Forestry, Fire, & Rangeland Management

Crystal Welch

Year Graduated:

2014

Ecologist

Job description

I manage the Botany, Invasive Weeds, and Grazing Departments at the BLM. My job entails a diverse mixture of field botanical surveys, working with ranchers, and invasive species eradication, as well as restoration project development and implementation. My schedule of work cycles with the seasons. I handle all administrative work for my departments ranging from project development, annual reporting, monitoring, coordinating conservation crews, scheduling, and budget management.

Why did you choose this program?

I took the upper division soils 360 course with Susan Marshall and it changed my world. I fell in love with the complexity of soil science. I had finally found my calling! I chose this program because of the intricacy of the science and the courses offered which would make me more favorable to employers (Susan was right!). I loved the hands-on labs where we explored concepts and gained practical skills for the field. The way the professors encouraged real learning instead of memorization and just getting good grades made a huge impression on me.

How did this program prepare you for your job?

Nearly every protocol I learned in my lab courses was later utilized in my field jobs. In fact, I had enough hands-on training and conceptual knowledge to explain to coworkers in my first jobs outside of college how to perform these protocols (LPI, soil aggregate stability, rangeland health assessments, etc.) and their importance for monitoring efforts. These skills and practical knowledge led me to quickly advance as a leader after only one field season. This program was essential to my early success in field science jobs.

What did you enjoy most about the program?

I enjoyed the professors and the countless outdoor labs. Most importantly, I enjoyed how professors emphasized learning concepts instead of memorization of facts. This built the foundation of my understanding of rangeland, soil science, and ecology.

Other comments?

I love HSU!

Job description

Why did you choose this program?

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