A new major for those who “feel called to care for the land and the communities connected to it” has emerged on campus.

The new interdisciplinary major is the Wildland Stewardship Bachelor of Science, housed within the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

The major integrates both biophysical and ecological sciences along with social sciences, arts and humanities. This allows students to become stewards of the land.

“I think a core idea behind it (the new major) is that in order to be steward to take in account the landscapes that we live in, we love, and that we depend on,” said Jesse Engebretson, assistant professor in the Recreation, Hospitality, & Parks Management Department. “We have to take interdisciplinary approaches. We can’t just take technical, kind of scientific approaches. We need to understand people, we need to use creativity, it’s a field-based program.” 

The program brings students from across California to national parks and forests, where students get hands-on learning experiences in nature.

The four areas students can choose for the major are environmental arts, human dimensions of land stewardship, fire and water. Where students take courses related to the area of study they choose to focus on.

In each course, students will take a variety of courses established on campus.

“Nothing like this exists on the Chico State campus currently, or across the CSU, and so we felt that this was the place to do it, especially with the connections with the ecological reserve,” said Kristen Kaczynski, Professor in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department.

Students will be able to declare the new major starting in April, Kaczynski said.

“The Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria affirms our support for the WILD Undergraduate Program and the benefits it will bring to Chico State students, Tribes, and the region as a whole,” according to Dennis Ramirez, chairman of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria.

Brenden Masson can be reached at [email protected].