Conservation Biology Career Services Information

Favorite ConBio Job Search Websites

Ecological Society of America
Environmental Career Opportunities (Please go to eRecruiter to obtain the password for the job subscription)
Environmental Jobs
eRecruiter
govtjobs.com
Green Careers Journal (Please go to eRecruiter to obtain the password for the job subscription)
Land Trust Alliance Jobs Board
SNRE Job Posting Websites
Society for Conservation Biology Jobs Database
State of Michigan Vacancy Posting Page
Texas A & M Wildlife Job Board
The American Society of Mammalogists Jobs Board
The Nature Conservancy Jobs Board
The Wildlife Society of Jobs
USA JOBS

Employers of SNRE Graduates and Interns*

Check out the Professional Network on eRecruiter for a listing of ConBio students and alumni who have professional experience in the ConBio field.

Alliance for the Great Lakes
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
CDM, Inc.
Criterion Ventures
Environmental Resources Management
Food System Economic Partnership
Hosei University
Huron Pines
Lucida Science Communications
Manlius Greenspace Coalition
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
Michigan State University
Mount Washington Observatory
Mystic River Watershed Association
National Wildlife Federation
Oceana
Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources and Environment
The Greenwich Land Trust
The Nature Conservancy
The Wilderness Society
The World Bank
Universidad dle Valle
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Michigan
US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Walt Disney Company, Animal Kingdom
Zoological Society of San Diego

Job Titles and Employment Sector of SNRE Alumni*

Please note that some positions may require a PhD.

Non-Governmental Organization/Non-Profit/Multilateral Institutions

Bird Keeper
Conservation Coordinator
Conservation Ecologist
Director of Membership & Community Outreach
Ecologist
Natural Resources Management Specialist
Water Quality Monitoring Director

Private (Consulting and Industry)

Environmental Scientist
Outreach Educator
Project Manager
Technician
Translator

Academic

Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Full Professor
Lecturer
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Research Associate

Government

Director of Wildlife
Regional Wildlife Ecologist
Wildlife Biologist
Wildlife Diversity Associate

Click here for some sample ConBio Career Opportunities

Other Employers of Interest

These are just a handful that have been suggested by faculty, students, or are registered employers on eRecruiter...many more are out there! Check out eRecruiter for a complete listing of ConBio employers that are registered with SNRE.

Alaska SeaLife Center
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE)
Audubon Canyon Ranch
Audubon New York
Biohabitats
Bioversity International
Blandford Nature Center
Boothbay Region Land Trust
California Council of Land Trusts
Campion Foundation
Center for Native Ecosystems
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Research Consortium, Inc.
Colorado Wild
Ducks Unlimited
Ecoagriculture Partners
Ecology Project International
ECONNECT
ENTRIX, Inc.
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental Resources Center
ERO Resources Corp.
Freedom to Roam
Great Basin Institute
Greenpeace
High Country Conservancy
Institute for Applied Ecology
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance
Klamath Bird Observatory
Land Trust Alliance
Mangrove Action Project
Marys River Watershed Council
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Michigan Nature Association
Mississippi Valley Conservancy
National Audubon Society
National Council for Science and the Environment
National Geographic Society
Natural Resources Defense Council
North Coast Land Conservancy
Ocean Conservancy
Pacific Whale Foundation
Palmer Land Trust
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy
Patuxent Research Refuge
Pheasants Forever
Prince William Sound Science Center
River Network
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory
San Luis Obispo Science and Ecosystem Alliance
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
SeaWeb
Sierra Forest Legacy
Sierra Institute
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Strawberry Plains Audubon Center
Sustainable Conservation
SWCA Environmental Consultants
The Center for Biological Diversity
The Consortium for Ocean Leadership
The Earth Institute at Columbia University
The Pew Charitable Trusts
The Sitka Conservation Society
The Union of Concerned Scientists
TRAFFIC International
Triangle Land Conservancy
Trout Unlimited
United Nations Environment Program
US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
US Department of Interior, National Park Service
US Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center
US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center
Ventura Hillsides Conservancy
Walama Restoration Project
Wildlife Clubs of Kenya
Wildlife Conservation Society
Willamette Riverkeeper
Willowbrook Wildlife Foundation

Check state fish and wildlife departments for possible internship and job opportunities.

