Natural resources management info sheet

NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

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The Dordt Difference If you love the outdoors and enjoy camping, bird watching, hunting, fishing, boating, or hiking, Dordt’s natural resources management program could be just the course of study you’re looking for. Whether you enjoy the river, the forest, or the prairie, you’ll learn how to manage areas like these so that wildlife can thrive and so that people can enjoy the recreational activities they provide.

In today’s world, all natural areas are managed in one way or another. Dordt’s natural resources management program will give you the scientific understanding and tools to manage them well. You’ll collect data, help conduct prescribed burns in a restored prairie, study small animal populations, experience a fish hatchery, learn how to use Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and more.

At the end of your program, you’ll conduct a restoration project that will make a difference in how a property is managed.

Dordt’s is the only program of its kind offered at a Christian college or university. The hands-on character of your study will get you outdoors and help you appreciate the creation even more as you learn about the wide range of species in God’s world and as you learn what they need to survive, thrive, and praise their Creator.

RECENT INTERNSHIPS Geno Maule, U.S. Geological Survey, Yankton Field Research Station; fisheries research Sarah Faber, Sioux County Conservation Board; environmental education Troy Davelaar, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks; habitat management

THE PROGRAM The Natural Resources Management Program begins with courses in biology, environmental studies, and zoology. It includes more specialized courses in botany, chemistry, statistics, GIS, flora, and wildlife ecology. As you proceed through the program, you’ll be able to focus more on what interests you, whether that might be animals, insects, plants, or microbes.

In the capstone course of the program, Restoration Ecology and Applied Stewardship, you’ll conduct a service learning project based in a wetland, woodland, or prairie that will provide better resource management for that area.

To add to the hands-on character of your study, your courses will use a range of professional journals such as The Journal of Wildlife Management, Ecological Restoration, and Ecological Applications as classroom resources.

Dordt’s Natural Resources Management Program also carries with it all of the benefits that attending a Christian college brings: a Christian understanding of the world, a community intent on serving God, small classes, ready access to faculty, and assistance in finding good internships.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Dordt’s Natural Resources Program will give you the knowledge and experience you’ll need to get you started in a position that gets you outdoors working in the natural world. Positions with a city or county are usually available to applicants with an undergraduate degree. For state or federal positions, you may need to do graduate work.

State parks, departments of natural resources, and fish and game departments: positions include park rangers, researchers, interpretive specialists, geologists, and historians City park systems: duties range from forester to landscaper, urban wildlife manager, and more.

County park, education, and conservation organizations: duties include maintaining grounds, managing park services and buildings, and habitat management.

Federal parks, fish and wildlife, department of agriculture positions: hundreds of positions are available across the country, managing forests, prairies, lakes and streams; doing research; and educating the public.

THE FACULTY Robert De Haan, Ph.D., University of Minnesota. Environmental studies, restoration ecology, avian biology, wildlife ecology, ecology, and genetics, department chair Robert.DeHaan@dordt.edu Jeff Ploegstra, Ph.D., University of Iowa. Biology, environmental studies, with a focus on microbiology and North American flora Jeff.Ploegstra@dordt.edu Channon Visscher, Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis, chemistry, teaches introductory geology and astronomy classes.

Channon.Visscher@dordt.edu

CONTRIBUTING FACULTY Carl Fictorie, Ph.D., University of Minnesota. Chemistry and environmental chemistry

Carl.Fictorie@dordt.edu

Joel Sikkema, Ph.D., Iowa State University. Construction inspection, site management, surveying/GIS, and environmental monitoring Joel.Sikkema@dordt.edu Robbin Eppinga, Ph.D., University of Iowa. Zoology and cell biology For more information go to www.dordt.edu/academics/programs/environmental_studies

August 2015

Robbin.Eppinga@dordt.edu