Reptile Survey Volunteers Wanted 🦎🐍🐸

We are looking for volunteers to assist with several reptile research projects being undertaken through the University of Queensland's Wildlife Conservation Lab. Fieldwork will be conducted across the Darling Downs and Western Downs regions of southern Queensland, with opportunities to assist with surveys for threatened reptiles and other fauna.

Condamine earless dragon wondering what we are looking at

Current projects include:

Condamine Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis condaminensis) – PhD research (Eloise Tighe, e.tighe@uq.edu.au)

A detection-method trial comparing the effectiveness of pitfall traps, funnel traps, camera traps and ink-pad tunnels for detecting the Endangered Condamine Earless Dragon. Volunteers will assist with trap establishment, daily trap checks and associated data collection. There may also be opportunities to assist with active searches for dragons, broader camera-trap surveys and feral predator gut-content sampling.

Field trips will run for up to two weeks at a time where we will stay near the study sites (potential camping), with surveys occurring monthly from now until May 2027. Trap checks will involve early mornings (~4:30–5:30 am) and evenings, with downtime during the middle of the day. Field sites are located within the Condamine Basin, 2 hours drive from Brisbane.

Eloise Tighe and Condamine earless dragon

Grey Snake (Hemiaspis damelii) – Honours research (Donald McCallum, d.mccallum@student.uq.edu.au)

Habitat surveys and active searching for threatened Grey Snake, De Vis’ Banded Snake and frogs across remnant and non-remnant habitats. Volunteers will assist with habitat assessments, walking transects and nocturnal active searches.

Field trips will run for between 7 - 10 days from November 2026 until April 2027 and involve travel to field sites (typically three to four hours), afternoon habitat surveys and nocturnal searching from after sunset until approximately midnight.

Donald McCallum

Reptile Habitat Associations in Brigalow Landscapes  – Honours research (Rory Bell, rory.bell@student.uq.edu.au)

Road-based surveys targeting snakes and lizards across agricultural and remnant landscapes in southern Queensland. Volunteers will assist with nocturnal reptile searches and associated data collection, with surveys operating during similar evening and nighttime hours.

Invertebrate community composition analysis within agricultural areas  – Honours research (Caitlin Webb, caitlin.webb@uq.edu.au)

Invertebrate pitfalling in cropped areas and remnant grassland within Condamine Earless Dragon habitat. Volunteers will assist with installing and checking invertebrate pitfalls and associated data collection. This fieldwork will run alongside Eloise’s and there is potential to participate in both projects when volunteering with Caitlin.

Trips will involve travel to the Condamine Basin (2 hours from Brisbane) and potential overnight stays at site, which could include camping.

Caitlin Webb checking funnel traps

Experience and requirements

Previous ecological fieldwork experience is desirable, particularly experience with reptile and amphibian surveys, fauna identification, pitfall trapping and establishing drift fences. First aid, 4WD and snake handling qualifications would also be beneficial, but are not essential.

Volunteers will need to be comfortable working outdoors for extended periods, including in hot and sunny conditions, and undertaking physically demanding fieldwork where required. Survey hours will vary between projects and may involve very early starts, late evenings and nocturnal work. Volunteers must be able to work safely in these conditions.

Field trips will involve staying away from home for several days and potentially camping, so volunteers should be comfortable with these arrangements and have access to their own camping equipment if required. There may be downtime between survey periods, during which volunteers with other work or study commitments will need to be able to complete these remotely.

These projects provide an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with a range of reptile and amphibian survey techniques, contribute to threatened-species conservation research and work with some of Queensland's rarely encountered (and cutest) reptile species.

If you're interested in volunteering, please get in touch with Eloise (e.tighe@uq.edu.au) and provide a brief outline of your previous fieldwork experience, relevant skills or qualifications, and availability. Please also indicate which project(s) you would be interested in assisting with.