Three-quarter ton truck and winch for field research

我们正在申请资金，用于我们的生物实地研究中使用的一辆重型4x4卡车和绞车。总的来说，我们的研究主要集中在水生生态系统和依赖它们的动物上，特别是在阿尔伯塔省北部。我们的研究地点位于偏远地区，需要在乡村砾石和土路和小径上进行广泛的旅行。我们需要一种可靠的车辆，使我们能够在崎岖的道路上安全地运送人员、船只和全地形车辆。四轮驱动和绞车是船员安全所必需的。在积雪融化和雨后，未铺设的道路会变得厚厚的泥巴、大车辙和坑坑洼洼。冬天，伐木路上的积雪不会被清除。我们经常需要四轮驱动，有时还需要一台绞车才能从沟渠、艾伯塔省秋葵或雪堆中出来。在3个研究小组之间共享一辆卡车将使我们能够在全年最大限度地使用卡车。这辆卡车将支持在艾伯塔省北部丘陵和平原上对鱼类、两栖动物和无脊椎动物的生态及其相互作用的研究，以及前往温哥华岛班菲尔德海洋科学中心的研究旅行。我们三人有过合作的历史，包括共同指导研究生，从长远来看，购买一辆卡车将为我们节省大量研究资金。我们的研究为许多本科生和研究生提供工作和专业培训，并有助于了解和管理加拿大的自然资源和环境。

We are requesting funding for a heavy-duty, 4x4 truck with a winch for use in our biological field research. Collectively, we focus our studies primarily on aquatic ecosystems and the animals that rely on them, especially in boreal Alberta. Our study sites are located in remote areas that require extensive travel on rural gravel and dirt roads and trails. We need a reliable vehicle that will allow us to transport people, boats, and all-terrain vehicles safely over large distances on rough roads. Four-wheel drive and a winch are required for crew safety. During snowmelt and after rain, unpaved roads become thick with mud, large ruts, and potholes. In the winter, logging roads are not cleared of snow. We regularly require 4-wheel drive and sometimes need a winch to get out of a ditch, a patch of Alberta gumbo or a snow bank. Sharing a truck among 3 research groups will allow us to maximize truck use throughout the year. The truck will support research in the boreal foothills and plains of Alberta on the ecology of and interactions among fish, amphibians and invertebrates, as well as research trips to Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Vancouver Island. The 3 of us have a history of collaboration, including co-supervision of graduate students, and the purchase of a truck will save us much research money over the long term. Our research provides jobs and specialized training for a number of undergraduate and graduate students, and contributes to the understanding and management of Canada's natural resources and environment.