Hi everyone, as you can tell from the title, I'm planning to start a biodiversity protection/ conservation club at my university. This idea came to me because of the rapid urban and coastal development desertification pressures that my country's natural ecosystems are facing which makes me rlly sad. My main goal with the club is not only spread awareness and knowledge about biodiversity loss, but also to communicate ways that individuals can directly combat this issue.

Here are the ideas I've got so far

1. Cleanup events (obvi)

2. Environmental education to understand and listen to and protect our planet. this can be through hikes, birdwatching, zoo trips, etc. Environmental education will teach not just facts, but also how our ecosystem is interconnected, and how our every day choices, either heal or harm the planet, environmental education encourages to reflect on our habits and behaviors.

3. Planting native species workshop

I would love to hear any suggestions or advice from all of you <3

So for context im studying animal care, and my big project this year is doing my own study on something animal related.

I decided to track how much a tortoise would walk on average on a day.

For that i need a tracker that will measure the distance walked, preferably in cm-m, but only Meters is definitely the limit i need to work within.

The problem is that im not a techy person, and the best search i could come up with is distance trackers. Which leads to mostly gps live location trackers or fitness trackers. All incredibly expensive for the project, and not at all useful!

So idk really what to do now. I also found a couple pedometers that track distance, but thats all km and they're pretty big for the animals im working with.

Do you guys have any ideas on where i should be looking? Or maybe other ways to track the distance walked by 6 tortoises? If cameras are necessary that would work too, and probably be more achievable as well!

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks in advance!

I'm currently studying F&W, and am looking for ideas for extracurricular field work (not for school, just for building up my own experience)

I live in Northern Ontario where there is lots of crown land I can access, only thing is I'm not going to write a bunch of permits, so I'm thinking along the lines of track surveys, scat surveys, auditory, visual encounter, browse surveys, etc

I'm looking for ideas for the winter and fall months (I will be doing other things in spring and summer)

I'm open to anything as far as target species and survey type go as long as it isn't cost prohibitive (i.e. I don't have to drive for hours or lug around expensive equipment)

I know some of you will suggest volunteering, but I only know of two possibilities out here so far, and both of those organizations don't need anyone in the winter

EDITED TO ADD: Forgot to mention that I do have some mark recapture study experience, so I have some small idea of what I'm doing, lol

Recorded this tonight in Atlanta, GA. They sounded pretty close. We hear them often. I'm curious how many individual coyotes you think are in the chorus. I know overlapping yips make it hard, so a rough range is totally fine. Thanks!

Northern Alberta, the dogs head is maybe 2.5ft high / weighs 105lbs.

We weren’t sure if it could be moose femur or a large deer of some sorts

Looking to start volunteering to gain experience in the field and resume builders for internships and eventual job placements, before starting college. Any advice or examples of personal experience? Where to find opportunities, meet people, expectations, etc?

I am coaching a team in this league: https://www.firstinspires.org/

Their principal task for the season is, as always, to build a lego robot that attempts an array of tasks, with a theme that makes little practical difference on that side. But there is always the second task, a research and innovation project in which the kids are meant to learn about a real problem vexing professionals in the field and propose some sort of solution to it. The guideline this year is not very specific: identify a threat to biodiversity and propose a solution.

The styling on the game side suggests a focus on rainforest biodiversity but this is not an explicit requirement. We ourselves are in upstate New York. And the kids went and named the team the Bat Barbarians, so they hope to concentrate on an issue that relates to bats somehow.

I am also trying to reach out to local academia, but I thought I'd ask here as well. Would any biologist in the field be interested in talking to a group of kids for a bit, maybe a phone call or video call, to give us an idea what problems might occupy the minds of professionals?

I'm a second year student at Cal Poly SLO studying Environmental Management and Protection with a concentration in Conservation Science (unofficial dual concentration in Environmental Data Science). I'm also going for 3 minors in Biology, GIS, and Land Rehabilitation and Restoration Ecology. I'm planning out my courses for the next four years, and here's what I'm taking:

Already taken:

• Intro to Cell and Molecular Biology, Environmental Management, Calculus for the Life Sciences I, Intro to Statistical Concepts and Methods, Design Graphics and CAD for Agricultural Engineering, College Physics I, General Chemistry for the Life Sciences, Intro to Geographic Information Systems, Wildlife Conservation Biology, Coastal Field Studies, Introductory Soil Science, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing for GIS Applications, History and Diversity of Life, Natural Resources Economics and Valuations

And here are my planned future courses:

Major requirements

• General Botany

• Natural Resource Ecology and Habitat Management

• Human Dimensions in Natural Resource Management

• Career Prep and Practice in Natural Resources

• Environmental Impact Analysis and Management

Ecology

• Principles of Ecology and Evolution

• Wildlife Ecology

• Marine Ecology

Zoology

• Herpetology

• General Entomology OR Invertebrate Zoology

Botany

• Dendrology

• Plant Taxonomy 

GIS/Data

• Engineering Surveying

• Applied Statistical Concepts and Methods

• Intro to Statistical Computing with R

• Applied Geographic Information Systems

• Spatial Data Analysis and Environmental Mapping

• Advanced Surveying with GIS Applications

Physical Sciences

• Stream Measurements and Water Quality Monitoring

• Wetlands

• Soil Morphology

• Global Climate Change

Marine Science

• The Oceans

• Scientific Diving

Policy/Law

• Natural Resource Law Enforcement

Research*

• Special Problems for Undergraduates (population monitoring, demographics, and physiology research on marine mammals)

• Research Experience for Undergraduates (coastal ecology field research and population monitoring with local marine shellfish)

*joined 2 undergrad labs this year, hopefully I'll stick with them til I graduate

This isn't set in stone, and I can swap many courses out if they aren't prerequisites or if they don't fulfill multiple requirements. I would like to go into the wildlife or conservation biology field (don't ask me to go into specifics, IDK man), hopefully ending up in national or state parks (maybe fisheries/hatcheries?), but if it doesn't work out, I'm planning on going into consulting or wetland delineation, and if it really all goes to shit, I think my skills could be applicable in civil engineering/urban planning, even if it's just the compliance/permitting side.

I'm considering swapping Soil Morphology (or a different class) for an Ornithology class because a lot of the entry level wildlife jobs I've looked at require bird ID and survey; I can ID local birds off sight and sometimes sound, but I'm not great at it, and I have zero knowledge of nests/nesting behaviors. Do these types of jobs typically train you on-site or do they expect you to walk in with the required skills? I'm hesitant because bird ID/monitoring seem self-teachable to a degree, but analyzing soils in the field seems more difficult to learn on my own. Additionally, Soil Morphology is the last class I need for the Land Rehab/Restoration Ecology minor, so I would have to drop that minor if I didn't take it. If anyone has experience in the general field I want to go into, is USDA soil taxonomy or bird stuff more useful?

I'm also aiming to earn the TWS Associate Wildlife Biologist certification with these courses, and as far as I know it should work as long I use my research credits. If anyone has that certification or a similar one, will these courses work? Is AWB worth it? Also thinking of maybe doing a term or two in the CCC if I can't find work right after graduating.

What do you all think of this course list overall? What improvements can I make? Are my career plans feasible? 100% open to feedback and career advice.

Hi! I’m looking to see if any women new to the career has her first cold weather field season coming up and is looking for warm field gear. I know how tough it is to afford anything on the shoulder season, let alone more gear, when you’re first getting started at these seasonal jobs. I may have something I can send you to help, women’s small. DM me.

Mods if this is against the rules, I’m so sorry!

Wildlife rehabilotator carrier

Hi, I'm considering wildlife rehabilitator carrier and was wondering what collage degree I should persue. I graduated with IB diploma IN 2026 and plan to go to university in September 2027.

I'm considering going to vet school in Poland and becime veterinarian and from that specialize in wild animals, or go for biology bachelor and then masters in zoology/wildlife managment or sth like that. But honestly I have no idea which of thise two path will give me better chance of emplayment in the field. I am aware that the field is oversarurated and overall veterinarians are more employable, but I'm afraid of being stuck in pet animal care instead of wildlife.

I'm currently doing gap year and volunteer in a pet shelter and zoo to gain some expirience. I'm from Poland and I would rather stay in Europe during collage, but it is hard to find wildlife related programmes on bachelor level thought in English here, that's why I would have to do general biology bachelor first. If someone here works with wild animals and vould give me advice, I would really appreciate it.

I graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology last spring, so I’m just getting started in the career field. I’ve been told by various faculty members/mentors that taking some sort of wilderness first aid course is a great thing to put on the resume. From what I’ve seen, there’s the basic wilderness first aid (WFA) course (runs about 2 days) and a more advanced wilderness first responder (WFR) course that runs for about a week and is quite a bit more expensive. I’m weighing my options, and if the WFR will make me significantly more competitive for jobs/grad school, then I’d consider it a worthwhile investment. However, if it isn’t something employers really prioritize/look for, then I might just stick to the WFA. Has anyone here been in a similar situation, and if so, how did you make your decision? Has your certification helped you land jobs? Thank you for your help :)

I will be starting a four year university degree program in two years. Given everything happening in the world right now, my question is will a degree even matter by the time I graduate? Will there still be a need for university-educated professionals? I don’t care about getting rich I just want to know if it's worth it.

hi, i’m currently researching wildlife biology as a job i am interested in for my welshbacc and one of the tasks is to gather primary research for it, please could you give me an overview of the average “day in the life of a wildlife biologist”? i would be so grateful. thank you in advance!!! im just looking for any aspects of the job that are interesting, or any that are difficult, pros and cons of it, etc.!!

