Online self-paced curriculum for high school students interested in conservation careers
In partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Bellevue University, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever officially launched their Journey to Conservation Careers (J2CC) curriculum with an engaged audience of high school students. venues at the recently completed National Pheasant Fest & Quail. Classic in Minneapolis. The learning initiative is designed to introduce wildlife conservation as a field of study and a career.
“As an organization, we recognize the importance of meeting students where they are and making conservation relevant to everyone,” said Marissa Jensen, conservation leadership program manager for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “Journey to Conservation Careers is a comprehensive resource that provides online curriculum, career fairs, and hands-on experience to develop natural resource professionals for the future.”
AnnMarie Krmpotich, state coordinator for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, said, “The US Fish and Wildlife Service is proud to partner with Journey to Conservation Careers to create more opportunities that introduce people to the wildlife conservation and the diversity of skills needed in our workforce. The conservation community is no different than other businesses in that we need talented people to achieve our missions, and having a strong portfolio is critical to our conservation success.”
J2CC’s public launch included experts in the field of conservation—PR professionals, outdoor educators, USFWS K9 officers, Quail Forever biologists, and more—who spoke about specific career paths in the outdoors. Similarly, the creators of the program outlined the various courses available to students, including grassland habitat, ecology, and biology.
“Watching the students interact with the variety of professionals was inspiring during the J2CC session, a proof of concept that we as a conservation community need to come together and be innovative to reach more people to demonstrate the portfolio of conservation options. careers in conservation,” added Krmpotich. .
Additionally, Journey to Conservation Careers prioritizes communities historically underrepresented in conservation and breaks down barriers to participation. Whether a student is interested in getting involved as an individual or a teacher wants to focus on a particular curriculum, the opportunities that J2CC offers are wide-ranging. To increase accessibility, J2CC features a self-paced online curriculum so students have time to complete courses over the phone or computer. The final offer for people who complete the certification is the opportunity to follow the work of a conservation professional in their local area.
For more information about Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Journey to Conservation Careers, visit the website or contact Marissa Jensen at [email protected].
About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 400,000 members, supporters, and partners is dedicated to protecting our highlands through habitat improvement, public access, education, and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent—the only national conservation organization to operate through this grassroots structure. Since its inception in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to more than 575,000 habitat projects benefiting 24 million acres.