hard corals and other reef animals and plants, mapping transect sites and taking reef measurements, and testing water chemistry. On land, you'll map corals in tide pools and monitor beach profile changes over the seasons. In the evening, you'll transcribe the day's data, and enjoy films and lectures. Longtime Earthwatch scientists Rollino, McGrath, and Smith continually receive high marks for their patience, humor, and teaching prowess. In your recreational time, you can scuba dive, go spelunking, see where Columbus first set foot in the New World, nature hike, or just enjoy your beautiful surroundings.

Carnivores In Conflict

Working with Dr. William Ogara, Dr. Samuel Andanje, and Dr. Nick Oguge, you you will help identify and geo-reference carnivore dens, establish carnivore presence and density within community areas through spoor sampling, and take photographs with camera traps at dens, kills, and homesteads (manyattas). Once an animal is radio-collared, you will help track and monitor it. You will also visit Samburu homesteads to conduct surveys on livestock management methods and their day to day interaction with these carnivores. All of this will help provide information about predator dynamics. As an integral part of the Samburu Field Center, your work will be combined with data from other projects to help limit conflicts between wildlife and local communities, and promote sustainable natural resource use. In addition to your daily glimpses of African wildlife, you will also go on wildlife drives in nearby reserves.

Carnivores of Madagascar (Ever seen the cartoon? It's The Fossa!!)

Up before the sun, you will rotate between a variety of tasks essential to the project's success. Often hiking more than 20 kilometers a day, you'll learn how to set fossa traps and use radio-tracking transmitters and receivers. You will be trained to check trap lines in the early morning and late afternoon, help measure trapped and sedated carnivores, and possibly, in Kirindy Mitea, help radio-collar fossas. Midday is often free for informal lectures or hikes through the fossa's forest home. In both locations, you will also see numerous lemurs. In Ankarafantsika, your evenings may be spent at local village festivities or sharing stories with the nearby women's cooperative. In Kirindy Mitea, where the camp is much more remote and basic, you will spend evenings around a campfire. Morondava's exquisite white sand beaches are worth a visit before or after your team dates.

Diving WW II Wrecks of Truk Lagoon

In the warm, clear, and current-free waters of this protected lagoon, you will scuba dive among the spectacular remains of coral-draped Japanese ships and aircraft. After an introduction to archaeological and biological recording techniques and diving practices, you will divide into groups and take to the water with waterproof slates, measuring tapes, and waterproof digital voltmeters. Using these simple instruments, you will observe and record information on the lagoon's archaeology and on the corrosion and current decay rates of the wrecks. On the two non-diving days, you will help enter data and take oral histories from local people. You will also have a day to explore some of the volcanic islands and coral atolls that surround the lagoon, as well as other historic sites. All volunteers must be scuba-certified with at least two years' experience diving to 60 feet, and be medically fit to dive.

Labels: Ecotourism, Expeditions