Conservation Technology

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Conservation Technology

Conservation Technology – or simply the application of technology to environmental management challenges is a new and emerging field, one that will be critical to a sustainable future. These technologies include things like wildlife camera traps, satellite remote sensing, geographic information systems, eDNA, artificial intelligence, internet of things, mobile apps, and many more! Conservation technology is already playing a crucial role in the conservation and environmental management worlds, but to date, there are no undergraduate programs that comprehensively train students to be conservation technologists. YOU will be the first students to take this journey!

Degree Program

The Major in Conservation Technology, B.S. will help students understand what conservation technology is, how it can be used to address big environmental issues, and how it translates into professional employment. Students will be able to gain hands-on experience using different conservation technologies in the field and laboratory and will develop in-demand skills.

High School/College Early

Introduction to Conservation Technology will introduce students to cutting edge technologies in the conservation & environmental science fields.

Contact Dr. Butterfield for more information.

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Meet the Professor: Scott Butterfield

Clark Professor of Conservation Technology

Harry Scott Butterfield, Clark Professor of Conservation Technology, is an ecologist specializing in rangeland management, conservation technology, and endangered species management. Dr. Butterfield has more than 20 years of experience in the conservation field. Dr. Butterfield works for The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, where he is the Lead Scientist for the Strategic Restoration Strategy in the San Joaquin Valley, Science Lead for the Rangeland Management Team at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, TNC’s Lead for participation as a Managing Partner at the Carrizo Plain National Monument, Lead Scientist for the Protection Strategy, and the co-Lead for the development and application of RDMapper, TNC-CA’s remote sensing-based monitoring tool. Dr. Butterfield has published more than 40 peer reviewed publications and reports and recently led editing of a book for Island Press, Rewilding Agricultural Landscapes: A California Study in Rebalancing the Needs of People and Nature. Dr. Butterfield’s interests include tennis, hiking, food, and travel.

What can I do with this major?

One of the most exciting parts of this new program at PUC is the fact that training in these technologies is broadly applicable across the job market, making PUC graduates in this discipline highly competitive for jobs immediately out of their 4-year degree program. The vision of this program is to create PUC graduates that are equipped with the skills they need to help the PUC campus, Angwin, the Napa Valley, California, and the rest of the world address these big environmental challenges and enhance our ability to live sustainably. 

Change the World

  • Learn what conservation technology is, how it can be used to address big environmental issues, and how it translates into professional employment.
  • Gain hands-on experience using different conservation technologies in the field and laboratory and develop in-demand skills.
  • Study how conservation technologies are being developed by the environmental and conservation world itself, and be on the cutting edge of technology development and application.
  • Understand and use conservation technology to address key PUC management and sustainability issues.
  • Students will learn about and apply these technologies within living laboratories and with experts in these technologies on campus – including the 1100-acre PUC forest – and within the many varied natural and man-made ecosystems that exist within the Napa Valley.
  • Students will also experience hands-on opportunities applying these technologies as part of internships with non-profit, for-profit, and government agencies.

Careers

  • Conservation Technologist
  • Environmental Scientist
  • Conservation Biologist/Scientist
  • Ecologist
  • Conservation Technician
  • Wildlife Biologist
  • Agriculture and Food Scientist
  • Natural Science Manager
  • Zoologist

Contact Us

Conservation Technology
121 Clark Hall
One Angwin Avenue
Angwin, CA 94508

(707) 965-6635

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Conservation and Technological Innovation: Dr. Scott Butterfield’s Lecture Series on the Future of Conservation Biology

Scott Butterfield, a senior scientist with The Nature Conservancy, conducted a series of four lectures throughout the quarter at Pacific Union College, sharing his passion for conservation with the college’s department of biology. His last lecture, titled, “Training the Conservation Scientist for the Next Generation,” included a distillation of new technologies and avenues of inquiry in the field of conservation. 

December 13, 2019

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