Alex McCartney

Experience

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  Paradise Park

  Aug 2018 - Aug 2018

  Volunteer Keeper

  I spent three days working in Paradise Park. This consisted of assisting the keepers in all the different sections of the park, including soft-bills, parrots, and birds of prey. This included, food preparation, cleaning and repairing enclosures, feeding, and also personally giving eyedrops to an eagle owl.

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  University of Exeter

  Sept 2019 - Oct 2019

  Volunteer within a Schools Outreach Program

  Over the course of two months, I worked in a group of four to run a science project with a local primary school. This consisted of leading brief lessons in the different parts of creating an experiment, and then running experiments with the students before we met up with other local primary students for a mini ‘research conference’.

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  University of Exeter

  Sept 2021 - Mar 2022

  Student

  As part of my BSc, I conducted a research project alongside Emma Long from the Natural History Museum into the palaeoecology and taphonomy of the Rhynie Chert. This is part of one of the first studies of its kind into the Earth’s oldest known fossilised terrestrial communities.My research was focussed upon the relationship between plants and the two most common arthropods found within the Chert, Palaeocharinus rhyniensis and Lepidocaris rhyniensis, through spatial analysis.This required finding, identifying, segmenting and measuring over 1200 fossils within their fossilised communities using ImageJ software, before conducting statistical analyses using R studio.My project identified two novel taphonomic scenarios within the Rhynie chert, with regards to how the silicification of the individual affected their spatial positioning within the Chert matrix. The potential relationships between P. rhyniensis and several of the terrestrial plant species found within the Rhynie chert were also identified and hypotheses were presented to explain the nature of these interactions. Show less

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  Operation Wallacea

  Jun 2022 - Jul 2022

  Research Assistant

  I spent two weeks working as a volunteer with Operation Wallacea, to produce a species catalogue of the fauna present in the rainforests of Warapoka in Guyana. This was to allow the local village to begin offering ecotours to visitors.Whilst there, I participated in numerous surveys (Fish, Birds, Insects, Mammals, Bats, Herps), and made do with basic living amenities (sleeping in tents, washing in the nearby river, etc.).

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  Whistler Blackcomb

  Dec 2022 - Apr 2023

  Ski Instructor

  As a ski instructor with Whistler Blackcomb, I was assigned to the adult base pod which specialised in teaching adults how to ski from never evers up to parallel turns. I was also assigned to private lessons during the holidays in which I was expected to provide tailored lessons to clients of all ages and abilities.At the end of the season, I was asked to join Blackcomb Privates for the following winter. This pod focuses on the highest paying customers and the instructors within this pod have to be capable of taking skiers of any age or level, and provide a world-class experience, both on and off the mountain.Throughout the season I took numerous opportunities for self-development, participating in internal courses to allow me to teach in snow parks; internal training on how to introduce skiers to steeper terrain and drops; weekly Spanish classes allowing me to eventually start teaching lessons in Spanish; and also my AST 1+ to broaden my knowledge of skiing in the backcountry and the inherent risks present in ungroomed terrain. Show less

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  Operation Wallacea

  Jun 2023 - Jul 2023

  Research Assistant

  I spent two weeks working with Operation Wallacea surveying the biodiversity and populations of the biofauna native to Cusuco National Park in Honduras. This is one of the largest and longest continuous studies of its kind in the world. During this time, I assisted in a variety of different survey techniques, including mist-netting and transects for birds; pitfall and light-trapping for invertebrates; track and noise-based transects for mammals; and opportunistic as well as transect sampling for herps.I particularly focussed on the herp surveys whilst in Honduras going out on 2-3 hour surveys every morning and evening. This was particularly exciting as 93.3% of the amphibians found here are endemic to the region! Where appropriate individuals were caught and various morphological measurements were taken, as well as species identification, sexing, and age estimations. Snakes were further marked through scale clippings, allowing us to easily identify previously caught individuals to track growth rate and positional data, as well as estimate population sizes. The scale clippings were then sent off to a lab for genetic analysis. During my time in Honduras I became confident identifying and processing a wide variety of species. In addition to survey techniques, I spent a lot of time speaking with the local guides in Spanish, allowing me to conduct surveys more effectively, as well as work on my conversational Spanish. At times I was the only person in the group who was able to communicate with the guides and so it was essential I was able to translate their comments on varying terrain, living requirements, and the wildlife of the park to the rest of the group.Whilst living in the park, I slept in hammocks with minimal amenities. The general work in the region was extremely tough with 600m of elevation gain not uncommon on transects. I also participated in a 3 day jungle survival course to begin my time in the park. Despite the adversity, I loved every second of it! Show less

