Conservation Law Enforcement

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About the Program

As a Conservation Law Enforcement student at UMFK, you’ll benefit from faculty who have worked in the field and with hands-on learning as you prepare for your career! Opportunities to find your passion in three different concentrations help you learn the necessary skills you’ll need to be career-ready.

You have the option of pairing your degree with a minor or with one of our three concentrations.

Officer Jess Combs speaks with dispatch over her cruiser's CB radio

Conservation Law Enforcement

Dive deeper into UMFK’s Bachelor of Science in conservation law program.

Conservation Law Enforcement, AA

Earn a Associate of Arts degree in Conservation Law Enforcement.

Concentrations

Customize your conservation law degree to match your career goals with one of these concentrations.

Law Enforcement

Protect your community or your nation with a concentration in Law Enforcement.

Natural Resources

This concentration prepares you for careers as a Forest Ranger, Park Ranger, and more!

Wildlife Conservation

Do you want to work outside? Consider becoming a wildlife biologist!

Employers who have hired our graduates include:

  • Maine Warden Service
  • Maine Forest Rangers
  • National Park Service
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Maine Depart. of Conservation
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • Depart. of Homeland Security
  • Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Bureau of Parks and Lands
  • Maine State Police
  • Local Police Departments

Potential employers include:

  • Maine Warden Service
  • Maine Forest Rangers
  • National Park Service
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Maine Department of Conservation
  • Fish & Game
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Bureau of Parks and Lands
  • Maine State Police
  • Local Police Departments (various)

Graduates have careers as:

  • Game Warden
  • Forest Ranger
  • Conservation Law Officer
  • Marine Patrol
  • State Trooper
  • Sheriff Deputy
  • Police Officer
  • Border Patrol Agent
  • Customs and Border Officer
  • Forester and Forestry Technician

Career Outlook and Earning Potential

Bureau of Labor Statistics – Potential Occupations and Employment Outlook

Program Requirements

  • BIO 204: Zoology
  • FOR 260: Silvics (Forest Ecology) OR
    BIO 352: Ecology
  • CRJ 215: Principles of Investigations
  • CRJ 242: Wildlife Forensics
  • ENV 302: Wildlife Conservation & Management
  • FOR 100: Introduction to Forestry
  • FOR 109: Dendrology
  • FOR 131: Spreadsheets for Natural Resource Professionals
  • FOR 132: Forest Protection I
  • FOR 242: Map and LiDAR Interpretation
  • GEO 103: Introduction To Global Positioning Systems
  • PSA 315: Public Policy  OR
    HTY 350 U.S. Environmental History
  • PSA 221: Ethics and Community OR
    BUS 260: Business Ethics
  • PSA 312: Grant Writing
  • PSA 398: Conservation Law Enforcement Internship   OR
    FOR 350: Forest Management Practicum
  • SSC 327: Interpersonal Skills for Supervisors
  • POS 310 Energy Law & Policy

Required Support Courses

  • GIS 300: GIS Applications I
  • MAT 128: College Algebra
  • MAT 351: Statistics I

Violette Wilderness Camp

Among the facilities students have access to

3.5 million acres

North Maine Woods

U.S. Fish and Wildlife

An example of where our graduates work today

Next Steps

Tell us about yourself to learn more about the benefits of earning your degree at UMFK.

Environmental Studies

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About the Program

As an Environmental Studies student at UMFK, you’ll benefit from hands-on learning, supportive and knowledgeable faculty as you prepare for careers to address local, regional, and global environmental issues. Opportunities to participate in research with faculty or on your own abound in our Living Labs!

You have the option of pairing your degree with a minor or with a Self-Designed concentration.

Program Details

Dive deeper into UMFK’s Bachelor of Science in environmental science program.

Environmental Studies Minor

Examine current environmental issues and prepare to craft sustainable solutions.

Concentrations

Customize your environmental studies degree to match your career goals with the self-designed concentration.

Self-Designed

Design your program around individual interests in the natural or social science aspects of environmental studies.

