Hello, I have my first in person interview since finishing my masters in August, it is a seasonal ranger job and I'm unsure of what to wear, do I wear my walking trousers and boots or go for something a little more formal? I have not done a formal interview in a long time.

They will interview and show me around the centre and wildlife hides etc on the day taking place between 9-5.

I did my undergraduate in astronomy/geology because I was so sure I wanted to be an academic and I love space. and I love certain aspects of research and especially outreach. But after 3 years of failing the PhD application tournament and a miserable post-bacc job, I don’t think it’s right for me.

I am looking at enviro science masters programs. I know I want to do some good in the world but I have no rose colored glasses; I know how dire and thankless it all is. I just don’t know what else I should do with my life, nothing in capitalism appeals to me and I know a 9-5 desk job would destroy my sanity. And then with Trump and all… I dunno, is it even worth trying to find a masters program? Or should I just find a random day job that pays the bills and volunteer in my free time?

Why is it that people say “but the economy” when issues like Covid lockdowns or banning certain harmful industries comes up but not when say environmental destruction that would massively harm the GDP?

During Covid people said “but the economy would be hurt” as to why they should open up schools and business. But no one had said “but the effects of climate change would take a massive chunk out of GDP” as to why coal plants should be cut down.

Hello fellow ecologists, may I ask for your thoughts? I’ve been in this industry for 6 years and I have my masters. I work in consulting because that’s where the jobs are. I don’t hate my job but when your boss is the client and their objective is usually to alter or completely remove habitat, your job becomes making sure that they do the bare minimum without breaking any laws. This isn’t why I went into this field.

I’ve tried for years to get jobs in conservation or government and haven’t had much success. Regardless, I’m jaded. Also, I do not want to go into academia. I’m thinking about starting over completely and doing a degree in nursing. Obviously I’ve invested a lot into what I do and it’s supporting my family. But I just regret the path I’ve taken. On the other hand starting over is risky.

Can anyone relate?

Edit: I’m in Canada, if that matters.

TL;DR: 26F designer/anthropologist in London looking to pivot into a conservation career - my childhood passion. With no formal education or experience im the field and needing to stay in my current job for the next 2 years, I’m looking for advice on how to make this transition possible.

Hello all,

I’m 26F living in London, UK. Professionally I am a graphic/UX designer and have been doing that since I was 18. I also have a BSc and MSc in Anthropology.

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of self reflection, going to therapy, and I’ve realised how much I’ve drifted away from my true passions. I was born and raised in Almaty, Kazakhstan until I moved to the UK for university. Growing up, I was obsessed with nature and dreamt about becoming a zoologist, entomologist or a marine biologist. But I ended up taking a different path, I guess because I was constantly being told its not realistic and doesn’t fit the conventional idea of success.

Now I feel a really strong pull to pursue conservation or something else nature-related. But I have no formal education or work experience in this field.

I’m feeling quite lost about how to make this transition happen, I know very little about this world but would like to learn and explore. Also due to some circumstances, I can’t leave my current job for another 2 years so I’d like to use this time to position myself as well as possible for the pivot..

I’d like to think that I’m “only” 26 and that its not too late to take a turn and follow my passion.

Any guidance on educational pathways, volunteer opportunities, or any advice, resources or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated 🙏

Do I need a Bachelors or a Masters degree to work in this space ? How valuable are online certifications ? What type of entry level positions are out there ? What are some volunteering opportunities I could pursue on top of my full time job ? Would my background in design or anthropology be useful ?

Thank you all in advance.

I've started to get more time at work to listen to music or podcasts and am thinking of trying to learn more while working. Right now I'm listening to the science of birds, which is good because I'm particularly interested in birds as well as reptiles. However I find its largely focused on American birds while I'm living in Australia and would rather learn about them

Hello r/ecology**!**

I’m reaching out for help in gathering information and support for an initiative at the University of Iowa, where I’m currently a non-traditional undergraduate environmental scientist. I’m working to improve the campus’s outdoor spaces by introducing more native plants and creating sustainable, biodiverse landscapes that will benefit both the environment and the well-being of the campus community.

About Me:
I’m a non-traditional environmental scientist/ecosystem ecologist at the University of Iowa. After an eight-year career as a special education teacher, I returned to school to focus on environmental science. I’m passionate about the outdoors and sustainable solutions. My husband and I are excited to live in Iowa City, a place with a strong sense of community, and I’m working to make our university a better steward of the land it occupies.

