Placement Site Address: 50 Ericson Ct., Arcata CA 95521
Arcata,
California (CA) - City Data
Information Link
Site Supervisor: Seth Ricker, CDFW Senior
Environmental Scientist
Mentors: Colin Anderson, CDFW Environmental Scientist; John Deibner-Hanson, CDFW Environmental Scientist
Field Leaders: Jolyon Walkley, Environmental Scientist; Katherine Stonecypher, Cal Poly Humboldt Research Assistant
Number of CMs at Site: 4
Number of Years Site has Hosted WSP CMs: 28
Service Hours:
8-hour days: 75%
10-hour days: 25%
Housing Offered: No
Work Vehicle Provided: Yes
CM Time Spent in Field/Office:
In the field: 75%
In the office: 25%
Corpsmember Activities:
Spawner/Carcass/Redd Surveys: 20%
Snorkel Surveys: 20%
Weir Operation: 15%
Screw Trap Monitoring: 10%
Seining: 5%
Field PIT Tagging: 10%
Data Entry: 10%
DIDSON Installation/Monitoring: 5%
Tangle Netting: 5%
Placement Site Objectives and
Organizational Needs:
The overall goal of this Placement Site is to conduct
anadromous fisheries population research and monitoring. Most days will be
spent conducting fisheries surveys in local streams or trapping fish at the
Freshwater Creek weir. Occasional office days will be spent working at the
Arcata field office, both processing and analyzing field data. The daily
activities of Corpsmembers will be directed by the site Mentor. After reporting
to work at 7:30-8:30 a.m., Corpsmembers will be assigned to work with a crew of
one or two experienced Scientific Aids and/or CDFW Environmental Scientists.
Most field surveys will require an entire eight-hour day to complete. During late
October Corpsmembers will assist with seining and tagging of juvenile Coho
Salmon as part of an over-winter survival study. From November through March, CMs
will perform spawning ground surveys. While performing the surveys CMs will
hike upstream over rocks, mud, and logs in cold, swift water. The objective
will be to locate salmon carcasses, salmon nests (redds),
and live fish. CMs will learn multiple scientific field protocols, and how to
use hand-held global positioning systems (GPS) and electronic field data entry
devices. December through February, CMs will assist with trapping and tagging
adult salmonids at the Freshwater Creek weir and tangle netting adult fish in
the Mad River. During peak migration times, the weir will be staffed 24
hours/day. Therefore, CMs should be prepared to work occasional off-hour and
weekend shifts. March through June CMs will assist with trapping and PIT
tagging Pacific Lamprey and juvenile salmonids captured in the out-migrant trap
installed at the Freshwater Creek weir. From mid-June through mid-August, Corpsmembers
will help conduct snorkel counts of juvenile salmonids in the wild and scenic
Smith River. CDFW is charged with public resource assessment and management
responsibility for native fish and wildlife. Wildlife and their habitats
provide essential ecosystem function services to communities. These services
provide both economic benefits as well as social and cultural value. WSP
Corpsmembers have provided valuable resources to reach these crucial societal
needs. WSP CMs will allow CDFW to monitor anadromous fishes across more streams
to provide a better understanding of the status and trends of populations.
Mentorship Style: CMs can expect to learn state-of-the-art science technology, theory, and methods of fisheries science in a supportive and professional atmosphere. CMs will be guided by hands-on Mentors from CDFW Arcata for all tasks for the duration of their term. CMs are treated as valued assets and team members.
Unique Characteristics of Placement Site:
CDFW Arcata provides the next generation of resource assessment professionals with the valuable, hands-on learning experience desired by employers and college and university programs for advanced degrees in biological sciences. The team has been innovating and setting the standard for scientific data collection in Northern California alongside CMs for 28 years. Both Placement Site Mentors and numerous Placement Site staff are WSP Alumni.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Desired in CM:
Highly motivated individuals
Passion for fisheries and watershed science
Desire to work outside / tolerate inclement weather
Prior fisheries/natural resources and backcountry skills experience beneficial