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CAC: Information for Prospective Participants CAC2008 Field Trip and NWR-Focused Outreach Program INTRODUCTION This year, the CAC program will have its primary focus on the US National Wildlife Refuge system. The NWR system preserves millions of acres at 548 separate locations scattered throughout the United States. The refuge that is closest to our area is the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, located halfway between Buffalo and Rochester. This is an area set aside for the preservation of wetlands habitat and all the innumerable plants and animals that inhabit that ecosystem. Tens of thousands of birds utilize this area, both for essential breeding habitat and as stopover areas during their annual migrations. THE CAC2008 PROGRAM OF FIELD STUDY This year, the CAC team will study 12 different refuges (and two Nat'l Parks) on a field trip conducted over the Canisius College Spring Break (March 20-30, 2008). The trip will begin in Western New York, and it will involve road travel down the Mississippi valley all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. As we progress southward, we will visit one new refuge each day. Highlights of the trip will include the following:
Our trip will end at the Mexican border in Southern Texas. (From Texas, we will fly back to WNY.) At each refuge, we will meet with US Fish & Wildlife employees who work at the front lines of our nation's conservation program. Our goal will be to experience the diversity of wildlife habitats that are preserved in the NWR system, and to learn how those habitats are managed. We will learn about the priorities of the NWR system and the many challenges that it faces in balancing political pressures from all sides. Our firsthand study of the NWR System will be designed to enable us to teach critical conservation issues to Western New York school children upon our return. THE NATURE OF THE TRIP The trip will be educational in nature. We will be having fun; but we will not be "on vacation". We will be studying wildlife in the field during the days, and we will be reading about wildlife during the evenings. There will be daily exams, and expectations will be high. In other words, this program is meant for good students who take the study of wildlife seriously. If you come with that approach, you will have fun and learn a lot at the same time! While traveling, we will be spending our nights in hotels (not camping), and we will be taking our meals in restaurants and/or picnic style. The bottom line: This trip will be spectacular. All past CAC trips have been spectacular. This one will be too! EXPENSES The CAC program is fully funded by the college. (Dr Noonan is one of the PCDP award winners.) As a consequence, all of the expenses (transportation, lodging, food, .... everything) will be covered by the CAC program. PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAM Upon our return to Western New York, each CAC will be obliged to devote 24 days to community service, and also to contribute to our CAC web site. Specifically, these are the obligations: 1. The CAC team will carry out a public education program at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Between May 12 and June 13, 2007, we will host excursions for Buffalo school children visiting the INWR. On each day (M-F), the CAC student will spend the whole day with a visiting group. The CAC student will (a) conduct a morning "power-birding" lesson on the interpretive boardwalk at the refuge, (b) accompany the children to the refuge headquarters to present an educational slide show, (c) coordinate the students lunch break, and (d) engage the children in fun, ecology-focused games. Each CAC student will be obliged to conduct 24 such tours -- one each day, five days per week for five weeks (excluding Memorial Day). 2. Each CAC will be obliged to prepare six pages for the conservenature.org web site. These new pages will focus on bird species found at the INWR. The pages will need to be well written, but they will not be particularly long. (You can explore the following web site to get a sense of this: www.conservenature.org/birds_of_wny.) This work can be carried out by the student on his/her own schedule. For some students, this will only take a few evenings. For others it might take a week or so. STIPEND Each CAC student will receive $500 as a stipend following the completion of the 24 presentations and the six web pages. THE CAC SELECTION PROCESS This year, funding exists for six students to participate in this program. The application process consists of two parts: 1. Written application. The form for this can be picked up from Sharon Lotterer in the Psychology Department (HSC 209). Or click here to download an electronic copy. 2. Live tryout. Each applicant will make a short, educational presentation to an audience of children. Application Timeline: Feb 27, 2008 Written Applications Due Mar 3-5, 2008 Live Tryouts Mar 7, 2008 Final Selections Announced CLOSING COMMENTS The CAC program presents a fantastic opportunity. In just its first six years, it