[SEMCO] Volunteers needed to assist with Seabird mortality study

[Melissa Lowe]

TUFTS VETERINARY SCHOOL SEEKS VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH STUDY OF DEAD SEABIRDS FOUND ON CAPE COD
Training Session scheduled for January 17 at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
 

Julie Ellis collects dead birds--and she needs your help. 

As Program Director for SEANET, or the Seabird Ecological Assessment Network from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Julie Ellis collects dead gulls, loons, ducks and other seabirds in an attempt to pinpoint some of the most detrimental threats to marine bird populations. For example, many carcasses of the dead Common eiders found washed ashore on Cape Cod beaches this fall went to Dr. Ellis' lab. Like a local version of CSI (Crime Scene Investigation), Dr. Ellis' lab conducted necropsies on the ducks to find clues of their deaths. Internal organs were examined for obvious trauma or foreign objects, tissue samples were taken to identify possible toxins, and swabs were tested for bacteria. 

SEANET's goals extend beyond determining causes of seabird mortality. Additionally, the network targets specific conservation measures to alleviate the threats to seabirds and educates the public about conservation of the larger marine ecosystem.

But SEANET isn't successful without the aid of volunteers. Volunteers are needed to walk beaches and look for and identify dead seabirds. For those interested in becoming a volunteer, Dr. Ellis will be conducting a training at Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on January 17, 2008 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. This program is FREE and open to the public. 

For more information on SEANET go to www.tufts.edu/vet/seanet <http://www.tufts.edu/vet/seanet>.  To register for the training scheduled for January 17, contact Cynthia Franklin, Volunteer Coordinator at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, at 508-349-2615 or cfranklin at massaudubon.org.

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The Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the west side of Route 6, immediately north of the Eastham/Wellfleet town line.  Call (508) 349-2615 for information.


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Melissa Lowe, Education Coordinator
Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
PO Box 236, South Wellfleet, MA 02663
mlowe at massaudubon.org
508-349-2615, ext 107

Protecting the Nature of Massachusetts
www.massaudubon.org/wellfleetbay