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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Thorsby High School senior students traveled to the Alabama Wildlife Center in Millbrook for a field trip to participate in the Natural Resources Career Expo. The event featured an array of professionals in the field of natural resources that gave students an opportunity to learn about different career paths available to them in the field.

The event is designed to be interactive for the students with hands-on activities to allow them the full experience of the tasks the professionals do each day. Professionals in the field of natural resources that the students worked with during the day included wildlife management, forestry, environmental science and conservation. Students were able to ask questions to the professionals, and they shared insights into their career journeys, skills required for success in their field and the vital role natural resources play in the future of sustaining ecosystems and communities.

“For many students, the expo broadened their horizons (and) introduced them to careers they might not have considered before,” Chilton County Schools career coach Wendy Fortner said. “Events like this highlight the importance of connecting classroom learning to practical experiences, inspiring the next generation to pursue rewarding careers that make a difference in the world. These activities not only provided practical knowledge, but also emphasized the importance of teamwork and critical thinking in natural resource careers.”

The hands-on activities included the students exploring a local stream to search for, and examine, different aquatic insects. The activity allowed students to identify the species and observe their presence, or absence, and experience how scientists use this type of data to evaluate water quality and ecosystem health. Another activity at the expo students participated in showed how deer antler measurements provide data about a deer’s age, health and overall condition that is valuable to biologists. The data assists them to look at the health of deer populations and make decisions about wildlife management and conservation.

These types of activities offered students insights into the important role wildlife biologists play in maintaining ecological balance, and they left the expo with new knowledge about the exciting doors that could be open in the field of natural resources.