George Bancroft Email & Phone Number

Jekyll Island, Georgia, United States

I have been serving as an AmeriCorps DBT/Husbandry member at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center since August of 2021. My position has been divided into two parts: serving in the Husbandry department and assisting with all aspects of diamondback terrapin research on Jekyll Island.As a husbandry member, I have been responsible for the daily care of all animal patients which includes completing a series of tasks daily. These include preparing diets, feeding patients, weighing patients, taking tank and exhibit temperatures, taking salinity readings, preforming water and dirt changes, and providing enrichment. I would also assist with all animal treatments with vet staff, once a week, where I was responsible for drawing up correct dosage amounts of medication and fluids, taking blood from Sea Turtles and reading those blood values, assisting with tube feeding, setting up turtle nebulization's, assisting with x-rays, and handling all patients during treatments.Since April, I have been responsible for all aspects of diamondback terrapin research on Jekyll Island. This has included patrolling the island's causeway daily for crossing terrapins, patrolling drift fencing for nesting females, collecting morphometric data on all captured terrapins, notching all captured terrapins, data entry into multiple databases, collecting genetics, and making sure all field equipment is stocked and replenished. I have also been responsible for extracting eggs from dead gravid females and maintaining the incubator where those eggs are being incubated.

Bristol County, Ma

From 2018 to 2021, I worked for the Taunton River Watershed Alliance (TRWA) as a research technician on a multi-year population assessment estimating the abundance of Northern Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys t. terrapin) in the Lower Taunton River Watershed. I was responsible for all aspects of field work, data entry and analysis, writing annual reports, and presenting the results of our research at professional conferences. During the field season, I would set, rebait, and monitor turtle traps daily, collected morphometric data on all captured turtles, marked turtles using PIT Tags and/or notching, and help coordinate all efforts to monitor nesting areas. The latter included leading a team of nesting volunteers who surveyed a beach daily for nesting terrapins. While surveying traps was primarily conducted via a motor boat, I would also use a kayak to survey traps, capture terrapins with dip nets, and conduct visual surveys.At the end of each field season, I would complete an annual report which extensively detailed the entire scope of our work including methods, results, discussions and recommendations for future assessments. These reports were submitted to the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program as a reference for terrapin conservation management in the state. Additionally, I updated the projects nesting protocol.I would present the results of our research at the TRWA annual meeting every year I served as the research technician. I also present the scope of our work at the 2019 NE Natural History Conference, 2019 MassPARC meeting, and the 2020 Fall Massachusetts DBT working group meeting.

Southeastern Massachussets

New Bedford Ma

As a volunteer, I assisted keepers with daily and weekly animal needs primarily in the aquatics and seal department. This included preparing animal diets, feeding animals, cleaning exhibits and preforming water changes. While volunteering in the animal ambassador department, I was also responsible for conducting public encounters with three different reptile species. I would move the animals from their enclosures to an outdoor exhibit right near the zoo's entrance. This allowed the public to get a closer encounter with the animals while I provided information about their life history.

Dighton Ma

Using Song Scope Software I listened to recordings from various sites to identify anuran species by advertisement vocalizations. There where four recordings from each day, all lasting 10 minutes. Point counts from 0-3 where used to categorize vocalization intensities and peak intensities where marked for each species during recordings. All data was shared to a wildlife biologist leading to study.

Dighton Ma

As an NRM major, I had many conservation experiences. I worked in groups head-starting endangered and threatened turtles species. Responsibilities included: using calipers and scales to recorded carapace lengths, and weights of each turtle weekly, data entry, feeding, cleaning tanks and following strict bio security protocols. I gained public speaking experience when presenting the majors captive reptile collections at wildlife events in surrounding communities.