Employers who have hired our graduates include:

  • Bureau of Land Management
  • Mt. Desert Island Bio Labs
  • Natural Heritage program
  • Department of Environmental Protection
  • Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
  • U.S. Forest Service
  • National Park Service

Potential employers include:

  • State agencies
  • Federal agencies
  • Public research labs
  • Universities or non-profit labs

Graduates have careers as:

  • Lab technicians
  • Forest rangers
  • GIS technicians
  • Fisheries technicians
  • Environmental Consultants

Career Outlook and Earning Potential

Bureau of Labor Statistics – Potential Occupations and Employment Outlook

Program Requirements

  • HUM 102: First Year Experience
  • BIO 121: General Biology II
  • BIO 202: Botany
  • BIO 204: Zoology
  • BIO 339: Research Methods & Techniques
  • BIO 352: Ecology
  • CHY 100: Chemistry I
  • CHY 101: Chemistry II
  • ENV 105: Wilderness Survival Concepts I
  • ENV 114: Reimagining Environmentalism
  • ENV 200: Principles of Environmental Science
  • ENV 341: Modern Humanity and the Environment
  • ENV 404: The Dynamics of Water and Air
  • BIO 498: Senior Project   OR
    ENV 300: Environmental Practicum   OR 
    Completion of Registered Maine Guides
  • Select one of the following four courses:
    ENG 318: American Nature Writing
    ENV 125: Wildlife Photography
    GEO 103: Introduction to Global Positioning Systems
    PSA 230: Wilderness First Aid

Required Support Courses

  • BIO 100: General Biology I
  • ECO 210: Environmental Economics
  • GIS 300: GIS Applications I
  • MAT 351: Statistics I

Violette Wilderness Camp

Among the facilities students have access to

99%

Students who complete a research project before graduating

Department of Environmental Quality/Protection

An example of where our graduates work today

Next Steps

Tell us about yourself to learn more about the benefits of earning your degree at UMFK.

Biology

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About the Program

As a biology student at UMFK, you’ll benefit from small classes, supportive faculty, and hands-on learning as you prepare for a rewarding career in the biological sciences. Opportunities include internships, research projects, and experiential field trips to places such as the Violette Camp in the Allagash Wilderness.

You have the option of pairing your degree with a minor in a field outside of biology or with one of our two biology concentrations.

Biology Program

In the Biology program  you will choose elective courses that reflect your individual interests and career paths.  You will participate in a Field Experience Program as part of  your coursework.

Biology Minor

The Biology minor provides an exploration within the biological field. Courses are offered for basic concepts as well as for application of the principles to a laboratory setting.

Concentrations

Customize your biology degree to match your career goals with one of these concentrations.

Biomedical Sciences

Prepare for a careers in healthcare, research, and the biotech industry or advanced studies in medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, veterinarian medicine, nursing, physical therapy, and more.

Ecology and Conservation Biology

Study the distribution and abundance of organisms, the interactions between organisms, and the interactions between organisms and the physical environment.

Employers who have hired our graduates in recent years include:

  • Jackson Lab
  • IDEXX
  • Mt Desert Isl. Bio Labs
  • Abbott Diagnostics
  • Natural Heritage program
  • Department of Environmental Quality/Protection
  • Forest Service
  • National Park Service
  • Bureau of Land Management

Potential employers include:

  • Biotech industry
  • State agencies
  • Federal agencies
  • Public research labs
  • Universities or non-profit laboratories

Graduates have careers as:

  • Lab technicians
  • Forest rangers
  • GIS technicians
  • Fisheries technicians
  • Biological technicians

Career outlook and earning potential

Bureau of Labor Statistics – Potential Occupations

26.101 Biology/Biological Sciences, General

Program Requirements

  • BIO 100: General Biology I
  • BIO 121: General Biology II
  • BIO 202: Botany
  • BIO 204: Zoology
  • BIO 320: Genetics
  • BIO 352: Ecology
  • BIO 353: General Microbiology
  • BIO 353L: General Microbiology Lab
  • BIO 366: Introduction to Genomics
  • BIO 339: Research Methods & Techniques
  • BIO 498: Senior Project

Required Support Courses

  • BIO 219: Career Path in the Sciences
  • CHY 100: Chemistry I
  • CHY 101: Chemistry II
  • CHY 310: Organic Chemistry I
  • CHY 311: Organic Chemistry II
  • GIS 300: GIS Applications I
  • HUM 102: First Year Experience
  • MAT 255: Calculus I
  • MAT 351: Statistics I
  • PHY 100: Physics I

Bio Park/Arboretum

Among the facilities students have access to

99%

Students who complete a research project before graduating

Jackson Lab

An example of where our graduates work today

Next Steps

Tell us about yourself to learn more about the benefits of earning your degree at UMFK.