The Current Situation:
At the University of Iowa, much of the campus landscaping consists of non-native, highly manicured species and Kentucky Bluegrass. We do have one small native prairie area on campus, but it’s off-site, and access is difficult for many students. Most of the outdoor seating areas on campus are made of concrete, low in biodiversity, and regularly sprayed with chemicals, reducing their accessibility and health benefits.

The Problem and Opportunity:
Research shows that native plants, diverse ecosystems, and access to natural spaces are beneficial for mental health, sustainability, and community well-being. The university has the potential to lead by example in creating spaces that reflect these values—but currently, that vision is not being fully realized. There’s a committee at the university working on improving outdoor spaces, and they recently sent out a survey to gather input from students. Unfortunately, the response rate was low, and without strong student and community support, the proposed changes may be minimal.

How You Can Help:
I’m reaching out to anyone on this sub who has experience working with or studying native landscapes at universities. Specifically, I’d love to hear from those who have successfully implemented native plantings or biodiversity-focused outdoor spaces at other schools. If you have case studies, resources, or successful examples from your own work or university, please share! Your experience and knowledge would be incredibly valuable as we try to push for larger, more impactful changes at the University of Iowa.

Additional Support Needed:

• Help with research to support the argument for native plantings, mental health benefits, and sustainability
• Case studies or examples of successful native landscaping projects at other universities
• Ideas for organizing support—we’re hoping to create a petition and generate momentum for this initiative

The more research and examples we can present, the more likely we are to succeed in advocating for these changes. If you’ve worked on similar projects or know of successful examples in other places, your contributions could really help strengthen this movement.

Thank you in advance for any support or resources you can provide!

Guessing my question is ridiculous and you’re free to laugh or mock, but please also explain the science…

Having read a study conducted on the reciprocal microbes found on a baker’s hands and his/her respective sourdough starter, I began to wonder how intentionality could influence the benefits of the bread.

In the same vein as eating local bee honey is said to help with local allergies…. could consuming microbes (if it would be safe to do so) from a stray cat help me overcome my allergies to him?

With winter approaching and temperatures dropping, he’s showing more interest in coming inside but I can scarcely look at him without the violent sneezing commencing.

Let the roasting begin but also, the education too please. ☺️

I conducted an experiment in an attempt to breed the lace web spider, among other species, in an envirojektn that replicated an ecosystem. I used potting soil, rotting wood, mushrooms, and wild soil as a base. I planted some plants but they all died for some reason. I also added isopods, Woodhouse spiders, about 10 lace weavers l, and a cobweb spider which I never saw again. The Woodl9use spiders didn't breed and died out, and despite the huge amount of lace weavers none bred and they all died one by one [either to each other or of natural causes). They weren't hunting the hundreds of isopods or beetles for some reason. I also added a cricket population but the amount of insects dying in huge amounts caused a massive invasion of predatory mites, there were swarms of red all over the walls and they were sweeping the soil in super packs, looking for any insect. I actually saw a few hundred work together to kill a cricket. Eventually, all my crickets died, and the isopods bred so much they were getting all over the house dye to trying to escape so I released them.

TL:DR How do I stop my ecosystem vivarium from all the plants dying on the 1st-7th day, and how do I stop massive mite invasions? Should I seed the soil beforehand? Should I introduce rove beetles or mite killing worms as I put the soil in? Should I add more predators or less predators, and how many predators should I have per prey animal?

I have an associates in watershed ecology that will transfer decently to most rangeland programs.

Once upon a time, I had a pathways internship for range sciences. I dropped out of it because of the guy I was dating at the time (I know, I know).

My grades are ok. My gpa is 3.2, and I've never found a scholarship I'm so much as eligible for. I'm also 31. I'm pretty burnt out on school, but I have no career and don't know what to do.

Hi all,

I'm just hoping anybody knows of any masters programs/labs that deal with at least two of the following: evolutionary biology, genetics, disease ecology.

also interested in physiological ecology, animal behavior, and endocrinology, but I really want to do my PhD in something related to disease ecology or genetics and am trying really hard to get some experience in those since I just have a basic B.Sc. in ecology. If not two of the subjects, at least disease ecology.

I've been reaching out to professors for good programs only to get several emails back that their graduate programs are for PhD students only.

If anybody knows of any masters programs/labs in these areas please help, I am so scared I am running out of time and won't be able to find a place to go next fall : (

also, my favorite study subject is birds : )

Hello! I’m a biology student on my second-to-last year. I’ve always dreamed of being a veterinarian but recently decided to switch to ecology or wildlife biology. I know I want to 100% work with animals, so I though ecology because I took the class (and the lab) and really liked it. I’m also pretty good at analyzing statistics. The thing is, I don’t have much information about the types of jobs nor the pay. I live in Puerto Rico, so everyone thinks if you go with the “earth science’s” you won’t be payed well. I was thinking of doing a masters or a phd but, i’m so confused on what to do. Could someone help me?

