Spring Break
URI ecology professor devotes career toward nature protection, education
Chris Curtis
Issue date: 2/13/09 Section: News
02/13/09 - A childhood nature enthusiast, Scott Ruhren has parlayed his love of nature into two jobs, one as a professor of ecology and the other as a nature conservator.
A part-time instructor at the University of Rhode Island, Ruhren's full-time job is as senior director of conservation programs for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.
Unaffiliated with the national society, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental protection, education and advocacy.
Formed in 1897 by naturalists hoping to protect wild birds, today the society is the state's single largest landowner, protecting 9,500 acres of woodlands and shoreline throughout Rhode Island.
Ruhren's department is responsible for managing these properties.
This gives Ruhren ample opportunity to spend time outdoors, which he said is his favorite aspect of the job.
"Getting out there in nature, getting out there in the wild, it's something I've been doing my whole life," Ruhren said. "[It's great] getting to explore all the facts and questions that are going on in nature and feel like we're protecting a big part of it in Rhode Island."
Ruhren's department polices borders, clears hiking trails and performs a number of other maintenance tasks.
As a scientist, Ruhren is also responsible for maintaining habitats for rare and endangered species such as grassland birds, insects and plants native to the state.
In order to keep grassland refuges free of wooded plants that might otherwise take over, Ruhren's department mows the society's approximately 200 acres of grassland every summer.
The job also involves spending time patrolling refuges for invasive species or other problems, Ruhrens said.
"When things get stressful with the budget and all that, it's nice to be able to get outside," he said.
Depending largely on philanthropy, membership donations and program fees, the society is feeling the pinch from the current economic downturn, Ruhren said, but he expects the society's work to continue.
"We've been doing this for about 110 years, we're planning to be in it for the long-haul," Ruhren said.
Growing up, Ruhren did not have to go far to commune with nature.
"I actually grew up in suburban NJ, but I had a woodlot in the neighborhood and a stream I used to explore, so there were a lot of wild places," Ruhren said. "Enough places to get out in."
Ruhren originally came to the state to teach courses in ecology and evolution at URI. When he took the job at the Audubon three and a half years ago, Ruhren didn't quit teaching, but cutting back instead. Today he teaches night classes at URI's Providence campus.
"It's a nice mix, this does have a little more creativity than just teaching nine to five, but I can still keep my feet wet in the teaching, which is a good challenge," Ruhren said. "It's a good mixture of both."
A part-time instructor at the University of Rhode Island, Ruhren's full-time job is as senior director of conservation programs for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.
Unaffiliated with the national society, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental protection, education and advocacy.
Formed in 1897 by naturalists hoping to protect wild birds, today the society is the state's single largest landowner, protecting 9,500 acres of woodlands and shoreline throughout Rhode Island.
Ruhren's department is responsible for managing these properties.
This gives Ruhren ample opportunity to spend time outdoors, which he said is his favorite aspect of the job.
"Getting out there in nature, getting out there in the wild, it's something I've been doing my whole life," Ruhren said. "[It's great] getting to explore all the facts and questions that are going on in nature and feel like we're protecting a big part of it in Rhode Island."
Ruhren's department polices borders, clears hiking trails and performs a number of other maintenance tasks.
As a scientist, Ruhren is also responsible for maintaining habitats for rare and endangered species such as grassland birds, insects and plants native to the state.
In order to keep grassland refuges free of wooded plants that might otherwise take over, Ruhren's department mows the society's approximately 200 acres of grassland every summer.
The job also involves spending time patrolling refuges for invasive species or other problems, Ruhrens said.
"When things get stressful with the budget and all that, it's nice to be able to get outside," he said.
Depending largely on philanthropy, membership donations and program fees, the society is feeling the pinch from the current economic downturn, Ruhren said, but he expects the society's work to continue.
"We've been doing this for about 110 years, we're planning to be in it for the long-haul," Ruhren said.
Growing up, Ruhren did not have to go far to commune with nature.
"I actually grew up in suburban NJ, but I had a woodlot in the neighborhood and a stream I used to explore, so there were a lot of wild places," Ruhren said. "Enough places to get out in."
Ruhren originally came to the state to teach courses in ecology and evolution at URI. When he took the job at the Audubon three and a half years ago, Ruhren didn't quit teaching, but cutting back instead. Today he teaches night classes at URI's Providence campus.
"It's a nice mix, this does have a little more creativity than just teaching nine to five, but I can still keep my feet wet in the teaching, which is a good challenge," Ruhren said. "It's a good mixture of both."
