Soil Conservation Technician

The Soil Conservation Technician certificate provides students with the concepts, methods, and applications of field work in soil conservation. Emphasis is on techniques in data collection by following industry protocols for proper collection of reliable data, and quality assurance procedures. The students will be prepared to collect soil samples, record keeping, by using web maps and web field applications. In addition to performing field work, the technicians will complete tasks such as compilation and review of collected data, database management, and data analysis, in collaboration with or in support of certified professionals.

More specifically, the technician surveys, plots, lays out, and stakes selected sites and assists landowners in selecting, installing, and maintaining a variety of measures that conserve and improve the soil, plant, water, marsh, wildlife and recreational resources of a land area. Examples of single conservation measures that may be employed on a land site include contour cultivation, grass waterways, terracing, tree planting, field windbreaks, irrigation ditches, grass and legume seeding, and farm drains.

Students who complete this program may get entry-level jobs as field technicians and assist soil conservationists in the implementation of resource management system plans, by surveying, staking, information gathering, and overall preparation for related field activities in soil conservation. Students who complete this program should be able to:

1. Develop the skills and knowledge to assist the soil scientists in surveying, stacking, information gathering, sampling, and other field operations that are needed to for conservation planning.
2. Acquire the knowledge and skills for field work in soil conservation to support soil scientists in planning to conserve and reclaim soil, preserve and restore wetlands and ecological areas, rotate crops for increased yields and soil conservation.
3. Comprehend and apply fundamental concepts and practices of field data collection, data storage, and manipulation by using Web GIS technologies.
4. Document data collection activities and assess data for accuracy and completeness.
5. Effectively communicate, and present field work results in oral, written, and graphic forms

Required courses