Jim McBride is currently a Land Manager for Placer Land Trust, based in the Sierra Foothills near Sacramento. He helps manage around 3,500 acres spread across 14 preserves, doing anything from fixing fences, building and maintaining trails, to GIS work and report writing.
When asked what he liked about the ENVR program he shared, "I appreciated the class flexibility and personal attention that program offered, the focus on interdisciplinary learning was also a great asset in my career since graduating... It's given me the educational background and foundational skills to feel comfortable working in a variety of roles within the conservation world, and has shown me the importance of working within a collaborative team."
He then shared positive experiences he's had in the field since graduating, "I've had the opportunity to work and live in a variety of places across the Western United States after graduating, from working for the Nevada Conservation Corps in the Sierra Nevada, and Basin and Range Province, to working the Arizona Chapter of the Nature Conservancy in the Sky Island region of southern AZ and the San Francisco Peaks in N. AZ, to my current work on the Western Slope of the Sierra Nevada, Foothills and Central Valley of CA. I would not have gotten these opportunities if it wasn't for the education that I received in the Environmental Studies Program."
McBride also worked on floodplain restoration, sharing that it was one of the best experiences he's had since graduating, "Probably one of the best experiences I've had recently is working on a floodplain restoration project with USFWS Partners Program at our Doty Ravine Preserve. We've taken a 60-70acre floodplain that had been disconnected from the main stream channel for over 100 years and restored it, through a process based restoration technique. We now have 30+ acres of year-round wetland complexes, and another 35 acres are currently in the restoration process."
