Forestry, Fire, & Rangeland Management

Kristin Cooper

Year Graduated:

2015

Soil & Vegetation Project Manager (SVPM)

Mendocino County Resource Conservation District

Job description

I write Conservation Carbon Farm Plans; perform in-field soil and vegetation sampling; write soil analysis reports for sample data; design new demonstration field trials; assist MCRCD team with ongoing applications for soil health-related grants; manage soil grants; provide technical assistance to partners and landowners; create and manages databases; assist with updating and managing the www.soilhub.org website and online communications via social media sites and e-newsletters; create and manage ArcGIS data and maps; organize soil health events and outreach; and report on all activity.

Why did you choose this program?

I started as an Environmental Science Major with a focus in Ecological Restoration. After getting half-way through the Environmental Science program I was introduced to Soil Science and Susan Marshall. The Rangeland Sciences major with emphasis in Wildland soils provided me with a career path that aligned with the work I wanted to do, applied ecology.

How did this program prepare you for your job?

The program provided me with a tremendous amount of field experience related to soils and vegetation. The knowledge provided was above-adequate for a smooth transfer into the professional world, and I was able to exceed expectations from my first Rangeland technician position. Having the combination of skills Rangeland Management provided me helped to make me a competitive candidate with the ability to be a lead project and program manager on large scale projects.

What did you enjoy most about the program?

The challenge prepared me for the real world. Coming from a city, and changing my major, I started my studies in Rangeland management challenged by a lack of experience and knowledge of rangeland management. The way the program was able to take me from zero to 100 is a true testament of a well-structured program. I was not a straight A student, but that was not because I did not try, it was because the content is challenging. I enjoyed the challenge because I knew I was learning, and now I look back and see the great value in every single class.

Other comments?

After four years of experience in Rangeland Management, I am going to graduate school at the Woodrow Wilson Academy of Teaching and Learning for a Master's of Education and a credential for teaching high school biology. The Academy is in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is an incredibly competitive program, with a 1:1 student to teacher ratio, and it was the unique background from HSU soils and rangeland program that helped me to achieve this position. I will continue to be involved in rangeland and soils through local politics and consulting work. I greatly look forward to sharing my experiences with our youth.

I love HSU, Soils & Range, and am always striving to live by the HSU Pledge. “I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.”

Job description

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