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How Quail Forever and various other conservation organizations are pushing to expose college students to conservation careers

By Rachel Holt

In 2022, while chaperoning a field day for a wildlife habitat class at the University of West Georgia, Justin Smallwood had no idea that the guest speaker––Quail Forever’s Miranda Gulsby–– would one day become his employer.  

Gulsby, now Georgia State Coordinator, organized the event with partners like the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR), the Georgia Forestry Commission and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to give college students a firsthand look at wildlife management and why it’s vital to conservation.

While that field day didn’t instantly set Smallwood’s future in stone, it helped shape it. Two years later, Smallwood became a Quail Forever biologist––proof that early exposure and college outreach can have lasting impacts. 

“I knew biology was a route I wanted to go, but meeting not only Miranda, but some of the different folks from the Georgia Forestry Commission, and Georgia DNR, opened the door to a career in management,” Smallwood said. “I’ve never experienced land management and working with private landowners before; that day helped me realize it could be a potential job route.”

This small anecdote underscores the power of connecting students with professionals at a pivotal time––when they’re deciding not only what they want to do, but how to do it.

Andrew Edelman, professor of biology at the University of West Georgia, has seen firsthand how limited awareness can restrict a student’s career trajectory.

“Most of our students come in wanting to be either a zookeeper or work for Georgia DNR,” Edelman said. “Those are great career pathways, but they’re just a small slice of what’s out there.”

To help expand their horizons, Edleman has embedded real-world conservation experiences directly into his curriculum. In his fire ecology class, students learn ignition techniques, build burn plans, and participate in live prescribed burns with Forest Service collaborators. Additionally, his wildlife techniques course gives students hands-on training in radio telemetry, camera traps, and animal handling. 

For Edelman, exposure alone isn’t enough––connecting students to professionals is equally essential.

“I make it a cornerstone of my teaching to bring in guest speakers from nonprofits, government, and private industry,” Edelman said. “By having these professionals come in, they can learn what they need to do to prepare for their careers and what kind of classes or extracurricular experiences they need to be involved in. They can also network, which could lead to various opportunities further down the road.”

That professional connection piece is something Miranda Gulsby takes seriously. As a frequent university guest speaker and current state coordinator, she believes organizations like Quail Forever play a key role in demystifying student conservation careers. 

“A lot of our universities aren't focused on habitat management, and I think that's a disservice to a lot of the young wildlife professionals,” Gulsby said. “Being able to expose students to local professionals in their area is crucial for students who are interested but don’t have those opportunities at their university. They may not realize habitat management is a viable career path in wildlife conservation.”

Gulsby also emphasizes that student outreach shouldn’t be limited to children. While programs targeting elementary and middle schoolers are valuable, college students are standing at the edge of their careers. Reaching them can have an immediate and lasting impact.

“College students are often still deciding what they want to do with their lives, and we can help those students understand there are career options,” Gulsby said. “I think there's a false perception that wildlife conservation can only look one way, but there are so many different facets to the field and jobs to pursue.”

For Edelman, the results of college outreach are already visible. Thanks to the University of West Georgia’s wildlife club and consistent involvement with local conservation groups, many of Edelman’s students have landed jobs with the Nature Conservancy, local nature centers, NRCS, and, in Smallwood’s case, Quail Forever.

 “During that field day, I was able to network and make connections with all these different conservation groups that I could potentially work for,” Smallwood said. “I’ll always remember that firsthand experience; it's key in anybody's career.”

As conservation needs grow and diversify, so must the workforce. Edelman believes universities have a responsibility not only to educate students but also to prepare them for real-world impact.

 “We're becoming more focused on preparing students for careers, and part of that career preparation is getting them involved in various experiences, whether that's in a class, lab, internship, summer job or getting them exposed to professionals so they can network,” Edelman said.

For Edelman, Gulsby, and Smallwood, the mission is clear: connect, mentor, and empower the next generation. Because it only takes one moment, one class, or one field day to change everything.