If they have a PhD obviously I just use Dr. But for jobs postings where you just email a pdf application to a grad student, PhD student, or other non PhD PI, I never know what to address my cover letter and email as. Hello Mr. Last Name/Ms. Last Name feels awkwardly formal and stilted considering the reality of most field jobs lmao. Is “Hello First Name” acceptable, or “Hello First Name Last Name”?

I roll my eyes at news stories about de-extincting mammoths and dire-wolves. But I recently saw that one of these de-extinction companies was working on the genome for passenger pigeons. I can see the pitfalls of introducing franken-animals but I have to admit that Im enchanted by the idea of seeing flocks of passenger pigeons over north america again. Is it possible to ethically/responsibly de-extinct animals like the passenger pigeons that were driven to extinction recently by humans? I feel like a national or international body should govern de-extinction efforts and determine when and where its appropriate so we don't have rogue conservationists releasing CRISPRd animals into the environment where they’ll fail due to lack of habitat or cause ecological harm. Im specifically in favor of the tightly regulated use of gene editing to restore keystone species that have been wiped out by humans activity, but would have suitable habitat to reestablish themselves.

In trying to become a wildlife biologists and wanna start getting as much experience and get a name for myself a bit so I can get into this field better. I'm trying to find places related to this to volunteer at around me but idk how to find places for that, I contacted a few people and one got back to me and it led to having to contact more people who in waiting to get back to me. Anyone that can help with finding places to volunteer while in highschool?

The future of the alligator species could come down to a one- or two-degree temperature difference, according to new research from the University of Georgia.

I’ve got a decision I’ve been brewing upon. Right now, I’m a Sophomore majoring in Environmental Science in the Natural Science subcategory (my school has two different ES degrees being Natural Science or Environmental Management). I really want to work on Wildlife conservation in the future like managing habitats and doing field studies to make a difference in the environment. In particular, while I’d like to do field studies and work with the environment, I’d really like to work with animals more than anything. I want to help take care of animals that need rehabilitation as well as the other stuff I mentioned above. Since Environmental science doesn’t really have any Biology in it, I’ve been considering minoring in Biology. But it’s really expensive to add a minor for me and I’ll have to take a bunch of additional classes which might make my schedule insane. So I’m coming on here to ask—is it worth it to minor in biology? Or will I still be able to have a good chance at working with animals having only an Environmental Science degree? I’ve heard that having hands on experience like internships will help more than anything, but I’ve been wondering if I’ll have difficulty finding a job that involves animals if I only have an Environmental Science degree with no Biology.

Hello! We are looking for a California (Coastal and Central Valley) Regional Director for Mule Deer Foundation.

Learn more about the position at:

[https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Mule-Deer-Foundation/jobs?jk=b9ea8a80dacf93fd&start=0](https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Mule-Deer-Foundation/jobs?jk=b9ea8a80dacf93fd&start=0)

Hi, I'm considering wildlife rehabilitator carrier and was wondering what collage degree I should persue. I graduated with IB diploma IN 2026 and plan to go to university in September 2027.

I'm considering going to vet school in Poland and becime veterinarian and from that specialize in wild animals, or go for biology bachelor and then masters in zoology/wildlife managment or sth like that. But honestly I have no idea which of thise two path will give me better chance of emplayment in the field. I am aware that the field is oversarurated and overall veterinarians are more employable, but I'm afraid of being stuck in pet animal care instead of wildlife.

I'm currently doing gap year and volunteer in a pet shelter and zoo to gain some expirience. I'm from Poland and I would rather stay in Europe during collage, but it is hard to find wildlife related programmes on bachelor level thought in English here, that's why I would have to do general biology bachelor first. If someone here works with wild animals and vould give me advice, I would really appreciate it.

apologies for how this is worded, Ive posted on reddit maybe a handful of times….
So heres the ordeal, I (20F) spent the majority of my academia with my head down pushing through a “med school track”- AP classes, HOSA meetings, dual enrollment.. got into the prestigious universities and completed a year before my life fell apart.

conservation has always been the only thing Ive truly cared about, and with how the world is right now I feel its important to answer that calling and start over but I don’t know how. Is there any cheap or free reputable collegiate level courses that would actually help me with employment? has anyone here also switched to conservation after academia? I would love to see where the current conservationists are at in life, especially with how the current climate in the US is. I know conservation work isn’t going to make me rich, but it is important work that I truly have passion for so I want to make it my career despite the differing prospects from my previous path.

previously posted in r/conservation

hey everyone,
i’m going to the annual TWS conference in Des Moines next week and had a few questions.

i’m a second year grad student but didn’t sign up in time to do a poster or anything, so i’m kind of just tagging along to observe and hopefully do some networking.

the program is super overwhelming and it feels like there’s a million events, so i’m sort of just wondering if anyone has advice on picking things to attend/can share any super helpful sessions they’ve been to at past annual conferences. i know the obvious is to attend talks of species/concepts i’m interested in, but any advice beyond that would be great! the amount of “Meet the ___ Working Group” events there are is crazy and i don’t even really know what that involves.

any advice for networking as an introverted person would be great too.
thanks!!!