ConBio Focused Master’s Projects

Corn Ethanol and Wildlife Master's Project Group in a US Senate Building: From Left to Right: Becca Brooke, Aviva Glaser, Greg Fogel, Elizabeth Griffin and Kristen Johnson

Corn Ethanol and Wildlife: How are policy- and market-driven increases in corn plantings affecting habitat and wildlife? "The five members of our masters project team had experience in a wide range of fields, including ecology, environmental policy, economics, GIS, business, and public health. As the two conservation biology students in the group, we used our expertise, along with the support of faculty, to perform an ecological analysis looking at the effects of land-use changes related to corn ethanol expansion on sensitive grassland bird populations. The interdisciplinary nature of our team allowed us to contextualize that research within a larger political and economic analysis. This increased the relevance and timeliness of our project -- we were able to take our results and present them to the conservation community, USDA, DOE, and on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC." --Aviva Glaser and Elizabeth Griffin, SNRE Conservation Biology Students

ConBio Students and Master’s Projects

Current ConBio Related Master's Project: Area Based Development and Climate Change
Current ConBio Related Master's Project: Renewal Energy Development in California
Current ConBio Related Master's Project: Mill Creek Riparian Enhancement Project
Current ConBio Related Master's Project: Assessing the Impacts of Management & Policy Context on Freshwater Conservation in Protected Areas
2009 Project: Ungulate Pathways of the West: Examining conservation challenges and opportunities for ungulate migrations through case studies of the Grand Teton National Park Pronghorn, Absaroka Elk, and Round Valley Mule Deer
2009 Project: Corn Ethanol and Wildlife: How are policy- and market-driven increases in corn plantings affecting habitat and wildlife?
2009 Project: The St. Marys River Watershed: Planning for Biodiversity Conservation
2008 Project: Biodiversity Conservation and Collaborative Management in Jamaica’s Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park
2008 Project: El Yunque National Forest
2007 Project: Northeast Michigan Integrated Assessment: Connecting Great Lakes Coastal Access, Tourism, and Economic Development

Interested in ConBio Focused Internships?

Go to the SNRE Internship Website to view ConBio student internship reports.

eRecruiter ConBio Highlights

Search for ConBio related jobs/internships (employers can register for eRecruiter for free)
Network with fellow ConBio alumni
Find career events on campus
Search for Employers who hire ConBio students
Apply for ConBio jobs/internship on-line
View our Document Library, full of helpful career related resources

What exactly is the Study of Conservation Biology (ConBio)?

Biodiversity loss has been identified as one of the great challenges of our time. The potential demise of one-fourth or more of the Earth’s species before the end of this century represents an irreversible loss of nature and may significantly undermine the sustainable use of nature’s services. The continuing expansion of populations and economies and the urgent need to improve human well-being also place increasing pressures on biological diversity.

The need for new understanding and novel approaches to the management of wildlands and protected areas has never been greater. Scientists and practitioners within the field of Conservation Biology need specialized knowledge of their sub-discipline -- forest management, endangered species policy or wildlife ecology, for example. They also need the integrative perspective of a broadly educated scholar-practitioner who is equipped to understand interactions between natural systems and human influences. This field of study combines basic knowledge from the ecological sciences and other disciplines to drive environmental problem solving.

Why Should Employers Hire ConBio Students?

Students are educated and trained to become scientists and practitioners within the field of Conservation Biology, where they learn to incorporate the recognition that sustainability depends as much on managing people as on managing ecosystems. The Conservation Biology field of study was developed to address the complex mix of issues related to the conservation of biodiversity and the management of ecosystems. This field of study can lead to a governmental career as a fish and wildlife biologist, remote-sensing specialist, environmental manager or wetlands ecologist. Private-sector occupational options include environmental biologist or fisheries biologist. In addition, graduates also may work in the nonprofit sector, where ecologists, urban foresters and habitat-restoration specialists are needed, or in academia, where research and teaching positions are well within reach.

"SNRE Conservation Biology students are unique because of the interdisciplinary experience they get at SNRE, which enables them to communicate effectively with a wide variety of conservation professionals and stakeholders. My internship with The Nature Conservancy has really proven the importance of non-scientific knowledge and I have most definitely utilized skills and concepts learned in classes like mediation, negotiation, and resource policy. I think this gives SNRE Conservation Biology students an edge over those with a purely scientific background." --Nerissa Rujanavech, SNRE Conservation Biology Student

Some students also have the opportunity to work in the Perfecto Lab, the Foufopoulos Lab, work with the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI), or work with the Ecosystem Management Initiative located on the University of Michigan Campus in the Dana Building.

