Environmental Careers

What is an environmental monitor?

As an environmental monitor, your role is to investigate and report on how our human interactions affect the environment around us. From day-to-day interactions, like using running water, to large development projects, like building a powerline, human interactions with their environment must be monitored and evaluated to make sure we aren’t damaging the environment. An environmental monitor can analyze various features of the environment, like water, soil and minerals, pollution, and wildlife to identify whether our activities are positively or negatively affecting the environment. Once this information is collected a report is created and recommendations are made. These recommendations can then be used to resolve the issues discovered during monitoring, prevent further damage to the environment, and inform us how to better work in the environment surrounding us.

Duties of an environmental monitor include but are not limited to:

• Keeping an eye on how new development projects or existing infrastructure effects the environment
• Sampling water and air for pollution levels
• Surveying the landscape for wildlife, vegetation, and/or archaeological features
• Work, manage and maintain field equipment
• Write technical reports summarizing the information collected in surveys and samples
• Work in remote locations that require access via motor vehicle, boats, or even helicopters

How do you become an environmental monitor?

The most common path to becoming an environmental monitor is through education:

• High School diploma, Courses like Math, Biology, Chemistry
• College diploma from an environmental monitoring program