The Stewardship Network presents
The Science, Practice & Art of
Restoring Native
Ecosystems 2014
January 17 and 18, 2014
Kellogg Conference Center
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Table of Contents
Conference Agenda – Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Conference Agenda – Saturday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
My Michigan Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Friday Keynote Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Friday Afternoon Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Friday Evening Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Saturday Keynote Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Saturday Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Conference Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Poster Presenters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Keynote Bios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Presenter Bios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Meeting Room Floorplan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Conference Quick Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Conference Planning
Committee
Barb Barton
David Borneman
Lisa Brush
Celia Larsen
Erin Mittendorf
Event Management
Steppe Solutions, LLC
AV Support
Josh Dickinson, Aaron Weaver
Photography
Patricia Pennell, Riverhouse Photography
Welcome to The Stewardship Network’s 2014 Science,
Practice & Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems
conference. It is with great pleasure that we share with
you a fantastic line up of presentations, activities, and
opportunities to meet and interact with hundreds of
people interested and involved in caring for land and
water throughout the Great Lakes region and beyond.
Some of you are new to the field, and others bring
decades of experience. I hope you will take the time to
meet, learn from each other, and find tried-and-true as
well as cutting edge ways of applying field and placed
based conservation techniques to your work, especially
at the community level.
Field and Place Based Conservation can make real and
sustainable positive changes in our natural world. We
must set the goals for our conservation actions by
standards that are meaningful and significant to our local
communities. Building our work around established
social, cultural and economic goals makes caring for our
natural resources easy to support, whether through time,
dollars, votes, or goodwill. Furthermore, it’s by bringing
together different people and multiple organizations
in collaborative conservation at a local level that we
facilitate the global adoption of community-based action,
resulting in widespread improvement to the lands and
waters we all care about.
This year, we bring to you our first-ever Wild Rice
Conservation Track. Wild rice beds are biodiversity
hotspots providing important habitat for many species
and are important feeding areas for migrating birds. Wild
rice also has deep cultural and spiritual significance to
the Anishinaabe People. You will find presentations and
workshops throughout the program that highlight the
many wild rice restoration, conservation, and placebased education efforts underway in our region.
We also continue to find new ways to support the next
generation of restorationists. Please be sure to support
the high school and college students who have taken
the time to present posters and deliver talks on their
projects and research.
1
When we part ways and return to home and work, we
hope that you will bring to your work, thinking, and life
the diverse ideas and approaches you heard about and
learned during these two days. Know that these people
may be in different locations, but they are working
alongside you in governments, schools, universities and
colleges, communities, tribes, businesses and non-profits.
The dedication and commitment of people like you to
caring for our natural lands and waters promises to leave
a lasting legacy for future generations.
The Stewardship Network is a terrific resource to tap
into to further the momentum of this conference. We
bring individuals, organizations and businesses together
to share ideas, resources, and information year round.
Every second Wednesday of the month, you will find
many of us online at The Stewardship Network’s
webcast: a free, interactive, online discussion and
presentation about various topics relating to caring
for natural lands and waters. You can also use The
Stewardship Network’s website 24/7 to search for
volunteer opportunities and other workshops. Please
visit www.stewardshipnetwork.org.
A special thanks to all of the speakers, poster
presenters, participants, artists, sponsors and the
Kellogg Conference Center staff for creating a vibrant
and rich experience.
Once again, welcome to the 2014 Science, Practice &
Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems conference.
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out our art sale—another first-ever
for us this year—with local artists sharing their natureinspired, recycled and sustainable works.
Barb Barton, Endangered Species Consulting
David Borneman, City of Ann Arbor, Natural Area Preservation
Lisa Brush, The Stewardship Network
Celia Larsen, Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor
Erin Mittendorf, The Stewardship Network
Welcome Letter
The 2014 Science, Practice & Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems
Conference Planning Committee:
2
Conference Agenda
Friday January 17, 2014
8:15–9:00
10:30–10:45 Break
10:45–12:00 Keynote Presentation (Room Big Ten C)
The Food which Grows on the Water:
Prophecies, Sacred Foods, Genetic
Engineering, the Environment and Faith
Winona LaDuke, White Earth Land
Recovery Project
Introduction: Gordon Henry Jr, Michigan
State University
12:00–1:30
Lunch (Room Big Ten B)
1:30–2:15
Concurrent Sessions
Room 103AB Agricultural Best Management Practices
from the Other Side of the Fence
Ivan O’Halloran, University of Guelph
Room 104AB Wild Rice Track
Manoomin—An Introduction to the
Cultural and Ecological Importance of
Wild Rice
Barb Barton, Endangered Species
Consulting; Roger LaBine, Lac Vieux Desert
Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Student Presentations
Field-based Education for the Next
Generation
David G. Haskell, University of the South
with student panel
2:25–3:10
Concurrent Sessions
Registration (Centennial Room)
Continental Breakfast (Room Big Ten B)
9:00–10:30 Welcome (Room Big Ten B)
Lisa Brush, The Stewardship Network
My Michigan, written and performed by
Barb Barton, Endangered Species Consulting
Ripple Effects: Past, Present & Future
Room 105AB Prescribed Fire and Invasive Plant Species:
Accessing Current Knowledge and
Informing Future Research
Craig Maier, Tallgrass Prairie & Oak Savanna
Fire Science Consortium
Room 102
Heritage
Room Developing a Captive Headstart Program
on Long-lived Turtles in Michigan: A
Novel Approach to Conservation
David A. Mifsud, Herpetological Resource
and Management, LLC
Room 103AB Quantifying the Effects of Tillage
Practices on Annual Runoff and
Phosphorus Export Through Drainage
Tiles and Surface Runoff in Ontario,
Canada: Approaches, Challenges and
Early Findings
Merrin L. Macrae, University of Waterloo
Room 104AB Wild Rice Track
Two Decades of Cooperative Manoomin
Restoration in the 1837 and 1842 Ceded
Territories: What Worked, What Didn’t
& What’s Ahead
Peter David, Great Lakes Indian Fish and
Wildlife Commission
Room 105AB Minimizing Impacts of Prescribed Fire on
Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina
carolina)
Alicia Selden, Michigan Department of
Natural Resources; Tracy Swem, Michigan
State University
Room 102
How Does The Stewardship Network
Create Collective Impact—21st Century
Conservation
Spencer Kellum, Lisa Brush, The Stewardship
Network
Heritage
Room Student Presentations
Nectar Plant Abundance and Richness
are not Primary Drivers of Monarch
Ovipositing Patterns at a Local Scale
Elizabeth Stelzner, Michigan State University
3:10–3:30
Break
3:30–4:15
Concurrent Sessions
Room 103AB The Aftermath of Emerald Ash Borer in
Southeast Michigan: Will Ash Survive?
Dan Kashian, Wayne State University
River Rice Restoration on Pine Creek
by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the
Potawatomi
Stephen W. Allen, Nottawaseppi Huron
Band of the Potawatomi
Room 105AB Recreating Natural Fire Regimes in the
Oak Openings
Ryan Gauger, The Nature Conservancy
Room 102
Best Management Practices Verification:
Results from a Huron County, Ontario
Watershed and a Literature Review
Mari Veliz, Ausable Bayfield Conservation
Authority; Chitra Gowda, Essex Region
Conservation Authority
Heritage
Room Student Presentations
Interseeding Forbs in a Grass-dominated
Prairie Restoration in Northeast Indiana
Adam Thada, Taylor University
Is Michigan’s Constitutional Duty to
Conserve Natural Resources under Attack?
