What is wildlife ecology and conservation?
Bird movement across fragmented Hawaiian landscapes. Osteoarthritis risk in wild moose. Aquatic-plant herbivore habits. Planning urban landscapes for diverse populations. Your studies take you to the places where humans and wildlife intersect, from endangered species prevention or mitigation, to habitat protection or restoration. If you love to be outside and are interested in studying animal populations and how land-use and management decisions affect them, you'll feel at home in our wildlife ecology and conservation program—home to the longest-running predator prey study in the world.
What will I learn?
Earn and Learn—Get paid for research work
As a member of our scholarly community you'll build strong working relationships with professors and peers. You'll find many opportunities, through social and intellectual interaction, to dive into subjects that matter most to you.
Fieldwork (you get outside right away), teamwork, leadership, and professional development prepare you to model, analyze, compare, communicate, and deploy tools and techniques used to understand nesting, migration, food supply, and how biodiverse systems like fish streams are affected by factors and systems ranging from hydrological development to climate change.
- Roam the ecosystems of your proving ground: the wild Keweenaw Peninsula, bordered by Lake Superior and blanketed with forest and wetlands.
- Digitize wolf howls. Identify amphibians and reptiles. Tag birds. Track wildlife with radio telemetry. Assess, monitor and manage wildlife populations. Learn the process for making effective land management decisions for wildlife habitat maintenance and protection of ecosystem composition.
- Learn how to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and be proficient in GPS, land measurement and remote sensing skills.
- Put your newfound skills and knowledge to work ASAP. After the first year of classes you'll be qualified to find a summer job in your field and start building your future career.
Where do wildlife ecologists and managers find jobs?
Our graduates work for the US Forest Service, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, consulting firms, and state agencies involved in natural resources management. You can also pursue an advanced academic degree—many Michigan Tech CFRES graduates do.
Learning Goals
At the completion of this degree students will be able to:
- Develop an in depth knowledge of the field of wildlife ecology and management.
- Develop a strong set of field skills related to the management of natural resources.
- Effectively identify and evaluate sources of information relating to wildlife ecology and management.
- Provide alternative solutions to situations or problems in wildlife ecology and management.
- Communicate effectively (orally and in writing) about issues related to wildlife ecology and management.
- Develop skills that ensure they behave with a high level of professionalism.
- Develop the ability to work effectively in teams.
Home to the longest predator prey study in the world.