UA Program Aimed at Managing and Protecting Wildlife, Environment

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A revised curriculum focused on protecting and managing Alabama’s natural resources, which leads to a minor in natural resources management, is now available at The University of Alabama.

“Our state has an abundance of natural resources which have played a unique role in the history and economy of the state,” said Dr. J. Barry Mason, dean of the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. “This curriculum will help preserve those natural resources and provide students who choose this path an opportunity to develop an understanding of the importance of environmental issues in decision making in both profit and not-for-profit settings.”

Mason said the idea for the program came from Riley Boykin Smith, former president of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, and Tim Gothard, executive director of AWF. Smith and Gothard called on Dr. Robert Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Dr. Dick Brinker, dean of the School of Forestry at Auburn University, for help in developing the program.

“Students at The University of Alabama now have the opportunity to earn a minor that will give them the knowledge base necessary to make the wise decisions, both personal and business related, that will insure the long-term health and economic viability of our forests and wildlife resources,” Smith said.

The minor, which is offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, is available to students majoring in either UA’s College of Arts and Sciences or the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. It was created from existing courses in biology, geological sciences and geography, along with advanced courses focused on water, timber, landforms and ecological relationships.

“Many UA students are from rural backgrounds, or their families may own large parcels of land, be weekend farmers or simply have a passion for outdoor activities. The common thread is a love of the land as a renewable resource,” Mason said.

The minor is designed for students interested in managing and protecting wildlife habitat and the environment while meeting the ever-growing human demand for wood products, clean water, outdoor recreation and scenic beauty.

In the College of Commerce and Business Administration, Mason said, “the usual path for such students is a major in finance with a concentration in real estate, and, as such, they would benefit from a minor that allows them exposure to a body of material that provided an enhanced framework for decision making and an appreciation of the unique role of natural resources in the history and economy of Alabama.”

“For students in the College of Arts and Sciences,” Olin said, “the natural resources management minor dovetails beautifully with our majors in biological sciences, geological sciences, chemistry, geography and others.”

The focus of the minor is interdisciplinary and practice driven with students having hands-on experiences, field trips and working internships—all of which will supplement what they will learn in the classroom.

Students will serve internships and study at an approved biological station where they will be exposed to real-world natural resources management scenarios such as forest management, wildlife management, recreation and aesthetics management, and sensitive flora and fauna management and protection. Experts in the field will share professional and practical land management considerations with students who chose this minor and will share best practices and philosophies commonly used on Alabama’s rural lands.

Tanglewood, the University of Alabama’s J. Nicholene Bishop Biological Station and a family homestead of 480 acres in Hale County, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, will be used to further undergraduate and graduate research in biodiversity and environmental processes.

Students who complete the natural resources management minor will be prepared for professional opportunities in environmental monitoring, such as endangered species and wetland delineation, restoration of disturbed land, and forest and wildlife management decision making. Students may work for federal, state and local land management and planning agencies or non-governmental organizations and legislative bodies concerned with land use policies and laws.

All courses presented for the minor must be passed with a grade of C or better.

For additional information in the College of Commerce and Business Administration, contact Dr. David Heggem, associate dean of student services, at 205/348-4537 or deheggem@cba.ua.edu. In the College of Arts and Sciences, contact John C. Roboski, director, natural resources minor, 205/348-5972 or jroboski@as.ua.edu.