Artemis Eyster, Chelsea Roots & Shoots
4:25–5:10
Concurrent Sessions
Room 103AB Ontario Ministry of Transportation and
Walpole Island First Nation: Integrating
Indigenous Knowledge and Building
Ecological Connections to Preserve
Tallgrass Prairie Habitat
Barbara Macdonell, Ontario Ministry of
Transportation; Jared Macbeth, Walpole
Island Heritage Centre
Room 104AB Wild Rice Track
A Community’s Effort to Manage for
Wild Rice (Zizania aquatic var. aquatica)
Melanie Manion, Ottawa County Parks and
Recreation Commission
Remembering Manoomin: Saginaw
Chippewa Indian Tribe Wild Rice
Restoration Project
Michael Fisher, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe
Room 105AB Developing a Rapid Assessment
Methodology for the Oak Openings
Region
Jennifer Thieme, The Nature Conservancy
Room 102
Do We Have Enough Water Quality Data
to Determine the Effectiveness of BMP’s?
Elin Betanzo, Northeast-Midwest Institute
Heritage
Room Student Presentations
Variability of Nitrogen and Nitrate Levels
Found in Surface Water within the Great
Lakes Basin
Dhareus Franks, Damon Rogers, ECOTEK
Landfill Gas and Biogas: Using Waste
Material as an Alternative Energy Source
Miles Frierson, Nydea Terrell, ECOTEK
3
Evening Activities
5:15–5:45 Water Ceremony
Led by Beatrice Jackson, Saginaw Chippewa
Tribe Helping Healer Program; Mae Pego,
Gun Lake Potawatomi Tribe
Pipe Ceremony
Led by Steve Pego, Saginaw Chippewa Tribe
(These are outdoor activities. Please
convene at the Centennial Room with
your outdoor gear on.)
5:30–7:00 Poster Reception, Art Sale and Strolling
Dinner with Cash Bar
(Room Big Ten ABC)
5:45–7:00
Manoomin (Wild Rice) Talking Circle
(food provided; alcohol-free event)
(Riverside Room, Garden Level)
7:15–9:00 Great Lakes Century Project
(Auditorium)
Philip Enquist, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
9:00–10:30 Music by Wire in the Wood and Cash Bar
(Riverside Room, Garden Level)
Conference Agenda – Friday
Room 104AB Wild Rice Track
Historic and Present Day Distribution of
Wild Rice in Michigan
Jason Tallant, University of Michigan; Barb
Barton, Endangered Species Consulting
4
Conference Agenda
Saturday January 18, 2014
7:45–8:30
Registration (Centennial Room)
Continental Breakfast (Room Big Ten B)
8:30–8:40
Welcome (Room Big Ten C)
Lisa Brush, The Stewardship Network
8:40–9:40
Keynote Presentation
The Forest Unseen (Room Big Ten C)
David G. Haskell, University of the South
Introduction: Ann M. Fraser, Kalamazoo
College
Art Sale
Check out the work of local artists
on display and sale during the Friday
Evening Poster Reception.
Paintings, prints, jewelry, and more!
in the
“ I’mpowera firmof artbeliever
to slice its
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
way into our collective
unconscious and compel us
to see the world as it really
is and to come together to
preserve and steward that
which is irreplaceable and
beyond value.”
- Bill Chameides
Dean, Nicholas School of the
Environment, Duke University
The Artful Planet blog
conservationmagazine.org
9:50–10:45 Concurrent Workshops
Room 103A Stakeholder Stewardship of the Red
Cedar Watershed: Methods, Challenges
and Accomplishments in Community
Conservation
Gabe Biber, Julie Powers, Mid-Michigan
Environmental Action Council
Room 103B Indigenous Economics
Winona LaDuke, White Earth Land
Recovery Project
Room 104A Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership:
Promoting Techniques to Restore and
Protect Inland Lake Shorelines
Jane Herbert, Michigan State University
Extension, Greening Michigan Institute
Room 104B Identification of Aquatic
Macroinvertebrates and Their Use in
Assessing Stream Health
Sylvia Heaton, Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality
Room 105A Protecting Rare Species During
Restoration: A Panel Discussion
Martha Holzheuer, Environmental
Consulting & Technology, Inc.; Kim Piccolo,
Huron-Manistee National Forests; Jeff
Plakke, Matthaei Botanical Gardens and
Nichols Arboretum; Mike Sanders, Michigan
Natural Features Inventory; Lori Sargent,
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Room 105B Bringing The Stewardship Network to
New England: Lessons Learned from a
New Partnership
Malin Ely Clyde, University of New
Hampshire Cooperative Extension; Spencer
Kellum, The Stewardship Network
Room 102
Habitat Matters: A Report from the Front
Line in Invasive Species Management
Katie Grzesiak, Northwest Michigan Invasive
Species Network
Heritage
Room
Managing for Pollinators
Ann M. Fraser, Kalamazoo College
10:45–11:05 Break
Concurrent Workshops
Room 103A Watershed Volunteer Program:
Traveling the Education Continuum from
Awareness to Community Extension
Jennifer Grieser, Cleveland Metroparks
Room 103B Wild Rice Track
Integrating Tradition and Technology in
Wild Rice Restoration, Lac Vieux Desert
Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe
Roger LaBine, Lac Vieux Desert Band of
Lake Superior Chippewa Indians; Jason
Carlson, Applied Ecological Services, Inc.
Room 104A Called to Be Human in the 21st Century
Paula Cathcart, Danielle Conroyd, Gloria
Rivera, River Raisin Institute
Room 104B Repatriating Our Remains to the Circle of
Life: Traditional Tribal Burial Grounds
Nichole Biber, Little Traverse Bay Band of
Odawa
Room 105A Management of Wild Parsnip and Giant
Hogweed
Michael Bald, Got Weeds?
Room 105B Tallgrass Prairie Restoration Benefits
Species at Risk on the Rt. Hon. Herb
Gray Parkway
Megan Hazell, Season Snyder, AMEC
Environment and Infrastructure
Room 102
The Bloomington Urban Woodlands
Project: Restoring Urban Woodlands,
Reconnecting People with Nature
Heather L. Reynolds, Indiana University
Bloomington
Heritage
Room
Ecological Monitoring for Adaptive
Management
Jacqueline Courteau, University of
Michigan; Sheila Schueller, Eastern Michigan
University; Shawn Severance, Washtenaw
County Parks
12:00–12:10 Break
12:10–1:05
Concurrent Workshops
Room 103A Long-term Collaboration Between
Researchers and Park Managers
Wendy Klooster, The Ohio State University
5
Room 103B Wild Rice Track
Adapting to the Effects of Climate
Change on Wild Rice
Barb Barton, Endangered Species
Consulting; Roger LaBine, Lac Vieux Desert
Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
Room 104A Natural Patterns of Sustainability
Steve Thomas, Ecologist
Room 104B Toward a New Approach in
Environmental Conservation: The
Importance of Indigenous Place-based
Understandings
Nichlas Emmons, Utah State University
Room 105A Phragmites Treatment/Management
Prioritization Tool
Anne Hokanson, Kevin Walters, Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality
Room 105B Effective Partnership and Conservation in
the Lakeplain Oak Openings
Mike Losey, Lindsey Reinarz, Steven
Woods, The Nature Conservancy
Room 102
Contemplative Practice in Nature Study
David G. Haskell, University of the South
Heritage
Room
The Story of the Land in Watercolor
and Word
Lori Taylor, Bear Track Studios, LLC
1:05–2:00
Lunch (Room Big Ten B)
Lunch and Return of the Cluster Cup
Conference Agenda – Saturday
11:05-12:00
6
My Michigan
(Letter to Joshua)
by Barb Barton
I came to this land as a young girl
I grew up exploring her fields
And when I got older and a little bolder
I discovered her tall sandy shores
My heart’s always dreamed of this island
As wild as the blue summer sky
Where wolf still runs freely and night time is really
As beautiful as my own soul
As beautiful as my own soul
Chorus
Won’t you take good care of my Michigan
Watch over the great lakes my home
My heart will be yearning to return to the pines
Her cold and rocky shores
The place I’ve always called home
The cold winds of change they are blowin
And with a heavy heart and a still hand
I write out this farewell to the land that I love
My work’s taking me from the land
My work’s taking me from the land
Chorus
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
I promise to take you to Isle Royale
When you are a little more tall
I’ll teach you the flowers I’ll show you a loon
And I’ll sing you the sparrow’s sad song
Little one always remember
To travel to one of her shores
Each year for a sunset, each year for the islands
Each year just to see a full moon
Each year just to see a full moon
Chorus Twice
The Stewardsh
The Stewardship Network is a movement that is
growing. Since 2004, The Stewardship Network
has revolutionized the scope of and community
involvement in natural areas stewardship
by developing and supporting collaborative
communities focused on conservation.
