Mystery Career #16: Who Am I? Can You Guess My Job?

Through my studies and recommendations, I try to minimize the impact of urban expansion on all inhabitants and the environment. I believe it is possible for all living things to interact and coexist in mutually beneficial arrangements. Can you guess what I do for a living?

I am concerned with the use and conservation of natural resources, especially water, in highly populated regions but I am not a conservationist. Can you guess my profession?

My job involves recommending green building projects within towns and cities but I am not a city planner or green building certified contractor.

I assist cities and towns in creating natural spaces within their boundaries that accommodate displaced flora and fauna and provide recreational areas for citizens to enjoy. I am not a landscaper or an architect, but I often consult with those who are. Have you guessed my profession yet?

I monitor the use of chemicals within high population areas and study the impact of these chemicals on the humans, animals and plants that come in contact with them, but I am not a toxicologist.

If a river flows through a city, I study the wildlife that lives in it and on its banks. I monitor changes in the river habitat caused by increased human presence encroaching upon it but I am not a biologist.

When I am not carrying out studies or proposing green living ideas, I lecture at local schools on ecology. I teach children that everything they do has an impact on everyone and everything else in their environment!

You still can't guess what my job title is?

If you guessed that I am an urban ecologist, you are absolutely right! Ecology is the study of interactions between the environment and all of its living inhabitants. Urban ecologists study these interactions in suburbs, cities and towns. We work for government agencies, private sector consulting firms, and specialized agencies like the Audubon Society.

I have a bachelor's degree in ecology and a master's in landscape architecture and urban ecology. Additionally, I am certified by the Ecological Society of America. My colleagues who teach urban ecology and/or conduct research on the subject have Doctorate degrees, as well.

Median salaries for ecologists in 2006 were around $53,000 a year. I work in the private sector for a consulting firm, where the salaries are even higher if one is experienced in the field.

Demand for this new exciting field is expected to increase rapidly as the human population on the planet grows ever larger, and our natural resources and wildlife become more threatened.

To read the last installment of Mystery Career, click here.

Sources:

1. "Ecologist Job Description," careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/7846/Ecologist.html.

2. "Ecologist Jobs including Conservation Biologists and Research Scientists," jobmonkey.com/animaljobs/ecologist.html.

3. "Urban Ecologist: Job Description and Information," education-portal.com/articles/Urban_Ecologist_Job_Description.