College revives natural resource degree

Flathead Valley Community College has lifted the moratorium on its natural resources associate degree program with an added one-year certificate option.

The board of trustees recently voted to reboot the program after a presentation by Pete Wade, chairman of the math and sciences departments, in which he said the revamped degree keeps the basics while responding to new initiatives.

He said inspiration came from the governor's conference, "Growing Montana's Restoration Workforce," in Butte last fall. The gathering focused on job potential with government money for remediating abandoned mines, degraded roadways and unhealthy forests.

Wade said Montana was in line to receive some of those funds.

"It's a lot of money," he said.

According to Wade, the revamped program adds greater flexibility for students by allowing them to earn a certificate in one year or continue on for two additional semesters to earn the associate degree.

Joe Bortz, natural resources instructor, said students also had the option of continuing their work at a four-year institution. But transfer students would need to take some additional courses in chemistry and higher math but would have an advantage.

"They would be better prepared for field work than anyone else," he said.

In revamping the program, the college added new courses and revised others. The first year requires 30 credits for the certificate and the second year adds 34 credits for the associate degree.

Examples of classes include field surveying and global positioning system introduction, resource calculations and measurements, forest fire management, forest insects and diseases and wildlife habitat/conservation.

In a later interview, Bortz said the college added classes in environmental assessment and soil resources. He said the natural resource management course was updated.

Although the trustees approved the program at the January meeting, Bortz said the staff has additional work to do before launching the programs.

"We expect it to be available for fall classes," he said.

One of the interesting possibilities under investigation is operating a five-acre test plot growing hybrid poplars as a cooperative venture with a private firm out of Oregon and the University of Montana.

"It would be something for the students to do as a lab," Bortz said. "We have that new property to the east of the college to do something like this."

At the meeting, Wade told college trustees that an Oregon firm was building a new lumber mill specifically for processing these hybrids. Some of the uses include chips for biofuel and logs for high-end furniture and trim.

Bortz said the hybrid's fast growth makes the tree attractive as a renewable resource. He said scientific feeding and watering results in 60-foot high trees with up to 10-inch diameters in under 10 years.

"Hybrid poplars are popping up all over the country," Bortz said.

However, the firm building the new mill doesn't have a test plot in the northern Rocky Mountain area, providing the opportunity for a potential partnership with the private firm and learning experience for the college's natural resource management students.

According to Bortz, students earning the certificate or Associate of Science degree have job prospects working for private timber companies as well as companies contracting to perform restoration work for the U.S. Forest Service.

He said students working for government contractors learn that business from the ground up.

"Several of our graduates then went into business for themselves," Bortz said.

While more money for such work may come through the stimulus bill now under consideration, Congress included $39.4 million for the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation initiative in the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act.

The Forest Service has allocated $4.7 million of the initiative money for Region 1, which includes Montana, North Dakota and Idaho's panhandle.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.