Skip to main content
Agriculture, Horticulture, & the Outdoors - Careers

Agriculture, Horticulture, & the Outdoors

Agriculture, Horticulture, & the Outdoors | Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger

Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger

What Does a Professional in this Career Do?

Manages ranges or large tracts of land. Monitors the environmental impact of farming and grazing on the land and tracks plants needed to support grazing livestock. Develops resource management plans to protect wildlife habitats or to support outdoor recreation; works to prevent damage from wildfires and invasive species.Leads informational programs for park visitors about the history and environmental features of public parks, and promote awareness of protecting park land. Welcomes and provides assistance to park visitors, assists with educational programs, oversees park events and activities and patrols park land.

Job Outlook

There were 282 Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 8383 in the United States.

In combination with other careers in the Conservation Scientists / Park Ranger industry, which includes the Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:

Salary

Many new Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.

National

The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $44,649.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $42,478.

Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $31,388.

Education and Experience

Posted Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.

Education LevelPercentage
Associate's Degree4%
Bachelor's Degree40%
Master's Degree21%
Doctoral Degree2%
Other33%

Posted Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.

Years of ExperiencePercentage
0 to 2 years66%
3 to 5 years27%
6 to 8 years3%
9+ years4%

Skills

Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.

Baseline Skills

A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.

  • Physical Abilities (31%)
  • Communication Skills (26%)
  • Planning (23%)
  • Research (22%)
  • Writing (20%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

  • Natural Resources (24%)
  • Natural Resource Management (15%)
  • Environmental Education (7%)
  • Land Management (7%)
  • Water Conservation (7%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

  • Scheduling (17%)
  • Repair (15%)
  • Vaccination (13%)
  • Resource Management (11%)
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) (11%)

Distinguishing Skills

A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.

  • Soil Science (7%)
  • Wildlife Management (7%)
  • Archeology (7%)
  • Conservation Planning (7%)
  • Hydrology (6%)

Alternative Job Titles

Sometimes employers post jobs with Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:

  • Park Ranger
  • View
  • Natural Resource Specialist
  • Soil Conservationist
  • Park Ranger I

Similar Occupations

If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.

Common Employers

Here are the employers that have posted the most Conservation Scientist / Park Ranger jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.

United States

  • Natural Resources Conservation (349)
  • National Park Service (320)
  • Farm Service Agency (126)
  • state of florida (112)
  • SNC-Lavalin Group (88)

North Carolina

  • Acrt Services (20)
  • Dept Of Natural And Cultural Resources (16)
  • State North Carolina (10)
  • North Carolina Dept Of Natural And Cultural Resources (9)
  • Acrt Incorporated (8)

NC State Programs Relevant to this Career

If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!