Click video to see a controlled burn taking place in the UMC Nature Nook.

UMC's "NatR" program features several options to provide its award-winning students with a career edge.

• The campus is located where the prairie meets the forest--sometimes referred to as "pine to prairie"--in North America. This allows for a broad exposure to several distinct ecosystem types and agricultural land uses.  Crookston also lies within the basin of the Red River of the North, and while the area is primarily a riverland region, unique lakes like Red Lake and Lake of the Woods are within driving distance.
  
  
• The 85-acre Red River Valley Natural History Area (containing prairie, marshes, and forests) is located near campus and is used extensively for practice in conservation techniques and nature observation.
  
  
• The University of Minnesota's Forestry and Biological Research Station, located in Itasca State Park, serves as a location for field trips on several topics.
  
  
• UMC's Huot School Forest, a twenty minute drive from the campus, serves as an outdoor classroom and laboratory.
  
  
• The Pankratz Memorial Prairie, nearly 800 acres total, is within 10 miles of the campus. The preserve is habitat for the greater prairie chicken as is an excellent area for observing this unique bird.
  
  
• Students learn about ecosystem restoration throughout the year at The Nature Conservancy's Glacial Ridge Project, located 15 miles east of Crookston on US Highway 2.  The project will protect and restore up to 35, 756 acres of wetland and prairie habitat and is the largest of its kind in North America.  Although still in the early planning stages, initial public reaction to the proposed Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge is supportive.  Read More.
  
  
• Students benefit from research connections between UMC and NWROC faculty as well as faculty across the University of Minnesota System.
  
  
• Several birding hotspots on the Minnesota Pine to Prairie Birding Trail are near Crookston.
  
  
• Students are involved in the Nature Northwest project assessing nature-based recreation and tourism in northwest Minnesota.
  
   
• Students assist with tree planting with the local soil and water conservation district.
  
  
• Students participate in trapper education workshops and assist in hands-on exercises trapping nuisance beaver at the Red River Valley Natural History Area.
  
   
• All students complete an internship, allowing them to gain industry experience and to make career connections.  Cooperative student training agreements are in place with the Natural Resources Conservation Service for Minnesota and North Dakota.
  
  
• UMC issues every student a notebook computer, allowing NatR students to work with specialized computer software such as GIS (global information systems) and GPS (global positioning systems).
  
  

The Natural Resources Club plans several projects throughout the year including:

- Environmental Education -

- Restoration work and Budcapping at Itasca State Park -

- Tree planting at the Chippewa National Forest -

- Tree tubing and Buckthorn removal at Rydell National Wildlife Refuge -

- Forestry Games -

- Natural Resources Guest Speakers -

- Service Projects -

- Club Cookouts -

- Various Field Trips -

UMC Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society was formed in 2001 in conjunction with the new Wildlife Management emphasis.  The chapter activities include:

• Banding ducks at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge
• Visiting a black bear den
• Guest speakers
• Bluebird house construction and maintenance around UMC campus and the Red River Valley Natural History Area
• Created an Avian Interpretive Display
• Attend professional meetings in Minnesota, North Dakota, and the Midwest region
• Environmental education at local schools
• Various field trips
  

A Campus-Wide Focus on Technology

The distinctive electronic learning environment at UMC complements the business management curriculum. All students are issued laptop computers and use them and related software on a daily basis. The resulting technological skill--or techno-savvy--combined with the degree program's career preparation makes UMC's graduates highly marketable and sought-after by employers.

Great Opportunities to Study Abroad

As a coordinate campus of the University of Minnesota system, UMC and its students benefit from the connections the U of M has developed as a leader in international education opportunities.  No matter what your major, you can learn a great deal from a study abroad experience! Learn more at UMC's Study Abroad Office.

One-Rate Tuition Plan

University of Minnesota, Crookston on-campus students are charged a single tuition rate per credit regardless of their resident/nonresident status. Students from other states can save more than $4,000 per year with UMC's one-rate tuition policy. Learn more about UMC tuition rates and student fees.

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