conservation

[Claireabbo]

so i really want to get into tortoise and reptile conservation i was wondering what all is involved. and what about colleges and such. im from colorado so i am not quite sure what all i can do up here. but i DEFINATLEY want to do whatever i can! i want to get into this as a carrer. Any ideas? suggestions on school? or any please

 

[ascott]

A ton of Biology classes, a ton of field observation, a ton of walking and waiting.... (being an only child is helpful in how to self entertain when alone in the desert/mountains for hours...LOL)

This is the current journey I am on now, I figure by the time I acquire all the helpful and necessary classes, my son will be older and me being gone a day or two at a time will be more appropriate than at present (he is only 12) ...

You will want to submerge yourself in research, study and field research and HUGE amounts of observation and record keeping... it is fun stuff, especially if this is where your heart is....

You might try pulling a class or two at a community college to see if this is indeed what you want to do....the title of Biologist will allow you to access to conservation on a larger scale....however, all of us make a huge impact individually and collectively in conservation in our every day actions....

 

[Claireabbo]

thats great to hear! i am soooo inspired! i think it will all be very very interesting and very cool! it is definatley where my heart is i have been set on it for a long time! ill be going into college in about a year and a half. so i gotta start thinking now hehe i can NOT wait! and i have been set on going to a community college that teaches biology. i was going to get an assosciates degree in biology. thats what im hoping and planing for

 

[Redstrike]

Claire,

There are many college majors that will lead to a career in conservation. Degrees in Zoology (a common misconception is that this has to do with "zoo keeping", not true but could lead to husbandry), Biology, Conservation Biology, Wildlife Ecology/Science/Management, Environmental Science, etc. will get you to where you need to go. There are a lot of good schools out there with excellent programs within all of these sub-disciplines of biology, I'd start by looking into which ones seem right for you. Colorado State has some strong programs, Reno NV has a hot publishing Wildlife Dept as does Humbolt State in CA, Oregon State, and Washington State. If you're looking to venture to the east coast, the top Wildlife Schools are: Virginia Tech, Penn State, SUNY-ESF, University of NH, University of Vermont, and the University of Maine. I graduated from the UMaine with a Wildlife degree and was very pleased! I'm now working on my masters at the SUNY-ESF in the same discipline (Wildlife).

As for work with tortoises, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and a few other organizations (as well as a smorgasbord of universities) have been doing conservation work with desert tortoises for some time now in the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts. There are also opportunities with gopher tortoises in FL, and box turtles in the Northeast (the pet trade has decimated them!). Bottom line is there are many opportunities to work in herpetology, the more narrow your interests, the more challenging it becomes (i.e. tortoises only might be tough, but do-able). I worked for USGS for a while with Desert tortoises and would be willing to give you contacts if you're interested - send me a PM. I prefer working with birds, but the tortoises were incredible!

I hope this helps a bit...it's really going to come down to your motivation and personal interests. I will say this is a competitive field, though it's not as bad as Vet or Med school, you're going to be challenged by your peers and jobs. Advanced degrees (MS/PhD) are becoming the norm across most disciplines and in this field of science (I'm talking biology in a broad sense) we are no exception. I'll leave you with this, I started in this field in 2004 and have never looked back. I love it and I'm sure you will too! I hope you come aboard when college rolls around (~1yr, right?).

 

[Claireabbo]

conservation biology sounds really great! i am so looking forward to it and yes about a year. and yeah not just tortoises. I mean i d want it to be other reptile and other animal conservation but i just put tortoises on there for an example becasue i love them so much! but i cvan not wait to get started. thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Laura]

LOVE the passion and excitement... GO GIRL!

 

[jackrat]

Like the others said,get out in the field. Observe them,learn everything you can,and be sure to document your observations and take reference pictures.