Funding
Finding
financial
resources for
natural areas
management
Working with
partners to write,
administer and help
deliver dozens of private
and public grant
applications
Developing
Leadership
& Building
Connections
Developing
signature training
series for Cluster
Coordinators
Training
over 10,000
community
leaders
hip Network Accomplishments
Fun and
friendly
competition
Over
1,000,000
pounds of garlic
mustard pulled
since 2008!
Thousands of
participants
every year
Conservation
Action
Enhancing
more than a
million acres
of wildlife
habitat
Annually
April
through
June
Clusters
working or
forming in MI, IN,
OH, WI,
IL, NH
National
expansion!
Established in 2013,
The Stewardship
Network - New England
meets the growing
demand for TSN
services in the
northeast.
Treating invasive
species and restoring
habitat on over 148
acres in two priority
headwaters regions in
southeast Michigan
(Raisin and Headwaters
Clusters)
Working with
the US Forest
Service via an MOU
for collaborative
management of
invasive plant species
(West Michigan
Cluster)
Partnership with
private landowners
around Phragmites
treatment on inland
lakes(Mid-Michigan
Cluster)
Clusters
Over 120 partner
organizations
working together
collaboratively
Innovative,
flexible model
of community
organizing around
conservation
Monthly
Webcasts
Join us for
our 100th
webcast on
February 12th,
2014!
Second
Wednesday of
every month
Connecting
and equipping more
than 15,000 people
since 2006
Wide range of
topics: new invasive
species, control
methods, site specific
projects, working with
different audiences,
and more!
My Michigan Lyrics
Garlic Mustard
Challenge
7
8
Friday Keynote Presentation
10:45–12:00 p.m.
The Food which Grows on the Water: Prophecies,
Sacred Foods, Genetic Engineering, the Environment
and Faith (Room Big Ten C)
Winona LaDuke, White Earth Land Recovery Project
The Anishinaabeg face many challenges surrounding the
wild rice culture of their region including industrialization,
climate change, threats to water quality and proposals
for genetic engineering (and the proposals subsequent
defeat). Winona LaDuke will explain how these
challenges impact wild rice culture in specific and
indigenous economics as a whole.
Friday Afternoon Sessions
1:30–2:15 p.m.
Agricultural Best Management Practices from the Other
Side of the Fence (Room 103AB)
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Ivan O’Halloran, University of Guelph
Additional Contributor: Gabrielle Ferguson, Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs
In Ontario, substantial changes to the province’s
2002 Nutrient Management Act have occurred, with
valid questioning of the effectiveness of specific best
management practices (BMPs) to mitigate nutrient
losses from agricultural lands. In part, questioning of the
scientific support for BMPs was not always related to
whether the BMP was effective in some scenarios, but
rather, was it effective enough to become legislation
for all scenarios. Some producer-led groups viewed the
legislation as being overly restrictive while other nonfarm organizations felt not enough was being done.
Ontario has diverse farming systems. Equally diverse
are biophysical conditions that dictate the cycling and
movement of nutrients within the agroecosystem and the
effectiveness of BMPs. Examples of BMP implementation/
understanding that may be more beneficial in mitigating
nutrient loading to water resources than the broad brush
approach of “well defined” but “less effective” pieces of
legislation will be discussed.
Manoomin—An Introduction to the Cultural and
Ecological Importance of Wild Rice (Room 104AB)
Roger LaBine, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa Indians; Barb Barton, Endangered Species
Consulting
Most people don’t know that manoomin, or wild rice,
grows in Michigan and that it has significant cultural
importance to the Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes
Region. It is rich habitat for a variety of wildlife species and
unfortunately has experienced serious decline since the
mid-1800s. This introductory presentation will provide
information on the ecology of manoomin and its cultural
and spiritual significance to the Anishinaabek, a beautiful
example of the connection between people and the land.
Prescribed Fire and Invasive Plant Species: Accessing
Current Knowledge and Informing Future Research
(Room 105AB)
Craig Maier, Tallgrass Prairie & Oak Savanna Fire Science
Consortium
Land managers in the Upper Midwest indicate more
research on how prescribed fire interacts with
invasive species would be valuable for informing their
management decisions. Recently, review of information
available on fire and invasive species also concluded
that current information available is sparse and limited.
This presentation from the Tallgrass Prairie and Oak
Savanna Fire Science Consortium aims to address
these shortcomings by continuing to strengthen the
land manager-researcher network in the region. The
presentation will begin with a case study of Oriental
bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) to demonstrate
several online sources for information about the
response of invasive species to prescribed fire, such as
the Fire Effects Information System. The second half
of this presentation will focus on the goal of obtaining
feedback from land managers. This is an opportunity
to come share your answers to these questions: 1)
What are the best ways to make information readily
available to you (i.e., fact sheets, online databases, or
new products); and 2) What are the highest priority
questions about the interaction of prescribed fire and
invasive plant species?
best property
in
Michigan
belongs to you.
Michigan’s $11 Recreation
Passport replaces the
state park sticker and is
your ticket to Michigan’s
state parks and outdoor
adventures!
photo by toddandbradreed.com
Get your Recreation Passport.
headstart programs need to be carefully evaluated and
when appropriate implemented as part of a recovery and
management strategy for long-term species viability.
Field-based Education for the Next Generation
(Heritage Room)
David G. Haskell, University of the South; Jett Hampton,
ECOTEK; Artemis Eyster, Chelsea Roots & Shoots;
Elizabeth Stelzner, Michigan State University; Adam
Thada, Taylor University
Education is our path to the future, the link among
generations. What does the future of field-based
education hold? Following short remarks by David
Haskell, students will share their insights into educational
experiences that have worked for them in the past and will
offer their dream for the shape of education in the future.
Check “YES” when you renew your license plate
for every vehicle, every year.
2:25–3:10 p.m.
Learn more at:
www.michigan.gov/recreationpassport
Quantifying the Effects of Tillage Practices on Annual
Runoff and Phosphorus Export through Drainage Tiles
and Surface Runoff in Ontario, Canada: Approaches,
Challenges and Early Findings (Room 103AB)
Developing a Captive Headstart Program on Long-lived
Turtles in Michigan: A Novel Approach to Conservation
(Room 102)
David A. Mifsud, Herpetological Resource and
Management, LLC
Additional Contributor: Steven Kahl, United States Fish
and Wildlife Service Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge
The Blanding’s turtle is rare throughout its range and
Special Concern in Michigan. Habitat loss, fragmentation,
illegal collection and significant nest predations have
severely impacted this species. In 2010, the USFWS
in partnership with Herpetological Resource and
Management (HRM) began a headstart program to
supplement the declining population of the Blanding’s
turtles at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge. Over
150 eggs have been obtained on or near the refuge
including eggs from gravid road-killed females. In 2012,
ten juvenile Blanding’s turtles fitted with transmitters
were released to assess dispersal and habitat use. In
2013, over 70 headstarted Blanding’s were released
to the refuge to help repopulate this indicator species.