I've been struggling quite a bit to land a job in the wildlife ecology field. I have a MS in Ecology, and I've worked really hard to get to this point so I'm just feeling a little defeated. I wanted to ask those in the wildlife field, how did you get to where you are and how long did it take you? What were some setbacks you faced? Sometimes it helps to hear others' stories!

I recently heard from an environmental activist that moving your money to a bank that doesn’t invest in fossil fuel would have more impact than all the recycling you can diligently do in your lifetime. Which makes a lot of sense so I started looking for such banks in the US and the options aren’t clear. Perhaps some small banks could claim that benefit but often they’ve been acquired by the big culprits so it defeats the purpose. Wondering about online only banks too.. Any nature loving insights into the banking industry? Thank you!

Just read this in Keddy’s Plant Ecology (2017). I thought this is quite important since I knew a few people that studied ecology with me in college just to get disappointed because it wasn’t quite what they expected.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the beauty of nature and all the great interactions within it, but ecology is a much more rigorous, data-driven science than that. Plus there’s a lot of unexpected coding 😭

Hello all! I currently live in the US, usually when looking for jobs I check the Texas A&M job board, and it seems to be a great resource. Is there a similar resource in Canada that isn’t affiliated with government?

I wanted to register straight away and give them my money but some thought in my head told me to ask if they are legit.

Because there are many scams on You Tube so I just wanted to hear other peoples opinions.

I am not gonna register on a simular conservation group likr Mossy Earth just yet.Because I wana see for myself if Planet Earth is legit first.

So I've recently decided I want to attend grad school. I'm in my last semester for a B.S. in Biology now, (I realize that I'm very late to the party but this is just how things worked out) and I'd like to get a M.S. in Wildlife Bio or Ecology or something like that, to eventually work in long term research.

I've been reading from previous posts that a good way to do this is to try to find Research Assistantships, and that a common way of finding these is looking for professors at various institutions that are doing interesting research and to cold email them.

My question is: how do I word my emails? Should I be very short with it like "Hey your research interested me, any chance you need an assistant?" Or do I need to go about it a different way? I'm just not sure where to start with it and I'd appreciate any advice or even some examples of emails some of y'all have sent in the past. Also any just general grad school advice is appreciated.

TLDR: Need help deciding how to word cold emails to professors about availability of M.S. assistantships in their lab.

Looking into grad school off and on for a while now. My work experience is in restoration, plant community ecology, and noxious weeds. Am interested in studying plant community ecology or maybe weed science. Would not mind being out of the country for 2, 4, or 6 years, but I'm wondering how getting a grad degree from a non-USA university would impact my long-term job prospects when I graduate versus somewhere in-state.

I have a decent job without a masters right now and plan to keep working there for a couple of years-I'd want to start in 2026, after I build up more work experience & have a better picture of what I want from a graduate program and what I'll do with my degree. I have this fantasy of moving abroad now for obvious reasons but I would like to live and work in the USA long-term.

Recently learned about the Lake Peigneur Disaster, about how oil drillers in the middle of a lake in Louisiana accidentally drilled a hole into a salt mine, draining of the lake and the lake filling back up again with salt water via a canal to the ocean.

Since learning about all of that, I've been curious how this event affected the ecosystem there, but when I try to look up more information all I see are people talking about the disaster and very little about how the local ecosystem was affected. I've heard that the flora and fauna in and around the lake have changed drastically (duh) and the awakening of millions of years old microbs emerging from the salt mine, but that's about it.

I just want to learn about the ecology in and around the lake after the disaster, like what sorts of fish are living in the lake? Invertebrates? Algae? Plants? What about the microbs living there? Etc, etc.

I eagerly await your answers. Also, if you can, please post links to where I can learn more. Thank you.

we are in for a huge fight these next 4 years. i am terrified but we are the only ones who can keep each other motivated and encouraged to keep fighting for what we love. LOVE TO ALL OF YOU❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹💔

Question

I'm fairly new to the field and learn a lot of information from you all in this subreddit, so I figured I'd ask here! I was trying to find articles about the ecocide occurring in the Middle East (Palestine, specifically) and have not seen any literature on it. Am I looking in the wrong places? I've checked the Journal of Animal Ecology and Google Scholar. I found a few news articles, but nothing that could be found in a journal or written by ecologists.

Another question--please recommend where you keep up to date on ecology articles so that I can also read them. Thank you!