McNeese Offers a Hands-On Major for Nature Lovers

Natural resource conservation management (NRCM) majors at McNeese State University are living out the dreams of nature lovers.  

The NRCM major is ideal for those passionate about all things nature, wildlife and conservation. A typical Monday for NRCM majors might include electrofishing, observing species at a refuge or conducting soil surveys.  

Students Konnor Roberts and Austin LaGrange are benefiting the most out of this hands-on major.  

Roberts, a junior from Alexandria, is an NRCM major with a communication studies minor. His major aligns with his goal of working in zoological and conservation organizations.  

“I grew up watching Jack Hanna, the Kratt brothers and Steve Irwin almost every morning,” he said. “My calling is to work with exotic animals and conservation programs.”  

Roberts wanted to be part of an educational program that would give him an understanding of the environment, natural resources and conservation, and the NRCM major is a perfect fit. 

“This program was built to shape future leaders of environmental stewardship, sustainability and conservation with its diverse courses ranging from air and water pollution to wildlife management techniques,” he explained. 

Students learn about sciences related to the environment and natural resources. They study plant and animal ecology, wetland delineations and wildlife techniques while getting their hands dirty in forests, parks, waterways and wetlands. 

NRCM students are prepared to have careers as wildlife biologists, fisheries biologists, forest rangers, private land managers, game wardens or soil scientists.  

Roberts has learned and gained experience both in and outside of his classes. 

“I have attended lab exercises, field trips and educational opportunities recommended by my professors. These are incredible experiences you will never get anywhere else.”  

LaGrange, a senior from Church Point, is an NRCM major because of his desire to preserve the world around him for future generations to enjoy. He chose McNeese after attending FFA livestock and soil competitions hosted at the McNeese farm.  

LaGrange has conducted soil surveys and trapped live mammals out in the field, but his favorite experience so far was birding.  

“Every week for 10 weeks, two classmates and I went to Pintail Drive Refuge and observed wading and waterfowl species. We took note of which species were most abundant and which were seasonal,” he said.  

Though students learn about field work in class, LaGrange explained that sometimes it takes hands-on experience out in the field to truly understand the material.  

LaGrange is a student worker at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and plans to work as a full-time biologist there. 

In the heart of sportsman’s paradise, there is certainly no shortage of nature and wildlife to study as an NRCM major at McNeese. Students also have opportunities to study environments elsewhere in the country and even abroad.  

“Just sitting outdoors and watching the bank of a bayou or birds migrating south for the winter has never been as intriguing as it is now that I’m able to apply class material to the outside world,” Roberts said. “In the zoological industry, I want to provide an educational experience that connects people to the conservation of the natural world we live in.”  

“Because of the NRCM program, I have a much greater appreciation for the world around us and the value of every living thing,” LaGrange said. 

For more information about the major, contact Cutter Tonn at ctonn@mcneese.edu.