Soil Conservationist

Career Overview

A soil conservationist works with property owners to determine how to use land without damaging it. They may help communities overcome problems after fires or erosion-related issues as well as work with farmers to improve their land.

Education

A four-year bachelor's degree in environmental science, forestry, or a related field is required to obtain this position. A graduate degree (master's or doctorate) in a similar field, which may take an additional two-five years to earn, may be required to work in research.

Future Outlook

Employment of conservation scientists and foresters is projected to grow 5 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. Most employment growth is expected to be in state and local government-owned forest lands, particularly in the western United States.

Work Environment

Conservation scientists and foresters work for governments (federal, state, and local), on privately owned lands, or in social advocacy organizations.

Recommended High School Courses

Chemistry
Biology
Environmental science
Economics
Mathematics

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Number Facility - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Develop plans to manage natural or renewable resources.
Advise others about land management or conservation.
Inspect condition of natural environments.
Monitor operational procedures in technical environments to ensure conformance to standards.
Direct natural resources management or conservation programs.
Develop collaborative relationships between departments or with external organizations.
Plan natural resources conservation or restoration programs.
Apply knowledge or research findings to address environmental problems.
Collect geographical or geological field data.
Mediate disputes.
Communicate with the public on environmental issues.
Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures.
Research sustainable agricultural processes or practices.
Assess compliance with environmental laws.
Survey land or properties.
Review plans or proposals for environmental conservation.
Plan environmental research.
Record research or operational data.
Analyze environmental data.
Compile environmental or climatological data.
Advise others on the development or use of new technologies.
Evaluate new technologies or methods.
Research impacts of environmental conservation initiatives.
Review environmental permits, plans, or reports.

Schools

Allegheny College

Alvernia University

American University

Amherst College

Antioch College

Appalachian State Univers...

Arkansas Tech University

Assumption College

Auburn University

Austin College

Ave Maria University

Ball State University

Barnard College

Bates College

Baylor University

Belmont University

Beloit College

Bemidji State University

Bethel University

Bowdoin College

Bowling Green State Unive...

Bradley University

Brandeis University

Gettysburg College

Goucher College

Gustavus Adolphus College

Hamilton College

Hampshire College

Haverford College

Hollins University

Ithaca College

Lafayette College

Lawrence University

New College Of Florida

New York University

Norwich University

Oberlin College

Occidental College

Pennsylvania State Univer...

Pfeiffer University

Point Park University

Prescott College

Queens University- Charlo...

Randolph College

Randolph-macon College

Rensselaer Polytechnic In...

Rhodes College

Rollins College

Saint Joseph's College -...

Saint Mary-of-the-woods C...

Saint Michael's College

Skidmore College

Soka University Of Americ...

Spelman College

St. Bonaventure Universit...

Suny At Purchase

Suny College Of Environme...

Susquehanna University

Sweet Briar College

Texas A & M University- C...

Trinity College- Hartford...

Union College- New York

University Of Arkansas- F...

University Of Connecticut

University Of Idaho

University Of Kentucky

University Of Maryland -...

University Of Minnesota-...

University Of Redlands

University Of The Science...

Wake Forest University

Washington And Lee Univer...

Wells College

Whittier College

Williams College

Wofford College

Bishop's University

Brandon University

King's University

Lakeland College- Verm...

Nipissing University

Redeemer University Co...

Royal Roads University

University Of Northern...

University Of Prince E...

University Of Toronto-...

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship

Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Approx Salary Expectation

Currency:

Low End:

$39,270.00 /yr

Avg/Med:

$62,660.00 /yr

High End:

$98,060.00 /yr

Related Careers

Agricultural Engineer

Soil Scientist

Plant Scientist

Environmental Engineer

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.