I will be graduating in the spring with a degree in wildlife biology. I am wanting to start doing management plans for local farmers in my area and was wondering where to get started. How much should I charge and how, by the acre, hour...? I guess i just need some help on the business side of things. Any suggestions will help and I thank you for your help.

well if your willing to relocate to southern wisconsin the company i work for is currently looking for someone to do some part time wildlife management work and possibly expand it to a full time position depending on the demand. but as far as rates and such i really can't help you there

It is up to you and dependent upon your costs and what you determine your time is worth to you. If you are going to start offering services, you should be incorporated as a business. Then you should have all of your insurances in place...general liability, professional liability, auto and worker's compensation insurance. It gets pretty expensive and overwhelming starting out. There is a lot more to it than just writing plans and getting paid for it.

I can help you with any questions you may have, so feel free to e-mail me any time at [email protected]

I would really like to have someone based up in that general area anyway, so maybe we can work something out that way if that interests you at all too.

USFWC, thanks for the help. I figured there would be a lot to get started by myself. I have looked your site over several times and i have to tell ya, It looks like you guys are doing what i would love to do. Right now i'm trying to figure out what I'm going to be doing over the summer and there on out. I would ultimately like to find a permanent job but if not i'm sure i could get hired back at the milford fish hatchery here in KS for the summer. Would you guys have any positions available?
Please keep in touch with me, I am very interested in what you guys do and if i could be located fairly close to home well that would be my dream! I'm looking forward to the day where i get paid for doing what i love.

Check your pm's