We will discuss steps necessary to conduct a successful
headstart program, challenges encountered, and long
term monitoring. As species become increasingly rare,
9
Merrin L. Macrae, University of Waterloo
Additional Contributors: Richard Brunke, Kevin McKague,
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food; Michael English,
Gilian Opolko, Wilfrid Laurier University; Vito Lam, Chris Van
Esbroeck, University of Waterloo; Ivan O’Halloran, Yutao
Wang, University of Guelph
The objective of this research is to provide estimates of
annual runoff and dissolved and particulate phosphorus
(P) export rates in drainage tiles and overland flow from
six sites in Ontario, Canada. Sub-objectives of these
studies include determining the effects of tillage practices
on P export and the relative contributions of surface
runoff and tile drainage to field scale biogeochemical
losses. The approach/methods for addressing these
research questions will be discussed, some challenges
faced will be described, and some early results will be
presented. Results demonstrate that hydrologic events
trigger a rapid increase in P concentrations in drainage
tile effluent, although this does not occur for very small
events. The effects of tillage practices are small and
inconsistent across sites. The effects of season, event
type, antecedent moisture conditions and tillage type on
the magnitude and speciation of P fluxes are discussed.
Friday Afternoon Sessions
Some of the
10
Two Decades of Cooperative Manoomin Restoration in
the 1837 and 1842 Ceded Territories: What Worked,
What Didn’t, and What’s Ahead (Room 104AB)
Peter David, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife
Commission
The re-affirmation of Ojibwe off-reservation treaty
rights stimulated a resurgence in manoomin management
activities in the 1837 and 1842 ceded territories in
northern Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula
of Michigan. Under a highly cooperative interagency
program, a variety of rice management efforts increased,
including seeding of historic and non-historic sites; water
level management; targeted beaver control; aquatic
plant management coordination; and public outreach
and education. Collectively, this effort appears to have
increased ceded territory rice abundance by about 25%.
This presentation will discuss the need for restoration
efforts and provide a retrospective of the evolution of
the manoomin management program. It will focus on
approaches that were successful, and those that yielded
few results, using actual restoration efforts as examples.
Finally, it will look ahead to new challenges facing
manoomin managers, including invasive species, water
level management and climate change.
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
science
practice art
Working with
to
the
of restoring native
ecosystems in Michigan
since 1980.
Learn more about our
work in Michigan and around the
world by visitng us online at
nature.org/michigan
Minimizing Impacts of Prescribed Fire on Eastern Box
Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) (Room 105AB)
Alicia Selden, Michigan Department of Natural Resources;
Tracy Swem, Michigan State University
Prescribed fire is an effective and inexpensive
management tool frequently used to alter, maintain, and
restore vegetative communities throughout Michigan. It is
also a tool that can negatively impact eastern box turtle
populations when used during certain times of the year.
Here we evaluate the seasonal variation in box turtle
vulnerability to prescribed fire and the behavioral changes
made after exposure to fire.
How The Stewardship Network Creates Collective
Impact—21st Century Conservation (Room 102)
Spencer Kellum, Lisa Brush, The Stewardship Network
Are you new to The Stewardship Network and find
yourself wondering what exactly The Network does?
Or maybe you are a veteran Network member, but you
struggle to fully explain the Network to others. The
Stewardship Network means many different things to
many different people. That is why the Network works,
and also why it’s tough to nail down. The Network links
many overlapping, interrelated, and interconnected
pieces; nature, community, philosophy, art, restoration,
science, conservation, and spirituality all describe an
aspect of The Stewardship Network. Together, we
are changing the world, but the process is not direct
or simple. Join us for clarifying presentation on The
Stewardship Network, how we function, the importance
of your role, and the over-arching themes that guide our
collective work on behalf of land and water.
Nectar Plant Abundance and Richness Are Not Primary
Drivers of Monarch Ovipositing Patterns at a Local
Scale (Heritage Room)
Elizabeth Stelzner, Michigan State University
Additional Contributors: Carolyn Malmstrom, Michigan State
University; Karen Oberhauser, University of Minnesota
Choosing habitats with sufficient floral resources is
essential for monarchs (Danaus plexippus) because they
require milkweed to lay their eggs and feed from various
nectar-rich forbs. These habitats are threatened, however,
due to declines in milkweed and nectar forb abundance
from land development and pesticides. In summer 2012,
3:30–4:15 p.m.
The Aftermath of Emerald Ash Borer in Southeastern
Michigan: Will Ash Survive? (Room 103AB)
Dan Kashian, Wayne State University
The introduction of emerald ash borer (EAB) in
southeastern Michigan killed millions of ash trees over
the last decade, leading many to conclude that ash trees
are likely to be lost from the region. The potential for
ash persistence is unclear because of uncertainties about
the reproductive ability of surviving trees and seedlings,
especially as EAB is well established in the area. A mast
year for ash in 2011 suggests that seed production may
sustain ash. However, seed production in eighteen green
ash stands between 2010 and 2012 revealed significant
seeds on both surviving ash trees and ash sprouts from
the stumps of EAB-killed trees. Seed production was
much lower than that prior to EAB, but occurred in both
non-mast (2010 and 2012) and mast years. Individual ash
trees are unlikely to ever reach the stature of pre-EAB
overstory trees, but preservation of ash species appears
to be promising.
Historic and Present Day Distribution of Wild Rice in
Michigan (Room 103AB)
Jason Tallant, University of Michigan; Barb Barton,
Endangered Species Consulting
Few known efforts have been made to map the historic
and current distribution of wild rice (Zizania spp.)
in Michigan. Multiple partners have come together
to contribute data to comprehensively map known
populations. These populations are compared to historic
accounts to assess potential total distributions within
the state. Remote sensing techniques are employed to
confirm existence of populations within areas of interest
identified by historic accounts. Comparing known and
historic populations has implications in conservation
and management that will be explored throughout the
conference’s Wild Rice Track for 2014.
11
River Rice Restoration on Pine Creek by the
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi
(Room 104AB)
Stephen W. Allen, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the
Potawatomi
Additional Contributors: Eric Kerney, John Rodwan,
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi
Manoomin (wild rice) is integral to the migration stories
of Anishnabe (Great Lakes Native Peoples). In southwest
Michigan, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the
Potawatomi (NHBP) is returning wild “river” rice (Zizania
aquatica var. aquatica) to Tribally controlled waters and
working to preserve existing wild rice stands. The Tribe’s
work is providing awareness to both tribal members
and local public. The current status of this Great Lakes
Friday Afternoon Sessions
we planted two native milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca and
Asclepias incarnata) in four locations in southwestern
Michigan in two adjacent habitats: switchgrass fields
(few to no nectar forbs) and prairies (with nectar forbs).
We surveyed milkweed for monarch eggs and larvae
daily over three generations, two of which experienced
severe drought and milkweed herbivory. No significant
differences in number of eggs observed were found
between habitats or milkweed species. However, at each
location, there was often variation in ovipositing between
host species and habitat. We found that presence of
nectar plants did not drive differences in monarch
ovipositing between switchgrass and prairie habitats.
12
Restoration Initiative supported project will be discussed,
including four years of GIS-based locations and status
mapping, regional wild rice locations, translocation and
seeding activities, educational projects and anticipated
future activities.
ha, long-term monitoring data (at least six years) that
captures the winter season, and community collaboration
to help address management questions.
