Natural Resources/Water, Land and Wildlife Conservation
Our natural resources are the things all life on earth depend on—our lands, our forests and open spaces, our oceans, our lakes, rivers and streams, and our wildlife. (For more about how that all works, click here.)
Jobs that save and restore natural resources are very rewarding. They are also very hard to come by. Some jobs in this field are open to people who have a high school education or a GED. Some of these jobs include ticket vendors national or state parks, or zoo maintenance workers. Very often, people who want these jobs need a college education, a graduate degree, or other kinds of special training.
People who work in conservation can do a wide range of jobs. Some work as park rangers in local, state or national parks. Others do clerical work at non-profit organizations that plant trees to make cities more livable. Some work as wildlife biologists or botanists, soil scientists or fisheries experts.
The field has three big employers:
Government agencies are the biggest employer in the field. Here in New York City, that means the city government (through the Parks Department, the Department of Environmental Protection, and other city agencies); the state government, through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation; and the federal government, through agencies like the National Park Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Land Management.
Non-profit organizations are another big employer in the field. They are organizations that have been set up to carry out a mission, instead of simply to make money.
New York City is home to many fantastic nonprofits that work to save and restore our natural resources, our wildlife and our waterways. One of the most famous is the Wildlife Conservation Society. It runs the world-famous Bronx Zoo and the Queens Zoo. But it is also known around the world for its work to protect endangered animals, like elephants, great apes, snow leopards, and loons.
Some other non-profit organizations that work in natural resource and wildlife conservation in New York City are Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project; the Alley Pond Environmental Center; The Nature Conservancy; Audubon; and, the Bronx River Alliance. But those are only a few of the organizations doing this work. The job listing websites below, especially Idealist.org, can help you find listings at many non-profit organizations. One of the great things about the website is that it allows you to search using terms that make it easy to find jobs in the fields you’re interested in.
Consulting groups also work in this field. They are private companies made up of experts, along with the kinds of support staff lots of businesses have—clerks, building maintenance, and other jobs. Governments, businesses and others hire consulting groups to learn about environmental conditions in particular areas and to advise them about how to follow laws that protect land, water and wildlife.
For more information about the kinds of training and education you might need to work in the natural resource and wildlife conservation fields, check out the Environmental Protection webpage and the Research, Design and Consulting webpage of the Green Careers Center at CareerOneStop.org. The federal government put CareerOneStop.org together to help people find work. CareerOneStop.org can also help you learn about different kinds of careers, about salaries and benefits, and other helpful information.
To begin your job search, check out the websites below. To find environmental consulting groups in New York City and around the country, you can do an Internet search for “environmental consulting firms.”
Natural Resources/Conservation Job Boards
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Job Board
Association of Zoos and Aquariums Job Board
EcoEmploy.comEcological Society of America Job BoardEnvironmental Career Opportunities Job BoardFederal Government Job Board Idealist.org
National Association of Environmental Professionals Job Board
North American Association for Environmental Education Job Board
New York City Parks Department
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
Ornithological Societies of North America job board
Society for Conservation Biology international (and national) job board
Society of Wetland Scientists Job Board
Texas A & M University Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Job Board