Wildlife Resources

Prepare for Success

If you are concerned about the environment and our natural resources and would like to make a contribution to ensure that fish and wildlife species and their habitats are part of the future, you may want to consider a degree from the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. High school students interested in this degree should have strong skills in biology, science and math. You should also enjoy the outdoors.

Your First Year

During your first year, you may complete the following courses:

• Chemistry 101 – Introduction to Chemistry
• Communications 101 – Fundamentals of Public Speaking
• CORE Discovery
• English 102 – College Writing & Rhetoric
• Natural Resources 101 – Exploring Natural Resources
• Wildlife 102 – The Fish and Wildlife Professions
• Biology 115 – Cells and the Evolution of Life
• Geology 101 – Physical Geology or Soils 205/206 – General Soils/Lab
• Math 160 – Survey of Calculus

Course Checklist 

Due to the high level of expertise of our nationally and internationally recognized faculty, our program attracts transfer students from across the country. To make your transfer process as seamless as possible, visit the university’s online transfer student guide.

What You Can Do

The Bachelor of Science degree in the Wildlife Resources program prepares you well for careers in federal, state and natural resource nonprofit organizations. With this degree, you may become a:

• Wildlife biologist
• Research assistant
• Conservation officer
• Ecological modeler
• Fish and wildlife technician

You can also continue your education beyond the bachelor’s degree right here at the University of Idaho. Related programs include:

• Master of Natural Resources 
• Master of Science in Wildlife Resources 
• Doctor of Philosophy Natural Resources 

Opportunities

Examples of federal, state and conservation agencies and nonprofit groups that employ our graduates include:

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• The Nature Conservancy
• Idaho Department of Fish and Game
• The Bureau of Land Management

As a wildlife professional, you may:

• Watch peregrine falcons on the rooftops of New York City or on the breaks of the Missouri River in Montana
• Follow calf elk equipped with radio transmitters
• Capture and tag song birds in mist nets
• Collect and identify plants in a wilderness area
• Use genetic analysis to estimate the number of bears in a national park
• Observe and research newly introduced wildlife such as wolves
• Use the latest remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) or other computer technology to help conserve an endangered species

Following graduation, wildlife resources students have an employment rate approaching 75 percent.

Current Research

Current faculty research in wildlife resources includes:

• Discovering How Fire Affects Primary Cavity Nesters and Secondary Users: Kerri Vierling, associate professor of wildlife resources, is studying woodpeckers as a keystone species – one whose presence is a positive influence on forest diversity. The cavities created by woodpeckers are important resources for squirrels, bats and other bird species that use the cavities for breeding and roosting throughout the year.
• Assessing Impact of Climate Change On National Wildlife Refuges : Wildlife professor J. Michael Scott, leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and his graduate student, Anna Pidgorna, are addressing what management changes are needed at individual refuges and at the refuge system as a whole to preserve habitat and maintain healthy waterfowl populations and other refuge species. Funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Council of Environmental Quality, Scott and Pidgorna collaborated with the University of Alaska, University of Washington, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to examine near- and long-term impacts of climate change on each of the 547 National Wildlife Refuges.

Activities

Hands-On Experience

• Approved Work Experience/Internship: The wildlife resources program requires hands-on practical experience. Approved work experience and internships allow you to learn firsthand about wildlife resources and how the field interfaces with other natural resource professions. Our faculty works personally with students to coordinate field experiences, such as collaborating with Idaho ranchers to evaluate wild species that are candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act.
• Undergraduate Research:  The DeVlieg Foundation sponsors an inquiry-based learning program at Taylor Ranch Field Station. Each student develops a scientific research proposal, conducts research in the wilderness, writes a research report on the project and presents results at a professional meeting. Topics may be selected by students or be part of a larger research project. Students are assisted by a faculty adviser and field station managers to develop the study plan, collect field data and report on research. Students receive 2-4 credits. Examples of Undergraduate Research at Taylor Wilderness Research Station
• Bleak Taylor Ranch Field Station Wilderness Internship : This 10-week summer program at Taylor Wilderness Research Station in the heart of the Frank Church wilderness is designed to give students hands-on experience in a breadth of field techniques for natural resource research and management.

Facilities

• University of Idaho Experimental Forest
• University of Idaho Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research
• Remote Sensing and GIS Research Laboratory
• Remote Sensing/GIS Teaching Laboratory
• Forest and Range Measurements Laboratory
• Guernsey Outdoor Classroom
• Taylor Wilderness Research Station
• Idaho Stable Isotopes Laboratory
• Inland Empire Tree Improvement Cooperative
• Intermountain Forest Tree Nutrition Cooperative
• University of Idaho Laboratory for Conservation and Ecological Genetics
• Landscape Dynamics Laboratory
• Lee Sharp Experimental Area
• McCall Field Campus
• Policy Analysis Group

Faculty Involvement

Our advising process is facilitated by faculty and staff members who provide one-on-one academic and professional advising and assistance with developing your academic plan.

Cort Anderson
Assistant Research Professor; Co-director Center for Research on Invasive Species
Professional interests: Molecular Evolution, Molecular Systematics, Invasive Species Issues
» View Cort Anderson's profile

Courtney Conway
Idaho Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit Leader
Research Interests and Areas of Specialization: Wildlife management, Conservation biology, Behavioral ecology, Life history evolution
» View Courtney Conway's faculty profile

Brian Dennis
Professor
Research interests: Statistical Ecology, Biometrics, Mathematical Modeling, Theoretical Ecology, Conservation Biology, Population Dynamics
» View Brian Dennis' profile

Janet Rachlow
Associate Professor
Research Areas: Wildlife Ecology and Management, Conservation of Fragmented Populations, Behavioral Ecology of Mammals, Ungulate Biology, Conservation Biology.
» View Janet Rachlow's Faculty Profile

Kerry Paul Reese
Professor; Department Head
Research Interests: Upland Game Bird Ecology & Management; Non-game Wildlife; Avian Habitat Relationships
» View Kerry Reese's profile

Kerri Vierling
University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Associate Professor
Research Focus: Avian Ecology, Fire Effects on Wildlife, Novel Applications of Remote Sensing Approaches in Wildlife Conservation, Cavity Nester Dynamics, K-12 Outreach Animal Ecology, Animal-Habitat Relationships.
» View Kerri's Vierling's faculty profile

Lisette Waits
Professor; Affiliate faculty member CATIE Costa Rica
Research interests: Conservation Genetics, Landscape Genetics, Molecular Ecology, Molecular Systematics
» View Lisette Waits' profile

Edward O. Garton
Emerius Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Statistics
Dynamics & Management of Bird & Mammal Populations, Modeling & Simulation of Population Processes, Population Estimation
» View Oz Garton's faculty profile

J. Michael Scott
Distinguished Professor; Emeritus Professor
Research Interests: Endangered Species Limiting Factors; Conservation Biology; Estimating Animal Numbers; Ornithology; Reserve Identification, Selection, and Design
» View Mike Scott's profile