All-terrain vehicle for use at the Sable Island field site - McLoughlin lab in population ecology

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Requested funds will provide essential equipment support for my work on the individual-based study of the feral horses of Sable Island, Nova Scotia. This long-term (30+ year) study will be entering its fifth year and comprises the cornerstone of my overall research program in animal ecology and evolution. My program has expanded on Sable and now requires two, two-person teams to regularly sample ~450 horses for locations, behaviour, morphology, and biological samples. Sable Island is 42 km long: this proposal is directed at the purchase of a 6 × 4 all-terrain John Deere Gator utility vehicle for transporting researchers along the island's beaches. We currently have one used transport that can carry two persons. Expansion of my research program to accommodate more students requires additional capacity for transportation. More importantly, however, an unresolved engine compression problem in our current vehicle very nearly cancelled our field season last year, drawing attention to the vulnerability of my program to transportation problems (there is only once-a-year capacity to move vehicles back to the mainland for major repairs). Lack of a back-up vehicle in the event of a loss would be detrimental to the success of not just current students, but also future students who all benefit from years of previously collected data on pedigrees and life histories of horses without interruption. 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. Gators have a wide wheel base, maximum speeds limited to 30 km/h, and low-pressure, high-flotation tires combined with differential lock that are perfect for beach travel. Conditions 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. NSERC's continued investment in my program will accelerate my research productivity and capacity to train highly qualified personnel.