• DNR employees work at helping protect and maintain our natural resources.In the Forest image by Kemper Boyd from Fotolia.com
  
  Protecting and conserving while providing outdoor activities for people to enjoy the beauty of nature is the primary purpose of the Departments of Natural Resources (DNR). There are many opportunities for individuals to have a career within these departments, which oversee forests, parks, state-owned land as well as minerals and urban recreation. Each state has its own Department of Natural Resources. Although career opportunities may vary from state to state, there are many positions available throughout the nation.
  
  

State Worker

• This is a temporary position in which individuals are trained in unskilled tasks such as collecting trash from state land, landscaping duties in various parks and recreation areas, maintaining stock rooms, office duties, and assisting in lake and stream surveys. This position requires the individual to possess a high school diploma or GED. These individuals work under close supervision. In the Michigan DNR, these workers are limited to 89 days in a calender year unless directed otherwise.
  
  

Student Assistant

• Sometimes the department needs temporary help to assist in trade, technical, professional or administrative positions. Students working toward a degree related to a specific area sometimes fill these temporary positions. They are paid for their time as they receive experience within their field of study. There is no specific experience required for such positions and individual are trained within the area they work.
  
  

Conservation Officer

• Typically required to have at least a high school diploma, a conservation officer enforces the laws and regulations of the state including public safety, environmental, motor vehicle, drugs, and all other criminal and general laws. There are several levels a conservation officer may achieve through education and experience in the work force. The beginning phase is primarily educational in which officers learn the laws and regulations as well as basic job requirements. Officers then are able to move up the ranks from the trainee level to experienced level, advanced level and, finally, staff specialist. While each level has its own primary responsibilities, duties of a conservation officer may include ensuring hunters, fisherman and trappers follow regulations, enforcing laws about campgrounds and parks, educating the general population, conducting various safety training workshops and surveillance of natural resources.
  
  

Forest Fire Officer

• According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, there are four different levels for individuals categorized as forest fire officers. From entry level, intermediate level, experienced level and advanced level, forest fire officers work to prevent, detect and suppress forest fires. Daily tasks for individuals holding such a position may include but are not limited to directing efforts in the event of a fire, assessing damage caused by a fire, research projects, oversight of burning permits, educating the community and maintaining forest campgrounds. Applicants for this position must posses firefighter training or the equivalent in military training courses or have a minimum of two seasonal years of experience working for the DNR.
  
  

Park and Recreation Ranger

• Park and recreation rangers oversee safety and security and maintain state parks, recreation areas or boating areas. A typical day can range from responding to camper emergencies, providing information about the recreation areas or parks, landscaping, handling animals that may be interfering with recreation areas, registering and tracking campers, receiving fees and issuing permits. There are different levels within this position and with each level comes more responsibility. Individuals at the entry level typically need only a high school diploma. To advance through the levels, experience and continued education may be required.
  
  

Fisheries Technician / Biologist

• Fishery technicians typically need an associate degree with courses focusing on areas such as aquatic systems or field biology. These individuals work under the fishery biologists and assist in maintaining and and protecting the fish species within state parks and recreation areas for recreation purposes as well as for environmental purposes. Though there are different levels for this position a typical work day may include tabulating data and preparing reports about fishery numbers, collecting species data about health and growth, taking water samples and collecting and fertilizing eggs to assist through the incubation stages. Fishery biologist typically have to possess a bachelor's degree with concentration in fisheries biology or management, aquatic biology or zoology. These individuals focus more on analyzing data collected to develop management plans for the fisheries. They research problematic situations such as mortality and diagnosis, participate in land and field evaluations and give approvals or denials in development cases that may impact bodies of water and the fish within those bodies of water. The biologists oversee and direct the fishery technicians in their day-to-day activities.
  
  

Wildlife Technician / Biologist

• The wildlife technician and wildlife biologists perform tasks similar to the fisheries but deal with land and wildlife. A wildlife technician normally works within state forest, game or recreation areas and assists in protecting and maintaining the wildlife populations. Duties include obtaining biological data from the wildlife and maintaining the animals habitats. Wildlife biologists use the data collected by the technicians to develop management plans for populations and habitats. Typically this data includes studying the relationship of different animals, histories and needs in relation to their environment. New populations can be developed in different locations because of this information and solutions may be found to problems that arise because of conflicts of species.