Interseeding Forbs in a Grass-dominated Prairie
Restoration in Northeast Indiana (Heritage Room)
Recreating Natural Fire Regimes in the Oak Openings
(Room 105AB)
Ryan Gauger, The Nature Conservancy
Prescribed fire is often one of the most effective and
cost-efficient management techniques implemented by
land managers currently. There are several questions
regarding how to implement fire in a safe manner that
allows for historical return intervals. I will be presenting
a case study from The Nature Conservancy’s Kitty Todd
Nature Preserve (Ohio) on how our fire program went
from semi-functional in 2010 to where we are today
with the preserve’s fire-adapted systems in a three
year fire return interval. Due to the unique assemblage
of ecosystems and biodiversity in the region, choosing
an appropriate return interval is essential and can
be overwhelming to think about. As a group, we will
examine the results of this method and break it down in
steps that can be used by any organization or individual
trying to tackle this issue.
Best Management Practices Verification: Results from
a Huron County, Ontario Watershed and a Literature
Review (Room 102)
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Mari Veliz, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority; Chitra
Gowda, Essex Region Conservation Authority
Rural non-point sources (NPS) of nutrients (particularly
phosphorus), sediment and bacteria can sometimes limit
both the human uses and the ecological integrity of the
near shore area of the Great Lakes. A watershed based
best management practices (BMP) evaluation in Huron
County, Ontario and a literature review of watershed
verification evaluation projects across North America
were completed. The Huron County study combined
with the literature review showed that there is a need
to manage watersheds for storm events and tailor BMPs
to address these events. Landowner collaboration was
found to be critical to project implementation and
evaluation. It is recommended that future verification
studies involve: a BACI (before, after, control, impact)
experimental design, a watershed that is 33 to 622
Adam Thada, Taylor University
Additional Contributors: Robert Reber and Paul Rothrock,
Taylor University
Many tallgrass prairie restorations fail to match the level
of biodiversity found in undisturbed prairie remnants.
Restorations often become excessively dominated by
C4 grasses at the expense of forbs due to the lack of
historical disturbance patterns as well as insufficient
propagule availability. Interseeding new species usually
requires a disturbance mechanism to aid establishment of
new plants. In the 2013 growing season, we interseeded
five native prairie species into a grass-dominated
restoration and used two disturbance methods: a
pretreatment of haying in place of the annual spring fire,
and application of a grass-specific herbicide. Seedling
counts were taken monthly. Visual obstruction readings
(VOR) and percent cover measured the dominance
of Andropogon gerardii (Big bluestem) for each plot.
We will share our results as of the fall of 2013. Where
management options are limited, haying and herbicide
application could constitute effective tools for prairie
restorationists interested in increasing species diversity.
Is Michigan’s Constitutional Duty to Conserve Natural
Resources under Attack? (Heritage Room)
Artemis Eyster, Chelsea Roots & Shoots
The Michigan Constitution requires that the state
legislature “provide for the protection of the air,
water and other natural resources of the state from
pollution, impairment and destruction” (Article 52).
However, recent and current legislation in the Michigan
State Senate seeks to weaken Department of Natural
Resources oversight of public lands. In this presentation
a review of current legislation and summaries of the
views of various experts on both sides of the dispute are
discussed. A case study of the success of environmental
advocates in countering similar challenges in Ohio will
also be discussed. The presentation will conclude with
suggestions for effective advocacy in the state legislature.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Walpole Island
First Nation: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge and
Building Ecological Connections to Preserve Tallgrass
Prairie Habitat (Room 103AB)
Barb Macdonell, Ontario Ministry of Transportation; Jared
Macbeth, Walpole Island Heritage Centre
Additional Contributors: Joel Foster, Ontario Ministry of
Transportation; Clint Jacobs, Walpole Island Land Trust,
Dean Jacobs, Walpole Island Heritage Centre
Through the planning for the Detroit River International
Crossing (DRIC) study and on the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray
Parkway—the Windsor, Ontario access road linking
to the DRIC/New International Trade Crossing—
Walpole Island First Nation (WIFN) has collaborated
with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) on
ecological restoration, species at risk (SAR) transplants,
archaeology, landscape and urban design. WIFN and
Windsor-Essex are historically, ecologically and culturally
connected, sharing similar tallgrass prairie ecosystems
and SAR. WIFN has gained an international reputation
as stewards of tallgrass prairie, using an ecosystem
approach that has been a model for the parkway. WIFN’s
traditional knowledge has been built into the project
through ecosystem circles (a community forum focusing
on ecosystem health) and by direct involvement of a
First Nations ecological restoration company, Danshab
Enterprises. The successful relationship between MTO
and WIFN provides a model for capacity building and
First Nations involvement in ecological restoration and
infrastructure projects.
13
A Community’s Effort to Manage for Wild Rice (Zizania
aquatic var. aquatic) (Room 104AB)
Melanie Manion, Ottawa County Parks and Recreation
Commission
The threatened species of wild rice, Zizania aquatic var.
aquatic, has a long documented history in the mouth of
the Grand River. As several large stands have survived
this ever changing river, the communities around the
river, with the assistance of the local tribes, are working
to protect and potentially expand these remnant stands.
Friday Afternoon Sessions
4:25–5:10 p.m.
14
Partners in
Conservation
One of the greatest threats to the wild rice is the
growing infestations of phragmites, Phragmites australis.
Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission
(OCPRC) is one member of a collaboration of
nonprofits, private businesses, government agencies and
private landowners working to control Phragmites, in
part to protect the wild rice stands. Additionally, in 2014
OCPRC will use recent research to identify any of its
properties with potential Z. aquatica aquatica habitat to
expand the current distribution of this biologically and
culturally significant species.
Remembering Manoomin: Saginaw Chippewa Indian
Tribe Wild Rice Restoration Project (Room 104AB)
Michael Fisher, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe
The Michigan Department of Natural
Resources Wildlife Division is proud to
support the Stewardship Network.
Working towards wildlife
conservation on private and
public lands.
Manoomin or wild rice has always been a vital
component of Ojibwe culture. The Saginaw Chippewa
Indian Tribe (SCIT) recently embarked on an effort
to restore wild rice. In 2011, SCIT repurposed ponds
from an abandoned fish farm to be used as a wild rice
nursery. The ponds were redesigned specifically for
wild rice. In the fall of 2012, after the ponds were filled,
the restoration effort began with an event that allowed
community members, especially children, to introduce
the seed. Seeds were collected from Wild Fowl Bay,
within the Saginaw Bay Region; this ensures nursery stock
will be both genetically and geographically linked to area.
The goal of this project is to provide an opportunity to
reintroduce a fundamental component of Ojibwe culture
to the community while also establishing a viable stock of
wild rice for use in future restoration projects.
Developing a Rapid Assessment Methodology for the
Oak Openings Region (Room 105AB)
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Jennifer L. Thieme, The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife Conservation is funded by
wildlife habitat license plates, hunting
licenses and Pure Michigan Hunt.
To purchase yours today, visit -
www.michigan.gov/dnr
Because the Oak Openings Region has been a focus
of conservation efforts for several decades, a uniform
method to monitor change in habitat quality is necessary
to track the effectiveness of restoration over time.
Although rapid assessment methods exist for several
communities within the Oak Openings Region, none
accurately capture all vegetative communities, habitat
alterations, and biodiversity that characterize the region.
With the inadequacies of other rapid assessments in
mind, the Green Ribbon Initiative (GRI) is developing
a method to quickly assess habitat quality and track
improvements at a landscape scale. GRI managers
began collecting data on select metrics in 2013, and are
currently scaling these metrics to reflect Oak Openings
Region community health, with the ultimate goal of
ranking site quality. Links between coarse metrics and
fine-scale data (e.g., Floristic Quality Assessment Index)
will be examined in next steps of development to further
refine ranking, enabling us to track improvements in
habitat quality over time.
