JACKSON, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) will be hosting a three-day workshop for college students who are studying or interested in the natural resources field.
This is the second year of the Wyoming Collegiate Conservation Academy (WCCA), which focuses on professional development, opportunities within WGFD and cultivating skills that can lead to a future in conservation and natural resources.
Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation Coordinator at WGFD William Poole said the program is directed toward college students who are interested or potentially interested in a career in conservation.
“If you’ve maybe thought about a natural resources career and want to learn more about it, this is a low commitment way to do that,” Poole told Buckrail. “It’s great for all college students, but especially for community college students and freshmen and sophomores.”
WCCA will include three focus areas. The main portion will highlight different positions and career profiles at WGFD. Biologists and game wardens will spend sessions with the students detailing their career paths, then lead the students in a hands-on activity to learn different skills related to the profession. Last year a wildlife biologist taught a workshop on telemetry — the process of reading signals emitted by transmitters — typically used in the industry to track animals that have been collared.
The second area of focus is an inquiry project, where students break up into small groups and formulate a scientific question. They then work together through the scientific process to research, formulate a hypothesis, perform tests and analyze results for presentation.
“It could be something like, ‘How does plant diversity change as we go up this slope?'” said Poole. “Then they take the time to answer the question and present answers to the group.”
The third part centers on professional development, where educators discuss resumes, cover letters, interview techniques, and leadership and strength assessments.
WCCA will take place from August 14 to 17 in Dubois. It costs $50 to attend, which includes food and lodging. According to Poole, the cost should not be a barrier to participation, so anyone interested in a scholarship should email william.poole@wyo.gov for more details.
