A love of the outdoors and a passion for connecting people with the natural resources around them has inspired Star Prairie native Bailey Matthys throughout her studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

 

As a senior in the natural resource planning option, she has the opportunity to make those connections for communities, city planning units, farmers, land owners, land trusts and nonprofit environmental organizations. She’s done so as a student and looks forward to continuing those connections when she ventures into the job market after graduating in May.

 

“I enjoy the shared excitement and sense of community when you work with people who care about natural resources,” she said.

 

UW-Stevens Point offers one of the few natural resource planning programs in the nation. It is part of the College of Natural Resources’ Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management discipline.

 

“Our students are motivated by places they love,” said Aaron Thompson, an assistant professor of natural resources management. “We can develop and protect our natural resources together, but it takes people who are devoted to it to do the work.”

 

Among the advantages of studying natural resources planning at UW-Stevens Point is the low student-to-faculty ratio. Students also have the benefit of a direct connection with UW-Extension’s Center for Land Use Education (CLUE). All three of the natural resource planning faculty members work for the center along with their teaching duties.

 

“Much of our own research for CLUE is brought into the classroom,” said Anna Haines, professor of natural resources management and the center’s director. Students work on CLUE projects for people across the state, connecting them with community members and future job prospects.

 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in natural resource planning-related fields will grow by 19 percent by 2018, with yearly salaries averaging between $65,000 and $80,000.

 

Job placement for UW-Stevens Point alumni is about 90 percent, said Haines.

 

Graduates of natural resources planning are specifically qualified to work with land trusts, Thompson said. Positions within these nonprofit organizations, which work to permanently protect wetlands, prairies, easements and other open spaces, have increased substantially in recent years.

 

“The emphasis in our program is to work with people to solve environmental problems,” he said. “It is future oriented, with a focus on long-term solutions. It also works across different aspects of natural resources so graduates can offer land owners options to protect their land.”

 

UW-Stevens Point also offers several student organizations that provide additional experience for those in the option, including the Land Conservation Society. Matthys serves as the president of the group, in which students work directly with land owners to clear brush, maintain trail systems, satisfy land easement requests and complete other projects.

 

“The older generation is excited to see members of the younger generation help them,” said Matthys. “Along the way, we are gaining valuable experience.”

 

Matthys said she hopes to do this same kind of work as a private land biologist when she graduates, finding solutions for private land owners who want to restore prairies, conserve wetlands to create better watersheds or maintain habitats for wildlife.

 

“Once you get individuals to care and work on a project, there’s a chain effect and other landowners want to do the same,” she said.

 

Matthys said her natural resource planning education at UW-Stevens Point has provided all the tools she will need in the future.

 

“I have learned about natural resources, communication, geographic information systems, digital technology and how to create surveys and questionnaires,” she said. “You get a very hands-on experience at UW-Stevens Point, and that sets you above other applicants for various positions.”

 

For more information about natural resource planning at UW-Stevens Point, go to www.uwsp.edu/natres.