Conserving the Forests, Lakes and
Streams of Northeast Michigan
15
Huron Pines is a nonprofit, nongovernmental 501(c)(3)
organization with the mission of conserving the forests,
lakes and streams of Northeast Michigan. This mission is
accomplished by coordinating large-scale river restoration,
watershed management, conservation leadership and land
stewardship projects.
We use a hands-on approach to improving natural resources,
providing technical support to our grassroots conservation
partners and building partnerships between the public and
private sector. Contact us to learn more about our projects
and how you can get involved.
Do We Have Enough Water Quality Data to Determine
the Effectiveness of Best Management Practices?
(Room 102)
Toward Sustainable Water Information, a cooperative
partnership between the Northeast-Midwest Institute
(NEMWI) and the United States Geological Survey
(USGS), is exploring the regional availability of water
monitoring data to support decision-making. The
following question was selected for a case study to
evaluate the availability of water quality data needed to
answer a specific policy question: “How effective are best
management practices (BMPs) and their implementation
at reducing nutrients from nonpoint sources at the
watershed scale?” The case study identifies the quality
and quantity of nutrient status, ecosystem response, and
BMP implementation data that are needed to answer the
policy question in the Lake Erie Basin including specific
parameters, temporal and spatial monitoring frequency.
A compilation of data from federal, state, and local
monitoring agencies was queried to determine how much
of these data are currently being collected. Preliminary
results will be presented.
Variability of Nitrogen and Nitrate Levels Found in
Surface Water within the Great Lakes Basin
Dhareus Franks, Damon Rogers, ECOTEK
Nitrogen makes up 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere. It is
important in the survival of plants and animals. Nitrogen
is absorbed into water. Organic nitrogen accounts for
50% of the total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) found in lakes
Huron Pines
4241 Old US 27 South, Suite 2, Gaylord, MI 49735
(989) 448-2293 | [email protected]
www.huronpines.org
and streams, while the remaining 50% of the TDN is
determined by inorganic nitrogen deposits, influenced by
the geophysics and morphology of the lake. This project
examines and analyzes the variability in the nitrate and
nitrogen levels found in surface water within the five
Great Lakes.
Landfill Gas and Biogas: Using Waste Material as an
Alternative Energy Source
Miles Frierson, Nydea Terrell, ECOTEK
Traditional sources of energy are being depleted rapidly.
Using waste gas from rotting garbage and animal manure
as a source of energy may seem farfetched, but it is
not. Today there are millions of kilowatts of energy
being generated from landfills and manure enabled
biodigesters to power millions of homes around the
world. In this project we examine the environmental and
energy-independence benefits of collecting and using
methane gas, a byproduct of both landfills and animal
manure, as a source of energy.
Friday Afternoon Sessions
Elin Betanzo, Northeast-Midwest Institute
Additional Contributors: Anne Choquette, Jeff Deacon USGS;
Erik Hagen, Northeast-Midwest Institute; Kenneth Reckhow,
Duke University.
16
Friday Evening Events
5:15–5:45 p.m.
7:15–9:00 p.m.
Water and Pipe Ceremonies
(These are outdoor, alcohol-free events. Please convene
at the Centennial Room with your outdoor gear on.)
Great Lakes Century Project (Auditorium)
Beatrice Jackson, Saginaw Chippewa Tribe Helping Healer
Program; Mae Pego, Gun Lake Potawatomi Tribe; Steve
Pego, Saginaw Chippewa Tribe
Pipe Ceremony
The pipe ceremony involves the use of our sacred
tobacco to pray. The pipe carrier distributes traditional
tobacco to the people who hold it in their left hand and
silently offer their thoughts and prayers. The tobacco
is then picked up in a wooden bowl and then smoked
carrying the people’s prayers to the creator.
Water Ceremony
The water ceremony is an ancient tradition that has
been passed on to Midewewin Lodge people by the
Grandmothers and Grandfathers. It is a ceremony to
honor the sacred water that is in all life. It is kept today by
Midewewin women in the Three Fires Lodge. A prayer is
offered and a song is sung. The water is then shared with
the people in attendance.
5:30–7:00 p.m.
Poster Reception, Strolling Dinner and Art Sale
(Room Big Ten ABC)
5:45–7:00 p.m.
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Manoomin (Wild Rice) Talking Circle
(Riverside Room, Garden Level.
This is an alcohol-free event)
Philip Enquist, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Great Cities, Great Lakes, Great Basin
The watershed of the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River,
and Gulf of St. Lawrence—the Great Basin—spans from
from Duluth, Minnesota to the Atlantic Ocean and is
home to more than 50 million people. Despite hundreds
of important efforts to clean and protect the Great Lakes
and St. Lawrence River, none addressed the binational
waterways and their surrounding lands comprehensively,
as a whole ecosystem.
Join us as Philip Enquist, leader of Skidmore, Owings &
Merrill’s (SOM) City Design Practice, presents an awardwinning 100-year vision for the Great Basin and provides
insight on how we as citizens of the basin can work
together to create sustainable solutions for the region.
Inspired by the centennial of Daniel Burnham’s Plan of
Chicago in 2009, a team of designers in SOM’s City
Design Practice has led a pro-bono initiative to advance
a 100-year vision for the region. This initiative is a call
for everyone in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River
Basin to look at their shared water resource in a new
way and see the prosperous and sustainable future that
can be achieved collaboratively with environmental
stewardship, innovative economic regeneration and an
optimistic vision.
SOM’s 100-year Great Lakes Vision Plan, created in
collaboration with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
Cities Initiative, depicts the Great Basin as one region
defined by the watershed rather than political boundaries
and illustrates a vision for the region as an international
park that encompasses culturally-rich urban and rural
areas. Phil will present on some of the challenges facing
the region today and design principles to guide future
growth and development.
• Consultation & managment plan development
17
• Invasive plant control
• Prescribed ecological burns
• Design, installation & management
of native landscapes
9:00–10:30 p.m.
• Mapping & inventories
Live Music—Wire in the Wood (Riverside Room,
Garden Level)
Wire in the Wood is a prog-bluegrass locomotive
pulling a lonesome alt-folk boxcar and a swinging
Hot-Club caboose. Billy Kirst’s original songs and an
eclectic selection of covers are the tracks on which
this impulsively kinetic train can roll. In the tradition of
improvisational music, each performance locates itself
in the present moment, with detours and derailments
around every corner.
646 Barber Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
ph/fax: 734-665-7168
[email protected]
www.plantwiserestoration.com
Ten years ago, we planted a seed.
My, how it’s grown!
Take a minute, and think about where you were ten years ago. What city did you live in?
What park did you live near? What was the closest body of water? I’m sure the last ten
years have a made a huge difference in your life, your family and your career.
Lisa Brush
Executive Director
The Stewardship Network
David Borneman
Board President
The Stewardship Network
Friday Evening Events
For us, the last ten years has taken The Stewardship Network from an idea in
the minds of a select few to a thriving, dynamic resource that hundreds of
people interact with every day. Thank you for joining us as we kick off our
tenth year. Here’s to ten (and many) more!
18
Saturday Keynote Presentation
Indigenous Economics (Room 103B)
8:40–9:40 a.m.
Winona LaDuke, White Earth Land Recovery Project
The Forest Unseen (Room Big Ten C)
How can we restore culturally based economic security
on native lands for native peoples? Winona LaDuke
will discuss Indigenous Economics, a process and
strategy that addresses food, housing, energy, future
stability and sovereignty for the Anishinaabeg and other
indigenous peoples.