Applied Forest Management

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About the Program

Accredited by the Society of American Foresters, UMFK’s Applied Forest Management program offers small classes, hands-on learning, and experienced faculty. You’ll explore topics such as tree planting and tending, species identification, forest ecology and habitat management, and more. The degree will also provide you a pathway to becoming a Maine Licensed Forester.

Bryce Coffin, UMFK class of 2021, talks with an employee while standing in the woods near a feller buncher

About the Forestry Program

Prepare for a career in forestry with UMFK’s Associate of Science applied forest management program.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certificate

Earn a GIS Certificate, available on-campus or online. GIS provides a wealth of career opportunities. GIS can be applied to any field of study.

Career Opportunities in Applied Forest Management

This is a great time to seek a career in forestry! The ratio of jobs to graduates is at an all-time high, and that ratio is only expected to increase. Changes in the forest industry have created many new, technologically advanced positions.

Graduates find work as:

  • Foresters
  • Forest technicians
  • Rangers for the Maine Forest Service
  • Forest operations
  • Rangers for federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management or the U.S.D.A. Forest Service
  • GIS specialists

Professional Certification

After you earn your degree and acquire four years of supervised work experience, you’ll be eligible to become a Maine Licensed Forester. Students also test for the S-212 Wildland Fire Chainsaws certification and a Maine Pesticide Applicator’s License.

Minors

Customize your degree to match your career goals with one of these minors.

Forestry Minor

You will gain general knowledge of Maine’s most important natural resource and an understanding of forest biology and management.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Minor

With a GIS background you will have a competitive advantage easily find starting positions with government agencies or private firms.

Potential employers include:

  • Consulting foresters
  • Land management companies
  • Forest industry
  • Forestry, conservation, and agriculture departments of the state and federal governments.
  • Logging contractors
  • Surveyors

Employers who have hired our graduates in recent years include:

  • American Forest Management
  • Irving Woodlands LLC
  • James W. Sewall Company
  • Landvest
  • Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
  • Maine Forest Service
  • Maine Land Use Regulation Commission
  • Seven Islands Land Company
  • U.S. Forest Service
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Wagner Forest Management, Ltd.

Foresters

Foresters are responsible for the conservation of working forests. This means monitoring the health and directing the growth of forest stands where timber is harvested while following laws, best management practices, and scientific research to build and conserve habitats for fish and wildlife. Foresters understand history and write the future. Daily tasks vary according to the size and goals of the landowner or agency. A forester may provide comprehensive services to many small landowners or specialize in a particular aspect of forestry within a larger company or agency.

Two options for baccalaureate degrees are available to AFM students who wish to earn a four-year degree at UMFK that builds on the Forestry curriculum. The Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree is designed for students who wish to own a business, while the Conservation Law Enforcement with Natural Resources concentration is designed for students who wish to enter public service. Either of these degrees can be finished in four years.

While some companies have placed our graduates directly into forester positions, several local companies prefer to have employees with baccalaureate degrees. Those employers worked with UMFK to develop a baccalaureate degree in business with a concentration in forestry. Both degrees, Associate of Science Applied Forest Management and Bachelor of Science Business Management Major, can be completed in four years.

Forest Technicians

Technicians carry out the day-to-day tasks of forestry. They provide skills in areas such as forest inventory, boundary surveying, timber marking, timber harvesting and road layout, and the supervision of harvesting, thinning, and planting crews. One outstanding option for an industry position is UMFK’s Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Government employers may prefer UMFK’s Bachelor of Science in Conservation Law Enforcement with Natural Resources concentration or Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies.

