Growing skills and knowledge for a career in forest resources and environmental science goes beyond a traditional classroom. It starts with planting seeds of real-world experiences. Whether that means banding bears, siphoning sap, or investigating irrigation, Huskies are always ready to get their hands dirty.
Forestry Student Encounters Fowl, Fungus, and 80-year-old Bear Across Lower Michigan
CFRES students are known for getting their boots dirty as they study the natural world. Senior forestry student Veronica Blissick's boots have trekked all over Michigan, gathering mud and experience with a variety of fungi, flora, and fauna—including Smokey the Bear.
Blissick spent summer 2024 as a forestry student assistant with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The internship started at the Baldwin DNR office, where Blissick got up close and personal with Smokey as part of an outreach team, educating the next generation of wildlife enthusiasts.
Read more about Blissick's encounters with geese, DNR foresters, a living bear, and other wildlife on Stories from Husky Nation.
CFRES Students Tap Into Spring's Sweet Reward
Students in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science are tapping into seasonal experiences found in thousands of acres of University-owned forests and coming out with delicious memories—and maple syrup!
Many Huskies have tapped into Michigan Tech's forests over the decades in search of one of the region's most prized delicacies of spring. Forest health expert Tara Bal, CFRES associate professor, began teaching her Maple Syrup Management and Culture class in 2015 at Tech's Ford Center and Forest. Students collected sap from the Ford Research Forest and the village of Alberta. The class started as an independent study with 19 students its first year and has been full with 40 students every year it has been held since then.
A 640-acre land donation by the Nara family in 2018 changed the trajectory of maple syrup production on campus. As part of the donation, sugarbush facilities at the Nara Family Forest have been renovated to create an experiential teaching environment.
Savor the complete, sweet story.
Ecology Graduate Digs Into Soil Conservation from Coast to Coast, Unearths USDA Career
College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science graduate Allyson McQuiston planted seeds for a bright future in soil conservation two years ago and was rewarded with a bountiful harvest.
McQuiston, an applied ecology and environmental science major, graduated in spring 2025 with a career firmly in place as a soil conservationist thanks to her internship journey. After spending two summers interning with the US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, she received a full-time job offer from the USDA NRCS in late 2024, and began her position in May 2025. She was drawn to the intern position, she said, because she is "really into soil" and wanted to get her foot in the USDA's door.
Dig into how Husky tenacity, networking and hard work helped McQuiston move from intern to graduating professional.
Why Do CFRES Students Love Learning in the Keweenaw?
Raegan loves the synergy between Michigan Tech's forestry and wildlife ecology conservation majors. The university's unique location allows her to take her studies outside, preparing her for the world beyond college with hands-on experience and networking career fairs. She loves exploring the Keweenaw.
"My favorite thing about my major is that I get to spend so much time outside, which is what I love to do. The Keweenaw area is unlike anything I've ever seen. It's so beautiful, no matter the time of year."
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
