Careers in natural resources conservation are as diverse as the environment itself. Positions such as environmental conservation officers, wildlife and fish technicians, land managers, rangers, nature center educators, environmental conservation technicians, and soil and water technicians bring graduates to locations from National Parks to urban areas. Finger Lakes Community College is one of the most successful colleges in New York State at placing graduates in these highly competitive positions. Graduates with this degree hold conservation jobs in more than 25 different states and are employed by federal, state, local and private agencies.

The Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Natural Resources Conservation at Finger Lakes Community College integrates diverse field experiences with classroom study, providing students with a broad awareness of environmental issues and an appreciation of our natural world. Courses in field botany, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, soils, waters and forests, fish and wildlife, and environmental chemistry: testing and analysis provide theoretical basis for what is learned outside the classroom.

In addition, students have the opportunity to use industry-standard research technology such as electro-fishing equipment, water quality probes, GIS computer software, and wildlife tracking radio-telemetry devices.

Scholarships for Natural Resources Conservation students meeting the specific criteria include the Herbert Collins Memorial Award, the Conservation/Horticulture Faculty Scholarship, Francis Finnick, and NYS Conservation Law Enforcement Scholarships. Contact a member of the Conservation Department or the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Field experience is a major component of the natural resources conservation degree at FLCC. Students have the opportunity to apply classroom learning to hands-on exercises at the FLCC Muller Conservation Field Station, (located at the southern end of Honeoye Lake), conservation field camp, and wilderness camping trips in the Adirondack Mountains.

Travel courses to the Florida Everglades, Alaskan Wilderness, and East Coast maritime communities enhance the course work in the program. In addition, students are able to participate in the FLCC Conservation Club, American Fisheries Society, and the FLCC student chapter of The Wildlife Society.

Graduates from the program have successfully transferred to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse, Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, SUNY Colleges at Brockport and Cortland, Unity College in Maine, University of New Hampshire, Rutgers University, Colorado State University, Penn State University, Universities of Utah, Montana, and Idaho, and Northland College in Minnesota, among others.*

FLCC Conservation graduates hold positions as fish and wildlife technicians, conservation officers, land managers, and environmental educators with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, United States Fish and Wildlife Services, and the National Park Service. Others work in positions such as managers of water treatment plants, Environmental Risk Managers for the New York State Department of Health, and fisheries/wildlife biologists.

* This is a sampling of some of the four-year colleges and universities to which our students have transferred. Please consult your advisor or the Center for Advisement and Personal Development for a complete listing of transfer agreements between Finger Lakes Community College and four-year institutions.