Thank you for your interest in our project with Saguaro National Park!
Please review the details here and find the application below:
PROJECT: Saguaro Cactus Survey
PARTNER: Saguaro National Park
LOCATION: Remote and difficult-to-access parts of Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ.
DATES: Individual expeditions of variable length (averaging 6 days) between November 2019 and April 2020.
VOLUNTEER COMMITMENT: Each volunteer will participate as a member of a team of 4-5 people minimum, supervised and trained by a Saguaro National Park staff member. Each team will commit to surveying two 4-hectare plots and recording data on every saguaro present according to a set protocol. Some plots could be completed in half a day, some could take 4 days.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: For this project, Adventure Scientists serves as a recruiter only. Saguaro National Park will be your contact for all questions of project training and management.
Please review the details here and find the application below:
PROJECT: Saguaro Cactus Survey
PARTNER: Saguaro National Park
LOCATION: Remote and difficult-to-access parts of Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ.
DATES: Individual expeditions of variable length (averaging 6 days) between November 2019 and April 2020.
VOLUNTEER COMMITMENT: Each volunteer will participate as a member of a team of 4-5 people minimum, supervised and trained by a Saguaro National Park staff member. Each team will commit to surveying two 4-hectare plots and recording data on every saguaro present according to a set protocol. Some plots could be completed in half a day, some could take 4 days.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: For this project, Adventure Scientists serves as a recruiter only. Saguaro National Park will be your contact for all questions of project training and management.
Project Background
Since 1990, Saguaro National Park has completed a saguaro census every 10 years across their managed lands. Their work fits within broader research regarding how saguaros are changing across their range and populations over time. The project’s study area includes 45 randomly-located 4-hectare plots within SNP. Getting skilled and reliable outdoor adventurers to survey the 10 most difficult-to-access plots is the focus of our recruitment.
Basic Protocol
At each plot, volunteers will conduct saguaro surveys that include: (a) marking GPS coordinates for all observed saguaros, (b) measuring their diameters and heights, and (c) recording their characteristics (e.g., number of arms, owl holes). Volunteers will also sweep the plots for baby saguaros, which can be hard to identify. SNP staff on-site at each plot will verify any baby saguaros identified by volunteers before their GPS coordinates are recorded.
