The black-footed ferret is one of thirty endangered species housed at the CRC, where the new Smithsonian-Mason Global Conservation Education Studies program will be held. Photo Credit: Jessie Cohen/Smithsonian’s National Zoo

The National Zoo announced today via their newsletter that their Center for Conservation Education and Sustainability has formed a partnership with George Mason University to develop a new conservation education program. The program will be available to George Mason's undergraduate and graduate students, as well as practicing conservationists, and will take place at the Zoo’s 3,200 acre Conservation and Research Center (CRC) in Front Royal. Students will live, study and work at the Center for a full semester and earn sixteen credits.

For now, the program uses the existing CRC facilities and research sites. However, GMU and the National Zoo intend to raise funds to build entirely new facilities, which will include energy-efficient residences, research and computer labs, classrooms, offices and student services. Students will also be able to take advantage of the over 2,000 acres of natural study sites at CRC. Construction is planned to begin in 2012.

In GMU's October 10 press release, director Tom Wood speaks about the type of experience this will provide for students interested in conservation:

“This community has been designed to provide the most progressive education in conservation studies available anywhere in the world,” said Tom Wood, director of the Mason Center for Conservation Studies. “People who are practicing conservation all over the world, from researchers and faculty to government and nongovernment organizations, are here participating in the resident learning experience with a diverse array of students.”

The directors of Smithsonian's conservation program added these thoughts on the partnership:

“The Smithsonian-Mason program comes at a time when we are experiencing a global biodiversity crisis,” said Francisco Dallmeier, the head of the Center for Conservation Education and Sustainability. “The alliance with Mason will empower professionals to address the current and significant biodiversity conservation challenges facing our planet today.”

"Given the environmental threats to our planet, we must invest in the next generation of conservationists, wildlife practitioners, natural resources managers, decision makers and educators," said Steve Monfort, associate director for Conservation and Science at the National Zoo. "By advancing the career development for those who want to protect our planet, we are ensuring a sustainable future."

Apparently the program has been underway in 2008, with 15 students participating, and applications are now being accepted for spring semester. We think this sounds like a great program to learn about conservation first-hand from real, live scientists and researchers. As a bonus, the CRC houses thirty endangered species, so students may even have the chance to be one-on-one with a rare black-footed ferret or Siberian polecat.