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  Whistler Blackcomb

  Nov 2023 - May 2024

  Ski Instructor

  Back for a second year with WB Snow School. This year I worked as a private ski instructor at the Blackcomb base.Primarily working within the Blackcomb Private pod within the snow school, my work consisted of providing a tailor-made experience for my clients and working alongside a diverse range of individuals and companies to ensure a 5 star service. My lessons ranged from complete beginner, to introducing clients to double-black terrain, private park lessons, and searching for fresh powder in hidden spots; as well as everything in between. My clients themselves ranged from 4 year olds, to families, and adults; and I taught these lessons in both English and Spanish where required.Outside of my home department, I spent significant portions of my time floating within the weekly local clubs as a back up instructor where required. In these lessons I taught intro to park as well as many lessons in advanced alpine terrain, such as bumps, drops, cornice entries, and small chutes. Outside of my own lessons, I continued working this year towards my CSIA Level 3 instructor certification, which I achieved in April after several months of dedicated training. I also competed in the Ski School’s Tech Champs, and raced in the Saudan’s Couloir extreme GS.At the end of the season I was 1 of 70 instructors out of 1500 asked to continue working for a few weeks within the Spring Privates Program.I’m looking forward to teaching many of my returning clients next season when I return to the ski school to work as a private instructor and begin to work towards my CSIA Trainer Development certification. Show less

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  Operation Wallacea

  Jun 2024 - Aug 2024

  Herpetologist

  This Summer I spent two months living in tents and hammocks in the Mexican jungle, working as a herpetologist for Operation Wallacea. My primary role was to lead morning and evening herpetological surveys along our various transects within the three camps. Additionally I was responsible for ensuring all of our herpetological data was up to date, and removal of any snakes that were found within the camp.The key goals of this research project was to continue to provide quantitative data on the biometrics of the animals found within the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, alongside biodiversity and richness counts. Combining this with spatial and habitat data, as well as 20 years of continual surveying, allows us to monitor the health of the ecosystem whilst also gaining valuable knowledge on their ecology.Beyond the roles within my job description, I helped clear transects through the forests, assist with the setting up and running of other surveys (Birds, Mammals), set-up temporary field camps, assist with the day-to-day running of the camp (including managing flooding, cleaning, hurricane evacuations, etc.), run weekly pop quizzes for visiting students, and give presentations on 'Biotoxins within the Animal Kingdom'. It was an incredible opportunity to learn more about the unique ecosystem of the Yucatan Peninsula, whilst also getting to contribute to valuable research and teach others about the herpetofauna of the region. It was also an amazing chance to improve my own handling and survey skills, learning off the other extremely talented herpetologists on the expedition.The living and working conditions were extreme with heatwaves, hurricanes, major flooding, and swarms of mosquitoes being a near constant factor, but it was an incredible experience and if anything the adversity added to the experience rather than diminished from it! It was also fun use my Spanish again whilst chatting to the locals both about the wildlife, but also further general conversations. Show less

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  Whistler Blackcomb

  Nov 2024 - now

  Ski Instructor

  Currently working as a level 3 instructor in Blackcomb Privates, as well as being a supervisor-in-training for Whistler Base Adults.