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Wilderness Restoration Specialist - If you Love the Great Outdoors, It Might Be Your Dream Job

If you love the great outdoors and would enjoy working outside rather than inside, a position as a Wilderness Restoration Specialist might be your dream job. These dedicated individuals spend most of their time planning and implementing projects devoted to restoring degraded wilderness areas to their former natural state. These restoration projects can take many forms and may consist of one major project that lasts months or even years, or smaller projects that take only a few weeks to implement.

Wilderness restoration specialists do everything from cleaning pollution out of streams and river beds to planting trees and other fauna to introducing species of wildlife into the area. Most often, they work in teams and live on site or close by, depending on the size of the project. Sometimes, workers are hired locally and specifically for a project that is intended to last a certain period of time; in other words, sometimes workers are hired on a temporary basis in the general area of the restoration project, so that housing is not required. Most of the time, workers who are hired on a temporary basis are referred to as restoration specialist interns and can sometimes earn college credit in exchange for spending a few weeks or months restoring a wilderness habitat. True wilderness restoration specialists, however, are those who make this industry their life's work, who enjoy working in the outdoors, and who want to see the environment restored to its natural state.

A wilderness restoration specialist may spend time planning the restoration of an area in addition to working on the actual development of it. He may have a variety of responsibilities, including the building of models showing what the restored area will look like upon completion, researching the types of trees and plants that will be planted in the area, and studying the wildlife that the restored area should house. Once the plans are completed, the restoration specialist usually also takes part in the actual restoration of the wilderness area, often supervising teams of workers.

Most of the time restoration projects are undertaken by various government agencies, including, the Bureau of Land Management and the Parks and Recreation Administration. A wilderness restoration specialist would be expected to have knowledge of engineering principles and an understanding of ecology and land management. A bachelor's degree would most likely be required of anyone wanting a full-time position; however internships or temporary work can be acquired with nothing more than a high school diploma and would give one valuable experience in the industry. If a college student spent his or her summers working as an intern on various wilderness restoration projects, the potential for full-time employment in the industry after graduation would be significantly greater than if the student had no previous experience.

Salaries for this position are varied, but generally seem to be in the neighborhood of $30,000 to $50,000 a year, depending on experience and educational background. A career as a wilderness restoration specialist involves lots of hard work and those who do it must be physically fit and able to be active, but if you love the idea of restoring habitats to their former natural glory, it's a great career.

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