David G. Haskell, University of the South
Pulitzer Prize finalist David Haskell will discuss his
experience watching one square meter of forest in
Tennessee. This tiny patch of woods is a window into the
ecological world and a mirror to our own nature. Using
short readings from his award-winning book and personal
reflections from the experience of the watch, Haskell will
share some of the lessons that the woods offered him.
Saturday Workshops
9:50–10:45 a.m.
Stakeholder Stewardship of the Red Cedar Watershed:
Methods, Challenges and Accomplishments in
Community Conservation (Room 103A)
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Gabriel Biber, Julie Powers, Mid-Michigan Environmental
Action Council
Additional Contributor: Brandon Kawalec, Mid-Michigan
Environmental Action Council
The Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council
(Mid-MEAC) serves Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton
Counties by translating environmental concerns
into action by providing education, advocacy, and
volunteer opportunities. Mid-MEAC implements the
Volunteer Stream Monitoring program for the Red
Cedar Watershed using MiCorps best practices and a
stakeholder engagement process that facilitates sampling
and identification of benthic macro-invertebrates,
and adds to the larger body of knowledge about the
watershed. Balancing the field work of place-based
conservation with collaboration among multiple
partners is founded on ongoing community outreach,
seeking input and strengthening the network of
stakeholder stewards. Outcomes of these volunteer
monitoring activities include identification and
amelioration of drain issues, increased stakeholder
involvement in land use planning and expanded
collaboration between regional partners.
Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership: Restoring and
Protecting Inland Lake Shorelines (Room 104A)
Jane Herbert, Michigan State University Extension,
Greening Michigan Institute
Additional Contributor: Julia Kirkwood, Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality
Lakeshore development has caused significant adverse
effects on fish and wildlife habitat and water quality
in many midwest lakes (EPA 2007). The practice of
hardening inland lake shorelines with rock riprap and
vertical sea walls has resulted in the cumulative loss of
important habitat for fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
The Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership (MNSP)
was formed in 2008 to promote the use of natural
landscaping and erosion control to protect Michigan’s
inland lakes. The partnership brings together technical
expertise and organizational support to address
informational, educational and policy needs related to
natural shoreline development. The MNSP has created
two training programs and supporting educational
resources to promote, protect and implement natural
shorelines. This presentation will include information
on different techniques, native plant recommendations
and an overview of wave energy and its importance in
natural shoreline designs.
Identification of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Their
Use in Assessing Stream Health (Room 104B)
Bringing The Stewardship Network to New England:
Lessons Learned from a New Partnership (Room 105B)
Sylvia N. Heaton, Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality
Malin Ely Clyde, University of New Hampshire Cooperative
Extension; Spencer Kellum, The Stewardship Network
Aquatic macroinvertebrates are important organisms in
river and stream ecosystems. They play key roles in the
aquatic food chain and are an integral part of aquatic
biodiversity. Aquatic macroinvertebrates are used to
assess ecosystem health and function. This workshop
will focus on the collection and identification of aquatic
macroinvertebrates in rivers and streams. Participants will
learn how aquatic macroinvertebrates are collected in the
field, and how to identify the organisms to family level. A
brief introduction on how these organisms are used to
assess the health of an aquatic ecosystem, and how they
can be easily identified by physical characteristics will be
presented. Participants will then have a chance to sort
and identify a sample of field collected material using the
information they were presented. No prior knowledge
or skills of aquatic macroinvertebrate identification is
necessary to participate in the workshop.
The University of New Hampshire Cooperative
Extension (UNHCE) and The Stewardship Network
(TSN) have begun a new collaboration to share
successful models of environmental networks, thanks
to a 3-year grant from the United States Forest Service.
New England has a rich diversity of environmental groups
and agencies working to conserve and steward lands
and waters. However, with few resources allocated to
collaborate among these groups, the region offers an
ideal test case for expanding the efforts of TSN into a
new part of the United States. Although some issues
are similar (invasive plants, for example), the regions
are also different enough in ecology, landscape, and
cultural traditions to make for an interesting test case
for expansion of The Stewardship Network. We’ll share
what we’ve learned so far, and talk about the successes
and challenges in adapting TSN’s model within the
context of existing networks of people and organizations.
Martha R. Holzheuer, Environmental Consulting &
Technology, Inc.; Kim Piccolo, Huron-Manistee National
Forests; Jeff Plakke, Matthaei Botanical Gardens and
Nichols Arboretum; Mike Sanders, Michigan Natural
Features Inventory; Lori Sargent, Michigan Department of
Natural Resources
Ecological restoration and ongoing land stewardship
efforts often target high quality natural areas that support
rare species. Special considerations must be made
when planning and executing management techniques
in such ecosystems to avoid adverse impacts to rare
flora and fauna. Please join us as a multi-agency/multisector panel of experts discusses the laws and enforcing
agencies responsible for protecting rare species, how
to obtain a list of known or potential rare species to
consider for a given property or project, where to find
additional information about them, general approaches
for minimizing adverse impacts, and challenges associated
with balancing rare species management with ecosystem
restoration and multiple land use goals.
Habitat Matters: A Report from the Front Line in
Invasive Species Management (Room 102)
Katie Grzesiak, Northwest Michigan Invasive Species
Network
Join the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network
(ISN) for a report on their efforts toward wholecommunity engagement in invasive plant management.
You will hear about Go Beyond Beauty, ISN’s successful
effort to engage nursery and landscape professionals in
invasive plant management by removing key species from
the local trade. Explore ISN’s adaptations to standard
invasive species communication with such examples as a
brochure on native alternatives to invasive ornamentals,
their website HabitatMatters.org, and a brief runthrough of their public presentation, Habitat Matters.
Sample Autumn Berry Preserves made by our local
partner, Food for Thought, now available for distribution
throughout Michigan. We will also unveil a sample of
garlic mustard paper made by our local partner, the
Goodwill Paperworks Studio, as we discuss collaborative
efforts to harvest raw materials and distribute this
unique product.
Saturday Workshops
Protecting Rare Species during Restoration
(Room 105A)
19
20
Managing for Pollinators (Heritage Room)
11:05 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Ann M. Fraser, Kalamazoo College
Watershed Volunteer Program: Traveling the Education
Continuum from Awareness to Community Extension
(Room 103A)
A wide range of insects visit flowers to feed on or
harvest nectar and pollen. In doing so, insects play an
important role in plant reproduction and ecosystem
functioning through the pollination services they provide.
Bees are by far the most important group of insect
pollinators, although flies, beetles, wasps, butterflies and
moths also do their part. Michigan is home to over 350
species of native bees. Several bee species are now gone
from most of their native range and concerns about
the health of insect pollinator populations are growing.
Through a short presentation, displays and hands-on
activities, this workshop will introduce participants to the
different pollinator groups, provide tips and resources
on how to identify different types of bees, and showcase
ways in which home gardeners, farmers, organizations
and land managers can enhance and manage their
property for pollinating insects.
Jennifer Grieser, Cleveland Metroparks
Additional Contributor: Samantha Catella, Cleveland
Metroparks
Cleveland Metroparks initiated the Watershed Volunteer
Program (WVP) in preparation for the opening of the
Watershed Stewardship Center. The three primary
goals of the Center include 1) advancing the science of
watershed and stormwater management, 2) applying
lessons learned from scientific findings and 3) involving
the community in this work. WVP guides participants
along the education continuum by first creating
awareness about the importance of healthy watersheds
and then providing opportunities for independent
projects, leadership and community extension.
Although northeastern Ohio has a wealth of watershed
organizations, they may not have time to develop and
foster the knowledge base of its citizenry. WVP creates
active watershed stewards that not only understand
how their actions impact the environment, but also
know how to guide community leaders towards better
municipal solutions.
Integrating Tradition and Technology in Wild Rice
Restoration, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa Tribe (Room 103B)
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Roger LaBine, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa Indians; Jason Carlson, Applied Ecological
Services, Inc.
