Career Day at Gentry Middle School,one of three visited schools. Service participants included Lee Erickson, Tammy Knecht. - FWS photo by Michelle Baumstark

Columbia FRO staff members Jeff Finley, Lee Erickson, Tammy Knecht, Derek Eisenbrei, and volunteer Chris Clemens provided insightful information regarding career fields within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the 7^th graders of three middle schools in Columbia, Missouri.

Approximately 150 students attended each of the presentations at Ann Hawkins Gentry,  John B. Lange, and Smithton middle schools. The presentations were designed to inform students about different career pathways within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

We discussed the different offices within the Service, how to build experience, the type of education needed, salary ranges, and the importance of volunteering.

Staff noted that it was exciting to see students at the 7^th grade level already starting to think about possible careers within the realm of fisheries and wildlife.

Outreach events such as these are the building blocks to ensure the future of natural resource conservation by connecting people with nature. These events are in keeping with the aquatic education objectives of the ‘Public Use’ goal outlined in the ‘Fisheries Program Vision for the Future’.  

Lee Erickson