Project Life
Volunteer on a Conservation Research Projects with Koalas in Queensland, Australia

Volunteers will learn to identify tree species, collect samples of leaves, and determine the abundance and frequency of tree species in the landscape, based on a sampling method known as the quarter point sampling method.

Additionally, understory vegetation will be learned and sampling will be done with 1m x 1m square plots.

Below is an example one week itinerary:

Day 1 – Sunday

Mid Afternoon – Travel from the airport to the study area; set up tents and camping area

Have introduction session between volunteers, and first dinner prepared by project leader to welcome volunteers to Australia

Have an introduction to koalas, ecology and an overview of the study by the project leader

Go to bed early in preparation for your the first big day tomorrow.

Day 2 – Monday

• 6 AM – Wake-up call
• 7 AM - Breakfast
• 8 AM - Introduction in safety, first aid, hydration and snake bites, and equipment
• (break for morning tea)
• 11 AM - Introduction to climate and soil sampling procedures and equipment
• 12 PM– Lunch
• 12:30 PM– Introduction to tree sampling procedures and koala diurnal and nocturnal sampling, as well as fecal pellet collection and equipment
• 2 PM – Practice run of koala sampling - in a small sampling area established within a particular fenced area, volunteers will sample the area and report back the number of animals, and record the appropriate tree information on the data sheets
• 5:30 PM – Quitting time - return all equipment to table and submit all data sheets to project leader
• 7 PM – Dinner
• 8 PM – Group meeting about days activities

Then the group cleans up from dinner and the project leader prepares equipment for next day.

• Off to bed

Day 3 – Tuesday to Friday

• 6 AM – Wake-up call
• 7 AM - Breakfast
• 8 AM - Meeting with project leader, break into groups for floristic/plant association sampling/climate data collection (each group will complete a sampling area in one day). Lunch in the field
• 5:30 PM – Quitting time, return all equipment to table and submit all data sheets to project leader
• 7 PM – Dinner
• 8 PM – Group meeting about days activities

Day 7 – Saturday

• 8 AM – Wake-Up call
• 9 AM - Breakfast
• 10 AM – Groups split up work day activities:

Group 1 – Laundry day

Group 2 – Go to town to pick up water and food supplies, take rubbish to the tip

Group 3 – Tidy up supplies, clean kitchen area, clean up shower area and organise equipment with project leader

Then all have free time to relax/explore

• 7 PM – Dinner
• 8 PM – Group meeting about days activities

Each week will alternate between 1) floristics, 2) koala diurnal sampling and faecal pellet set up, 3) nocturnal sampling and leaf area index, and 4) foliage projective cover, soil moisture and phenology, and leaf water content collections.