has reached more than 750,000 people via presentations and web visits. This program combines the study of wildlife in their natural habitat with a chance to shape positive attitudes in the next generation of citizens. It is special program for special people. If that means you, I hope you will join us. All the best, DrN PS: There are two issues that I should also mention. THE ISSUE OF VIDEO PRODUCTION One aspect of the CAC program involves the production of educational video programs designed for high school students. We do have one new video in production at this time. However, that effort will NOT overlap in any way with the NWR-focused program described here. SPEAKER POSITIONS AT THE BUFFALO ZOO AND MARINELAND Separate from the considerations presented above, the CAC program will also be hiring two Canisius students to serve as speakers and public educators at the Buffalo Zoo during the coming summer. It is possible that the two students chosen for these speaker positions will also be among those who participate in the NWR-focused trip described here. But it is also possible that the students hired to represent the CAC at the Zoo will not be participants in the CAC trip. In other words, the students for the two speaker positions will be hired and coordinated separately. CAC: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions The 2008 CAC program seems different from past years. Is that true? Yes, the program is different in a number of ways. - the main field-trip/public-education activity will be independent of the video and zoo-speaker portions of the program. - the trip and public education service at the INWR are more tightly compartmentalized and thus more manageable than in past years. - there is a $500 stipend for participants this year. Basically, it is the sweetest CAC deal ever. Question: Free?!! The CAC travel is free!!?? How can this be? Yes, the entire trip is free of costs from the point of view of the student. All expenses are paid -- even food. Of course, it is not really free. A lot of money will actually be spent. But it will be spent from the PCDP award, not by the student. There are only two things that will cost CAC students money: 1. Any needed clothing purchases. Each student is responsible for his/her own clothing, and some specialty items will be expected that may require some purchases. These items include warm, water-proof hiking boots, a durable rain suit, and other items of clothing suitable for overland travel in rugged areas. 2. Souvenir purchases. That's all the student's responsibility. Question: How can this be? There is an implicit exchange here. The student gets a free trip. In exchange, the student is obliged to put in time with the CAC public outreach program later in the summer. Of course, this is a win-win situation. The trip is a great experience for the CAC student. And the public service is also itself a great experience for the CAC student. Moreover, the win-win situation extends even farther. The people who participate in our program benefit from the information we provide. The Iroquois Nat'l Wildlife Refuge also benefits because we add programming to their schedule. Even the college benefits, from the high profile that we provide. So what is the downside? The only downside is the time commitment. The CAC trip takes up the entire Spring break, and then CAC duties take five weeks during the summer. Time is the issue. If you are doing this, you are not doing something else. Question: What precisely will be the required duties for CAC this year? Each student will be expected to make 24 presentations at the INWR. This will mean working five days per week for five weeks. This will occur from May 12, 2008 to June 13, 2008. In addition, each CAC student will be expected to contribute the content for six web pages that will be focus on different bird species. Question: There is a stipend? Yes. Each CAC student will receive $500 after they have completed their INWR presentations and web pages. Question: I am not from Western New York and I do not ordinarily stay in the Buffalo area during the summer. Will it be possible for me to participate? CAC participation requires a presence during the May 12 - June 13 time period. After that, a presence in WNY is not be required. Work on our CAC web pages can be conducted from home. Question: Can I participate if I am a senior? Yes, no problem. However, please note that the scheduled INWR presentations will conflict with many of the activities scheduled for "senior week." The CAC presentations must take priority. Question: Can I participate if I am a graduate student at Canisius? Yes, no problem. All the same rules and expectations apply How/when can I apply for the paid speaker positions at the Buffalo Zoo and/or at Marineland? There will be a separate announcement about this once the details are worked out with those institutions. In the meanwhile, you can send DrN a short email saying you might be interested. How/when can I learn more about future CAC video productions? If interested, meet with DrN about this.
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