In Maine, forest technicians and foresters compete for entry-level positions. Forest technicians generally have stronger field skills. However, individuals seeking advancement, whether in industry or government, should consider a baccalaureate degree. One outstanding option for an industry position is UMFK’s Bachelor of Science in business management. This degree is recommended by local industry representatives. Government employers may prefer UMFK’s Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies.

Forest Rangers

Forest rangers are in the business of forest protection.  Their job involves the detection, prevention, and suppression of forest fires and the monitoring of potentially damaging native and invasive insect populations.  Additionally, the job involves a great deal of public education. In some states, forest rangers are involved in prescribed burning. This is a forest management tool used in forest regeneration, to reduce fuels and fire potential, and to enhance wildlife habitat.

In Maine, forest rangers have the added duty of enforcing forestry and environmental law. A Maine forest ranger’s work includes preparing and updating fire action plans, training firefighters, and supervising suppression operations. They patrol assigned regions and conduct equipment inspections. They also report and prosecute violations, investigate suspicious fires and suspected criminal activities, and conduct public information and education programs. Their enforcement duties also involve preparing records and reports that are used by the Maine Attorney General.

Students wishing to pursue careers in administration or who wish to seek advancement within government agencies must consider a baccalaureate degree. UMFK offers such an opportunity through its Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies, Bachelor of Science Degree in Rural Public Safety Administration, and its Bachelor of Conservation Law Enforcement with a Natural Resources concentration.

Forest Operations

Forest operators include equipment operators and crew supervisors. A recent trend has emerged where the forest industry is seeking forestry-educated individuals to run wood processors and other equipment. Several recent graduates are working in such positions. Others have become contractors and are running their own harvesting and operations companies. The UMFK business management major, coupled with a forestry degree, is a useful combination for individuals seeking careers in the business side of forestry. Both degrees can be completed in four years.

GIS/GPS Technicians

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) field continues to provide many career opportunities for our students and graduates. There have been an increased number of paid internships in GIS and global positioning (GPS) for our students. Graduates in forestry have enough background in GPS and GIS to qualify as technicians for the growing GIS Industry. GIS technicians perform digitizing (mapping), GPS data collection, and basic GIS tasks. State government and private corporations currently have openings for mapping or cartographic technicians.

Students seeking employment as a GIS specialist may further their studies with the GIS Minor if they are Bachelor’s students, or GIS Certificate if they are Associate’s students, the GIS concentration under the Computer Systems Administration Major, or one in the Environmental Studies Program. GIS specialists have more extensive training in database management, programming, and geospatial analysis and are currently sought after by the industry. Both educational options at UMFK provide graduates with the skills to compete in this growing field. UMFK is a member of the Maine GIS Education Consortium, a group of University of Maine System Schools actively promoting GIS undergraduate education and post-graduate educational opportunities.

Program Requirements

  • FOR 100: Introduction to Forestry
  • FOR 131: Spreadsheets for Natural Resource Professionals
  • FOR 109: Dendrology
  • FOR 132: Forest Protection I
  • FOR 242: Map and LiDAR Interpretation
  • FOR 208: Forest Products, Harvesting, and Transportation
  • FOR 290: Forest Mensuration
  • GEO 103: Introduction To Global Positioning Systems
  • FOR 203: Surveying for Foresters
  • FOR 226: Forest Operations
  • FOR 332: Forest Inventory and Analysis
  • BUS 211: Introduction of Business
  • FOR 260: Silvics (Forest Ecology)
  • FOR 360: Silviculture
  • GIS 300: GIS Applications I
  • ENV 302: Wildlife Conservation & Management
    OR
    ENV 334: Wildlife Science
    OR
    ENV 354: Wildlife Habitat Interactions
  • SSC 327: Interpersonal Skills for Supervisors
  • FOR 330: Forest Protection II
  • FOR 350: Forest Management Practicum
  • FOR 361: Silvics/Silviculture Lab

Quality

Accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF)

71

Credits needed to complete your degree

US Forest Service

One of our many internship opportunities

Next Steps

Tell us about yourself to learn more about the benefits of earning your degree at UMFK.