Examples of ConBio Coursework:

Conservation Biology at SNRE focuses on issues related to resource conservation and ecosystem management and creates an interdisciplinary learning environment that includes ecosystem science, social science, policy, environmental design and quantitative analysis. Coursework examines the past and present causes of species extinction and biodiversity loss, as well as the biological principles central to species conservation and sustainable ecosystem management.

Students develop quantitative and analytical skills in biometrics, economics and computer applications and gain first-hand experience through internships with government agencies and private organizations. Practical applications, ranging from the design and identification of preserves to the effective management of developed landscapes and the recovery of degraded ecosystems in developed and developing countries are also learned by students.

Courses

Behavioral Ecology and Conservation Biology This course focuses on the ways environments shape the behavior and life histories of animals. Because environments pose constraints, behaviors have "better" and "worse" impacts on an organism's survival and reproduction - and these affect what is possible in conservation efforts!

Biodiversity Informatics Biodiversity and ecosystem informatics (BDEI) is an emerging interdisciplinary science that uses IT tools and methods to make information about biodiversity and ecosystems available for scientific researchers and for society in general. Part of BDEI is question or issue driven (biodiversity and ecosystems), another part is data and data organization driven, and another part concerns the methods and tools used with the data to answer the questions.

Ecological Restoration The Society for Ecological Restoration defines ecological restoration as "the process of renewing and maintaining ecosystem health (or integrity)." This course is designed to provide a practical overview of various facets of ecological restoration, particularly as related to restoring and managing the kinds of habitats found in Southeastern Michigan and the upper Midwest. Through a combination of lectures, readings, field trips, and project work, students examine background theory and issues relating to ecological restoration and attempt to develop approaches for solving specific problems associated with local habitats.

Environmental Policy, Politics, and Organizations This course examines the ways that environmental policies are formed and implemented, and the behavior of governmental and nongovernmental organizations as they shape policies and management programs. Students develop an analytic ability to disaggregate complex political and management situations, assess the feasibility of environmental policy changes, and build strategy to get such changes adopted and implemented.

Human Resource Ecology Examines how resource distribution, richness, and predictability interact with systematic and historical constraints to yield patterns of resource control, mating systems, and life histories (including sex differences) in mammals, particularly humans.

Natural Resources Conflict Management This course builds an understanding of the causes, dynamics and consequences of natural resource and environmental conflicts as well as the range of possible procedural interventions that can be used to manage these conflicts. The course emphasizes the practical application of dispute resolution theories to the environmental and natural resource context. Case materials for the course are drawn from current conflicts in situations including public lands management, air and water pollution regulation, wildlife and endangered species management, and community planning.

Students can also reach out to other schools and departments on campus to find faculty members interested in Conservation Biology. Faculty members in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Urban Planning offer courses and conduct research in the field of Conservation Biology.

Conferences of Interest

Conferences are great avenues for resource sharing, presenting papers/poster, networking, and meeting possible future employers!

Conference Alert (listing of upcoming environmental conferences)
European Congress of Conservation Biology (9.1-5.2009)
Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference (search the internet for workforce, labor development, or other green job conferences)
Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (12.6-9.2009)
View the SNRE Conference Website
Many of the Professional Organizations listed below hold annual conferences, visit their websites for more information. There are also many state and local chapters that hold conferences in which you may have interest. The benefits are that the conferences are close to home and usually are less crowded than national conferences.

Professional Organizations to Join

Air & Waste Management Association
Ecological Society of America
International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR) (2010 Symposium 6.6-10.2010)
National Association of Environmental Professionals
Society for Conservation Biology (Annual Meeting 7.3.-7.2010)
Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS) (Annual Conference) (yearly conference provides a good opportunity to network with conservation professionals working with GIS)
Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)
The Stewardship Network, (Conference 1.22-23.2010
The Wildlife Society (National Meeting 9.20-24.2009, also check with state chapters for meeting times/locations)

Need a help finding a job?

Email snre.careers@umich.edu to request an appointment with a SNRE Career Services staff member.

Lisa Yee-Litzenberg: Coordinator of Student Career Services
Room 1520 Dana Building
(734) 615-1633, yeeha@umich.edu

Need help finding an internship?