All-terrain utility vehicles for field-based research in animal ecology and evolution

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This RTI Grant will provide essential equipment support for my work on the individual-based study of the wild (feral) horse population of Sable Island, Nova Scotia. This long-term (30+ year) study is in its first year and comprises an important component of my overall research program in animal ecology and evolution. My field work requires two, two-person teams to regularly sample 350-400 horses for locations, behaviour, morphology, and biological samples. The island is 42 km long: this proposal is directed at the critical purchase of two 6 × 4 all-terrain John Deere Gator utility vehicles for transporting researchers along the beaches. Gators will be shipped by sea to the island and will remain in place for 15-30 years. Each Gator carries two persons, and so this equipment will support the field activities of four people each day. Making the case that the John Deere Gator is the best vehicle for my work on Sable Island is easy: Gators are by far the safest all-terrain vehicles for students to use and they come highly recommended as reliable machines by staff at Sable Island Station. Six-wheeled Gators with a wide wheel base, maximum speeds limited to 30 km/h, and low-pressure, high-flotation tires combined with differential lock are perfect for beach travel. Sand beaches are subject to frequent washouts at high tide leaving irregularities in terrain, including areas of quicksand that can cause stranding of four-wheeled vehicles below the high water mark. Conditions of travel can be severe on Sable Island, with blinding, wind-driven sand, sea mist, and rain being a particular problem (even with goggles); hence, it is absolutely necessary that there be some enclosure (a cab) for operators. John Deere provides cabs just for this purpose. With these two vehicles, I have scheduled one undergraduate and two graduate students to work with me on Sable Island next summer. By year four I plan to have up to six individuals working on the island. NSERC's investment in my program would see an impressive return in terms of research productivity and training of highly qualified personnel.