Testing the waters: Conservation students learn by doing

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UW graduate students dip their toes into ecology management as part of Nelson Institute's professional program course.

For environmental studies students, nature can be the best classroom. In late July, graduates students enrolled in Conservation of Biodiversity spent a day at Sixmile Creek in Waunakee, Wisconsin learning about stream ecological monitoring techniques. Their time in the field was a kind of "boot camp" for water quality sampling and tracking, which is just one of many aspects of conservation discussed in the class.

The graduate-level course is part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's environmental conservation professional program that prepares students to address environmental challenges through practical conservation training. Many of the graduate students go on to become volunteers with the Rock River Coalition, who leads monitoring efforts at Sixmile Creek.