It's that time of year: Steward Recruitment! (2/25/10 - 3/3/10)

Only a few short months remain before a new group of stewards will begin patrolling the Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Salmon River Corridor. Over the last several weeks, Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewardship and Habitat Program Coordinator Mary Penney and I, Steward Liz Wolff, attended local college career fairs to recruit potential steward candidates.

On January 28th we visited Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) and spoke to interested students about what it means to be a steward. From public education in the natural resource areas to blogging about our experiences, we detailed the range of tasks that make being a steward an educational and rewarding experience. The FLCC career fair was also a great place to debut the new stewardship display. Complete with updated photos of both the Salmon River and Eastern Lake Ontario Dune sites, the display board visually summarizes the stewards' main activities and objectives.

Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewardship and Habitat Program Coordinator Mary Penney and I had another opportunity to recruit on February 24th at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). The Ninth Annual Environmental Career Fair drew in hundreds of students looking for jobs and internships. We talked to many eager students who signed up to receive
updates about the recruiting process. To our delight, we even met ESF graduate student, Matt Brincka who is a New York Sea Grant Scholar working for Diane Kuehn and Valerie A. Luzadis from ESF's Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management. Matt is currently investigating Constraints and Motivations Related to Bass Fishing along the Lake Ontario Coast. The goal of the study is to promote a strong and sustainable Lake Ontario resident bass fishing population. The request for proposals (RFP) for the next round of New York Sea Grant project funding is due 3/05/2010. To learn more about this study visit
http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/Images/Uploads/PDFs/omnibusresearch0910-projects.pdf .

ESF graduate student and New York Sea Grant Scholar Matt Brincka and New York Sea Grant's Mary Penney discuss the progress of the research project that Matt's working on. Photo: Liz Wolff, Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewardship and Habitat Program

Though the Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewardship and Habitat program is reaching the end of its contract cycle, potential stewards are still encouraged to apply. Multiple grant proposals were submitted and, pending funding, a new group of stewards will begin work in May. If you are a college student, recently graduated, or a graduate student interested in applying, please visit www.nysgdunes.org and click on the job descriptions to learn about the application procedure. Interviews begin in March so don't delay, apply now!