Imagine you are sitting nestled in a bush near the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park. It is a cold, frosty fall morning and you are at the ready with your pencil and paper, staring at an animal overpass. This five-metre-high cement walkway stretches above the highway to give animals an undisturbed passageway across an otherwise dangerous piece of road. You are a wildlife technician/technologist and had come to perform a routine equipment check when you noticed a group of elk tentatively approach the bridge. Now you're waiting quietly so as not to disturb the animals, taking advantage of this opportunity to observe first-hand wildlife using the animal overpass.
As a wildlife technician/technologist, you have been taking an inventory of the animals that use the overpass and assessing how different species respond to the structure. You have come to this site this morning to check the camera equipment that records animal movements, making certain it is functioning properly. You have also come to check the sand traps at either end of the overpass. They show tracks of the animals that have crossed the bridge. You will record the species and numbers from the sand traps, then rake them clean.
The data you collect is part of a report on the success of the wildlife bridges that the park is preparing. If Banff's animal overpasses are a success, should there be more bridges like this one built across other busy roadways in Canada?
Duties vary significantly from job to job, but the following list includes typical job duties one might encounter as a wildlife technician/technologist:
If you are a high school student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, you should have a keen interest in:
If you are a post-secondary student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, the following programs are most applicable.
In most cases, the minimum education requirement to work as an environmental geophysicist is a graduate degree. Pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in fields related to environmental geophysics can enhance your expertise, career prospects, and ability to contribute to the field. These advanced degrees offer specialized knowledge and skills highly valued in both the professional and academic worlds.
In many provinces, geophysicists must obtain registration and licensure with their provincial association as a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.). The certification process for geophysicists is similar to that of engineering professions and is typically overseen by the same regulatory body.
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers look for professionals who can combine technical knowledge with soft skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
As key executive leaders who shape their company’s sustainability policy, CSOs work in many different types of organizations. Common employers of CSOs include:
Search for jobs on the ECO Canada Job Board.
If you are a post-secondary student seeking a CSO role in the future, consider pursuing a university degree related to:
In addition to the educational fields mentioned above, you will also need extensive management experience to become a CSO, with well-developed human resources management and leadership skills. Consider educational seminars or post-graduate studies that will hone your analytical thinking, such as:
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers seek professionals who combine technical knowledge with personal and professional skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
Todd Powell remembers the day he heard that his hometown still conducted annual wolf bounties, where hunters were offered financial incentives to kill wolves. "It shocked me when I realized that we managed wildlife in such an archaic fashion.” At that point, Todd’s interest in how humans affect wildlife was sparked: "I knew I had to get more involved to learn more about what it means to manage wildlife.” More than 10 years later, Todd has a B.A. in Geography and a Master’s in Ecology from the University of Sherbrooke. The native Ontarian is currently a wildlife technician for the Yukon Territory. Todd spends most of his time in the field, managing a wildlife region of more than 100,000 square kilometres.
There is no such thing as a typical day for Todd. He can be found doing anything from netting caribou and tagging them with radio collars, to using GIS computer mapping to track wildlife or banding and studying different species of bats. This wildlife technician enjoys his job because he creates his own positive influence on the conservation of wildlife populations within his region. "I get a lot of job satisfaction in being able to see and understand wildlife.”
Todd’s advice for students considering a career as a wildlife technician is to stay in school. "Here I am with a Master of Science at a technician level. This job requires a lot of education, a lot of experience, and a very strong work ethic to find your way into a system like this.” Todd points out that working as a wildlife technician will not make him rich, but that his job "is very much a labour of love.” He is proudest when he’s able to "pass on the message about the value of wildlife and our effects and how we need to be aware of them.”
Marine geologists are classified into the following occupational grouping:
NOC Code: 21102 – Geoscientists and oceanographers
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market. It gives statisticians, labour market analysts, career counsellors, employers, and individual job seekers a consistent way to collect data and describe and understand the nature of work within different occupations.
See ECO’s Blue National Occupational Standard for a career competency profile for a marine geologist that outlines the specific skills, knowledge, and behaviours required for individuals to perform effectively in this particular role. This profile is a benchmark for training and development, ensuring consistency and quality across professions within the blue economy.
Dans un esprit de respect, de réciprocité et de vérité, nous honorons et reconnaissons Moh’kinsstis, le territoire traditionnel du Traité 7 et les pratiques orales de la confédération des Pieds-Noirs : Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, ainsi que les nations Îyâxe Nakoda et Tsuut’ina. Nous reconnaissons que ce territoire abrite la Nation métisse de l’Alberta, la région 3 au sein de la patrie historique des Métis du Nord-Ouest. Enfin, nous reconnaissons toutes les nations qui vivent, travaillent et se divertissent sur ce territoire, et qui l’honorent et le célèbrent.
In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth, we acknowledge that we live, work, and gather on the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, including the Blackfoot Confederacy—comprising the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations—as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina Nations.
This land, known as Moh’kinsstis in the Blackfoot language and encompassing what is now Districts 5 and 6, is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3, within the historical Northwest Métis homeland.
We recognize and honour the deep connection these Nations have to the land, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share in its stewardship.
As we continue our work, we commit to learning from Indigenous knowledge systems, uplifting Indigenous voices, and fostering relationships rooted in equity, understanding, and reconciliation.
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