Wildlife Ecology at the Land-Sea Interface

A group of six hikers walking through a grassy meadow towards a forest of tall evergreen trees under a clear blue sky.

Wildlife Ecology at the Land-Sea Interface

Mentor name – Lab group: Frankie Gerraty, Raimondi-Carr Lab

Positions: 1 intern

Tentative dates: June-August, exact dates somewhat flexible

Project Location: UCSC Coastal Campus, fieldwork at Año Nuevo and Point Reyes National Seashore

Project Background: Our research group studies connectivity between marine and terrestrial ecosystems along human-disturbed coastlines. We conduct field and laboratory studies that explore how animals link the dynamics of land and sea, and how humans influence these cross-ecosystem connections. In Summer 2025 we will have two primary long-term research projects: (1) an investigation of marine resource use by coastal coyotes, with a focus on coyote-seal interactions, and (2) a study on the role of dead marine mammals as a food source for terrestrial wildlife. Primary research methods for these projects include camera trapping, genetic analysis of coyote scat, and analyzing long-term monitoring data. Our CAMINO intern will contribute to these ongoing projects and have the option to develop and lead a synergistic, independent research project.

Intern duties: 

The CAMINO intern will participate in several of the following duties:

  • Participating in local fieldwork at Año Nuevo SP (one evening every ~1-2 weeks) and 2-day research trips to Point Reyes National Seashore (approximately monthly)
  • Deploying and maintaining motion-triggered camera traps
  • Tagging and processing camera trap images
  • Data collection, recording, entry, and analysis

In addition to participating in ongoing research the CAMINO intern will have the option to develop an independent research project based on their interests.

Intern qualifications: We are seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic, and independent intern that is interested in both field and lab-based research related to coastal wildlife ecology. Our intern should be comfortable spending long days in the field, hiking on beaches and off-trail through brush and poison oak, often under harsh weather conditions. Our intern should also be computer literate and comfortable with basic computer programs. Previous field experience, knowledge and ID skills of local wildlife, and familiarity with R or other programming languages a plus but not required.

Do you recommend the intern(s) volunteer in your lab during Spring quarter?
It would be great for us to connect during the Spring quarter so that you can meet the team and become familiar with our research projects, but this is not required. If interested in volunteering, we have ongoing field and lab-based research projects during Spring quarter that the intern could participate in.