Monica Piña
Year Graduated: 
2018
Rangeland Management Specialist
USFS

Job description

I help authorize grazing on Forest Service Lands, monitor rangeland, take part in environmental analysis occurring on my Forest, work with our permitted ranchers, and support fire suppression and repair efforts. In my picture you see me on a break from doing an oak regeneration study in a grazed area. I am admiring blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) and my co-worker thought it was a great visual of the work we were doing!

Why did you choose this program?

I feel like the Range Program chose me! Really! But I was attracted to Range with the emphasis in Soils Science because of the opportunities to get into the field, get my hands dirty, and see where my samples are coming from. I came to the program from Biology and welcomed the ability to leave the lab for a few hours in the forest. It seemed like the best combination of both worlds! I was also interested in Range and Soils because of the high probability to get a career position with only BS.

How did this program prepare you for your job?

Dr. Marshall and the staff who teach Range and Soils are so very experienced in the real world outside of academia which made every class a peek into what it would be like working for a private contractor, Forest Service, or the Natural Resource Conservation Service. The experience I received in this program prepared me not only with the content knowledge but also with the right attitude. There is a surprising amount of intersocial skills that are needed with this type of work and I feel like that was something I was prepared for by my professors.

What did you enjoy most about the program?

The fieldwork! Some of my biggest "aha!" moments and best memories come from being out in the woods with my professors and classmates. The program is small enough that there is a family feel and that means so much when you're hiking up a steep trail with gear or digging a soil pit in the pouring rain. Those experiences prepared me for the type of fieldwork I get to do now.

What would you say to prospective students who are thinking about applying to this program?

If you are interested in Range or Wildland Soils, give it chance and take a class! Whether you take the introduction courses or you can take the higher level course I think it will hook you in. This major can open the door for you to enter the world of natural resources.

Hector Alvarez, 2017 »
Rangeland Management Specialist
USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service

Kristy DeYoung, 2018 »
Forester
USDA Forest Service

Carter Krewson, 2016 »
Forestry Technician
Small Forestry Consulting firm in Humboldt County, CA.

Dillon Sheedy, 2017 »
Fire, Fuels, and Forestry program director
Watershed Research and Training Center (WRTC)

Connor Goldstein, 2014 »
Contract Logging and Roads Administrator
Green Diamond Resource Company


View all Profiles »