A creek flows away from a red barn.

About Us

We take a multidisciplinary approach to tackle the biggest challenges of our time.

Unique among peer institutions in the United States, the breadth of disciplinary expertise in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment – from ethics and social sciences to conservation genetics and applied ecology – creates a stimulating multidisciplinary atmosphere for our students, staff, faculty and visiting scholars. We have strong collaborative ties across Cornell University, other universities, governmental agencies, and leading environmental and conservation organizations.

Consistently ranked among the top college environmental programs in the nation, we contribute creative and impactful science and education to address many of the urgent environmental issues of the 21st century. We provide essential information to communities, conservation and environmental professionals, policymakers, educators and researchers worldwide.

Department information

Contact us

Mailing address:
226 Mann Drive
111 Fernow Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853

Phone for general inquiries:
(607) 255-2821 or (607) 255-2822

Fax: (607) 255-0349

Department facts

Founded in 1911

The department was founded by Liberty Hyde Bailey in 1911 as the Department of Forestry.

Fernow Hall

Originally built in 1915, the department’s home, Fernow Hall, underwent a major renovation in 2014 and is now LEED Gold certified.

Department firsts

Early faculty members wrote foundational textbooks that shaped the field of natural resources as we know it.

Continue exploring

Invasive plant in a bucket of water

News

Microplastics outline the incoming tide at a Lanzarote Island beach in the Canary Islands.

News

Doctoral student co-authors global plastics declaration

Cornell doctoral candidate Bethany Jorgensen co-authored the 2022 Lanzarote Declaration – a synthesized wish list of action in anticipation of a U.N. treaty on global plastic pollution in 2024.

  • Natural Resources and the Environment
  • Climate Change
  • Environment
(L-R), Steven Mana’oakamai Johnson, Natalie Cápiro ’00, Hale Ann Tufan, Chuan Liao, Shaila Musharoff, Michael Charles ’16.

Spotlight

CALS hires faculty cohort to address grand DEI challenges
This is the fifth in a series of stories detailing actions CALS students, faculty and staff have taken over the past several years to make our community a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place for everyone. In fall 2021, CALS announced its first-ever faculty cohort initiative focused on hiring a group of scientists whose work explicitly addresses systemic challenges facing marginalized communities through transdisciplinary collaboration. The first search was received with great enthusiasm and 381 people applied for the six positions.
  • American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Computational Biology
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