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Many rare and endangered seabirds live in tropical climates where resource agencies have very limited funding for managing seabirds. Further, these agencies are unlikely to send their biologists outside of the country for training programs that could offer support for helping rare birds.  Through the Josephine D. Herz Seabird Fellowship Fund, the Seabird Institute provides travel and living expenses for scientists to attend ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡â€™s Seabird Island Research Training Program at ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡â€™s Maine Coastal Island Sanctuaries from May to August.  

The Training Program

The Seabird Institute's training program is a 10-week field practicum for college students and professionals interested in learning applied seabird management techniques. The program builds on knowledge from several theoretical disciplines, principally evolutionary biology, taxonomy, genetics, oceanography, marine biology and marine ornithology. The program combines theory with practical experience from applied disciplines such as wildlife management and aviculture to develop proactive techniques for managing rare and endangered seabirds. 

Recipients of the Josephine D. Herz Fellowship will begin their internship at ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡'s Hog Island Environmental Education Center (Bremen, Maine, USA ) in late May, where they will take part in an intensive two-day orientation program with approximately twenty summer interns actively managing seabird nesting islands throughout the Gulf of Maine. Instructors for the training program include biologists from ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡'s Seabird Institute and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as faculty from cooperating universities, including the University of Maine and University of New Brunswick. The training program focuses on the following topics: 

• State of the world's seabirds: an overview of conservation issues on terrestrial and marine habitats
• Ecology of the Gulf of Maine, including geologic, oceanographic, biotic, and human impacts affecting seabirds
• Identification and nesting ecology of Gulf of Maine seabirds
• Foraging ecology of Gulf of Maine seabirds
• Evaluating species for restoration and selection of appropriate management techniques
• The role of predation, disease, and food as limiting factors
• Rationale and techniques for managing island predators
• Techniques for conducting tern feeding studies, census methods, and measures of productivity
• Field techniques: firearm safety training; outboard boat operation and safety; first aid, use of radios, and solar technology at remote sites

After orientation training, the fellowship recipient will begin the field practicum part of the program. This will take place on ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡'s system of managed seabird nesting islands. There are seven field stations located on islands along the Maine coast.  The islands range in size from the 2 ha Jenny Island to the 50 ha Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge. The islands are largely treeless and remote, some located as much as 30 km offshore. 

The Herz Fellows will join an island team comprised of 2-4 other biologists, where they will receive supervision and additional training from a resident Island Supervisor as well as other science staff. Recipients will visit multiple islands over the course of the summer and participate in various restoration projects—some just starting and others that are 30-year success stories. Where interest exists, there may also be opportunities for fellows to participate in ongoing education and outreach programs. 

Eligibility

Applicants should hold the position of biologist or similar on the staff of a conservation agency, academic or research institution or non-governmental organization concerned with seabird conservation. Applicants with a specific conservation project concerning a rare or endangered seabird are especially encouraged to apply. If you are interested in the Herz International Seabird Fellowship, please contact us to learn more and apply. 

The Seabird Institute will assist Herz Fellows in establishing new seabird conservation programs within the Fellow's home country. By demonstrating international interest in the conservation of seabirds in other countries countries, ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ can help Herz Fellows to build support for developing and implementing conservation programs.