Learning for the Future: Educating Career Fisheries and Wildlife Professionals

Edge, W. Daniel

doi:10.3106/041.041.0203

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 56 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As current museum scientists and wildlife professionals retire [ 32 , 33 ], the resulting void must be filled by a new generation of researchers who are willing to advocate for the relevancy of natural history and museums [ 7 ]. Furthermore, although important laws to protect biodiversity have been passed over the last century, with the de-emphasis of natural history education, there are now fewer people trained to implement these regulations [ 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutualism in museums: A model for engaging undergraduates in biodiversity science

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Museums have an untapped potential to engage students in hands-on learning. Here, we describe the development of a tiered museum-based program at the University of California, Berkeley as a model for engaging undergraduates in biodiversity science. This decade-long effort to increase student participation in collections demonstrates the mutual benefits of undergraduate involvement. Museums benefit from critical help in collections care and an increased intellectual vitality, while students simultaneously gain essential research skills and an unparalleled exposure to biodiversity. Five first steps to creating a program are: dedicate a coordinator, offer credit, diversify participation, create a tiered structure, and build community.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutualism in museums: A model for engaging undergraduates in biodiversity science

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Morales and Jacobson ( 2019 ) similarly found that minority natural resource students prioritized skills training because they perceived that gaining new skills would enhance job prospects. The majority of students prioritized technical skills (figure 3 ), which highlights the perceived importance of field experiences in providing hands-on field training beyond the classroom (Busby 2003 , Edge 2016 ). However, students also prioritized nonfield skills (e.g., analytical and research skills; figure 3 ), which suggests that they may seek field experiences as a pathway to graduate school or other positions that require training beyond field skills (Scholz et al.…”

Section: Making Field Experiences Attractive To Diverse Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Field experiences in ENR improve graduation rates and GPA scores, increase retention of ENR majors, improve student self-efficacy, provide opportunities for skill development, and help students clarify career intentions (Busby 2003 , Scholz et al. 2004, Edge 2016 , Mullens 2017 , Beltran et al. 2020).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Attracting Diverse Students to Field Experiences Requires Adequate Pay, Flexibility, and Inclusion

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Access to field experiences can increase participation of diverse groups in the environmental and natural resources (ENR) workforce. Despite a growing interest among the ENR community to attract and retain diverse students, minimal data exist on what factors undergraduate students prioritize when applying for field experiences. Using a nationwide survey of US undergraduate ENR students, we show that attracting most students to field experiences—especially racial or ethnic minority students—will require pay above minimum wage. However, the concurrent landscape of pay in ENR fell short of meeting many students’ pay needs. Aside from pay, ENR students valued training in technical field skills and analytical or research skills, working with their desired study species or taxa, and working near school or family. Additional barriers beyond limited pay included incompatible schedules and noninclusive work environments. Our findings provide important insights for attracting a diverse workforce to this critical stage in career advancement for students in ENR.

show abstract

“…One approach to developing the educational and training skills necessary to effectively deliver conservation to private producers on working lands was initiated at Mississippi State University Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture. The Wildlife Agriculture Conservation concentration was developed using a backward design approach in which the desired learner outcomes and competencies informed the development of a systematic curriculum that would lead to their accomplishment (Edge ). In this case, the objective was to develop a program that provided a strong background in both wildlife biology and agricultural science, meeting the minimum course requirements for both USDA–NRCS field‐office personnel (i.e., soil conservationist, resource conservationist, wildlife biologist) and Certified Associate Wildlife Biologist.…”

Section: Resource Professionals and Conservation Deliverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Private lands conservation: A vision for the future

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agricultural production, including croplands, pasture, and timber, dominates private-land use and land cover across much of the contiguous lower 48 states. These private lands are essential to achieving the goals of national conservation initiatives such as the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (bobwhite [Colinus virginianus]), Sage Grouse Initiative, and North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Effective conservation delivery in managed landscapes requires 1) an understanding of landowner priorities and ownership objectives, 2) knowledge of the economic and environmental costs and benefits of conservation, and 3) natural resource professionals who understand the business of agriculture and forestry as well as principles of habitat management and wildlife conservation. We make the case for a new vision of multifunctional working landscapes that include designed components of natural and seminatural noncrop perennial plant communities (wetlands, grasslands, riparian areas, field margins, pine [Pinus spp.] grasslands, savannas, etc.) embedded in a matrix of row-crop, pasture, rangeland, and forested working lands that produce sustainable food, fiber, and fuel. Producing sustainable, multifunctional landscapes will require effective conservation delivery that is intentional, objective-driven, targeted, science-based, and landscape scale. We contend that it will also require a new kind of natural resource professional. We consider the specific and novel skill sets that will be required among natural resource professionals to deliver conservation to private owners-producers of working lands.

show abstract

Learning for the Future: Educating Career Fisheries and Wildlife Professionals

Cited by 6 publications

References 56 publications

Mutualism in museums: A model for engaging undergraduates in biodiversity science

Mutualism in museums: A model for engaging undergraduates in biodiversity science

Attracting Diverse Students to Field Experiences Requires Adequate Pay, Flexibility, and Inclusion

Private lands conservation: A vision for the future

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About