March 19th, 2024 – Published in the Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas Newsletter
By Justin Vorndran, Minnesota DNR Communications Outreach Specialist
View the full newsletter on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Website
Natural resources professionals are a passionate, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic group of people. When you talk to someone in conservation, it seems like they were born to do what they do — but experts aren’t born, they’re made. It takes years of education, professional connections, and passion to excel in conservation. The biggest hurdle is a very simple one: getting started. Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa (CCMI) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) offer early career positions in natural resources through the Individual Placements program, which provides young professionals with a chance to gain experience and form the valuable connections that are essential to a career in natural resources.
Individual Placements (IPs) fill roles as learners, bringing their own interests and unique skills to each position. Each one to two-year placement leaves their mark on the DNR through their project work, connections, and stories. IPs with the scientific and natural areas program leverage their passions and pursue their interests while helping to protect Minnesota’s unique nature. I spoke with two alumni IPs about their memories with the program, and how it’s gotten them to where they are today.
Kristin Loobeek served as the website and social media specialist with the SNA program in 2014-2016. She currently works as the social media coordinator for the DNR parks and trails division. Kristin managed the SNA program’s Facebook page, where she built engagement and created an online sense of identity for SNAs. She called it a “unique and exciting opportunity to create themes and test out what would get people’s attention,” as the program was “just beginning to find itself” in its social media presence. Beyond social media, she revised the website with SNA staff guidance to make sure that the rules and guidelines for each SNA are accessible and clear.
Left: Kristin Lobeek at her current position with the DNR Parks and Trails division. Photo courtesy of Kristin Lobeek.
Madison Rutherfoord-Jones was the volunteer and site steward specialist in 2018, and she currently works with the World Wildlife Fund. She was the first person to fill the volunteer and site steward specialist role, so she spent her time organizing the workflow for future projects. She spent much of her time working with Better Impact, which is a volunteer management software. She enjoyed going into the field with staff, “getting their feedback, speaking with regional managers and volunteers, and experiencing their expertise.” Madison found that the IP program was an opportunity to find out what goes on behind-the-scenes in restoration and conservation work. She told me she found a new love for supporting others in their work and learning new skills as an organizing professional.
Right: Madison Rutherfoord-Jones at her current position with the World Wildlife Fund. Photo courtesy of Madison Rutherfoord-Jones.
Madison made very clear to me that her time as an IP helped her get to where she’s at today. Her time with the SNA program helped her develop her communication skills and find a passion for supporting field crews. After her time as volunteer and site steward specialist, she worked with American Conservation Experience recruiting IPs, and now she’s moved into a managerial role with the World Wildlife Fund. Kristin also expressed to me how important her Individual Placement was for her career development. She brought the skills that she developed as an IP to several different social media management positions. She told me that returning to work in social media for the DNR “felt like coming home.”
Madison and Kristin both shared loving memories of days spent in the field as IPs, meeting new people, seeing restoration projects firsthand, and experiencing unique and exciting SNAs. Madison reflected on Oak Savannas as her favorite biome to work in, and Kristin told me a story about visiting Butterwort Cliffs SNA, nearly getting lost on the way into the site until breaking through the brush to a breathtaking view of Lake Superior. Kristin and Madison both used their training time to learn more about field work, getting certifications and visiting sites. Madison told me that meeting DNR staff was a real highlight, and Kristin echoed that. She loved “making connections with lots of natural resources staff who are super knowledgeable and friendly.” Being an IP with the SNA program is about more than project work: it’s about exciting and unique natural places, pursuing your personal interests relentlessly, and meeting the passionate people who work with the DNR.
Left: Kristin used her Individual Placement term as a chance to work with prescribed fire. Photo courtesy of Kristin Lobeek.
Madison summed up her time with the SNA program as “a chance to explore a place that was new to me and learn a lot.” Kristin said that “beyond helping me launch my natural resources career, it was such an incredible experience meeting these people who are so passionate about what they do, every single day.”
Talking with Madison and Kristin overwhelmingly showed me one thing. The individual placement position with the SNA is a great start to a conservation career, but it’s more than just a job — It’s a chance to chase your passions and connect with others in some of Minnesota’s most unique and beautiful natural places.