This project utilized traditional wild rice camps, multispectral aerial imaging, and GIS suitability modeling to
educate and inform the restoration process for the Lac
Vieux Desert (LVD) Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Tribe in Watersmeet, MI. The wild rice camps connected
people to the land through traditional history and
storytelling, instruction and construction of traditional
ricing tools, and participation in harvesting, drying and
processing of wild rice. Multi-spectral aerial imaging and
GIS was used to map existing rice beds and identify key
areas suitable for restoration. Field evaluation, calibration
and confirmation methods were used to develop and
refine detailed restoration plans for each water body.
Implementation of restoration plans will establish about
seventy new acres of wild rice. The project was a funded
through GLRI and was conducted by an integrated
multi-disciplinary team including LVD, The Stewardship
Network, Cadmus and Applied Ecological Services.
Called to Be Human in the 21st Century (Room 104A)
Paula Cathcart, Danielle Conroyd, Gloria Rivera, River
Raisin Institute
Participants will view a short film that depicts the 13.7
billion year unfolding story of the universe. Through
reflection and conversation we will explore some of the
possibilities, impacts and responsibilities this knowledge
has for the human community. Many times you have
heard someone say, “The world is sure different.” This
program is an invitation to open your mind and heart
to see how the scientific revelation about the universe
challenges us to see the world differently, deepen our
spirituality and expand our understanding of what it
means to be human in this 21st century.
Management of Wild Parsnip and Giant Hogweed
(Room 105A)
21
Michael Bald, Got Weeds?
Pastinaca sativa (wild parsnip) and Heracleum
mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) are non-native
herbaceous plants notoriously dangerous to human eyes
and skin. Numerous projects are underway in Vermont
to manually eradicate populations of these two species.
Some sites are small “early detections,” while others
are established at three or more acres. Manual control
methods were chosen on these impacted sites largely
due to their complexity, their proximity to water, a
shared non-chemical philosophy, and the desire to revegetate the landscape with native species. All site work
has been funded either by landowners directly or by
towns. There is a demonstration value not only in the
success of cooperative site treatments covering multiple
ownerships, but also in the non-chemical approach
over extended timeframes. This presentation will share
results from several control projects to highlight the
challenges, the hazards, useful data, lessons learned, and
implementation approaches associated with “danger
plant” eradication.
Repatriating Our Remains to the Circle of Life:
Traditional Tribal Burial Grounds (Room 104B)
In 2009, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa
Indians (LTBB) Tribal Council approved a statute to
establish a Traditional Tribal Burial Grounds (TTBG)
with the intention of creating a conservation space that
respects the deep reciprocal relationship indicated by
the body’s literal returning to the earth. The process
of decomposition is ultimately inseparable from the
spirit’s continued journey, and the methodological and
ideological contrasts between natural burial methods
and the “concrete and chemical” approach underscore
the ongoing, enormous disparity between tribal and
mainstream earth relationships. “Green burial” grounds
provide a place of community solidarity steeped in the
lived continuity of ancestral influence. The high stakes
of natural burial are another aspect of the unified
corporeal and spiritual reclamations similarly taking
place through the Indian Graves and Repatriation Act of
1990. This presentation will explore these issues in the
context of the LTBB TTBG project, from inception to
current progress.
Free Interactive
Monthly Webcasts
Join hundreds of professionals, researchers,
students, volunteers and landowners every
month for The Stewardship Network’s
webcasts! Learn from and interact with
practitioners and researchers who are
leaders in their fields.
When: Second Wednesday of Every Month
12: 00 PM – 1: 00 PM Eastern Time
11: 00 AM – 12: 00 PM Central Time
10 : 00 AM – 11: 00 AM Mountain Time
9: 00 AM – 10 : 00 AM Pacific Time
Where:Any computer with a highspeed
internet connection
www.StewardshipNetwork.org/Webcast
to learn more
Saturday Workshops
Nichole Marie Biber, Little Traverse Bay Bands of
Odawa Indians
22
Tallgrass Prairie Restoration Benefits Species at
Risk on the Right Honourable Herb Gray Parkway
(Room 105B)
Megan Hazell, Season Snyder, AMEC Environment and
Infrastructure
Additional Contributors: Joel Foster, Barb Macdonell,
Ontario Ministry of Transportation; Andreas Stenzel, AMEC
Environment and Infrastructure
In 2010, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
issued a precedent-setting permit under the Endangered
Species Act to the Ministry of Transportation for
construction of the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway—
the Ontario access road linking to the Detroit River
International Crossing/New International Trade
Crossing. The permit includes comprehensive mitigation,
monitoring and long-term habitat protection for six
plant and two snake tallgrass prairie species at risk
and their critical habitat. Mitigation and restoration
efforts included transplantation of over 200,000 plants
and 500 snakes into protected areas, using techniques
including seed and vegetative propagation, prairie
sod material transfer and novel wildlife relocation
methods. These protected areas are undergoing active
restoration through invasive species management and
prescribed burns. Monitoring in response to active
management has provided insight into successful
vegetation restoration and snake relocation approaches.
Management and protection of these restoration
sites in perpetuity ensures suitable habitat for these
endangered species into the future.
The Bloomington Urban Woodlands Project: Restoring
Urban Woodlands, Reconnecting People with Nature
(Room 102)
Heather L. Reynolds, Indiana University
Additional Contributors: Jonathan Bauer, Ellen Jacquart,
Monroe County Identify and Reduce Invasive Species; Steve
Cotter, City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation; David
Rupp, Sassafras Audubon Society
Urban woodlands tend to be small, fragmented, and close
to conventionally landscaped yards, making them especially
vulnerable to degradation from exotic invasive plants.
Indeed, approximately 85% of woody invasive species
come from the landscaping trade. The Bloomington
Urban Woodlands Project brings campus, community,
Michigan Nature Association
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
www.michigannature.org
Protecting Michigan’s
Natural Heritage Since 1952
HURON-CLINTON metroparks
1-800-477-2757 • www.metroparks.com
People
Land
Legacy
Ecological Monitoring for Adaptive Management
(Heritage Room)
Jacqueline Courteau, University of Michigan; Sheila
Schueller, Eastern Michigan University; Shawn Severance,
Washtenaw County Parks
Natural area managers aim to monitor natural areas
before, during and after restoration efforts to establish
baselines, assess restoration progress and adjust
management strategies. What are the key measurements
managers actually use? Can we go beyond presence/
abundance/distribution of invasive species to measure
other indicators of ecosystem health? Photo monitoring
is useful but poses data management challenges—can
photos be stored and made accessible to contribute
to on-going management decisions? What are good
indicators for particular communities (such as percentage
of light or percentage of tree cover for prairies and
savannas; soil N for agricultural fields being restored to
grasslands; tree regeneration for various forest types)?
Are there simple measurements that could be made by
students who visit natural areas for university classes each
year, so that they could contribute to restoration and
management in a meaningful way? Help us brainstorm
about field measurements and analysis that would be
useful for you.
Wild Rice
23
Wild Rice is a unique part of our
natural and cultural heritage here in the
Great Lakes region. It needs healthy
ecosystems to grow, and in turn it
supports and abundance of wildlife –
providing spawning ground for fish, cover
and food for migrating birds, and an
amazing spiritual connection for people.
We’re glad to have had the opportunity
over the past several years to help
preserve it for future generations. Want
to get involved with Wild Rice?
Contact us at
[email protected]
Garlic Mustard
Challenge
The countdown is on!
The 2014 Garlic Mustard Challenge kicks
off on April 9th, 2014. This fun, energizing
Challenge links efforts going on from the
Atlantic to the Mississippi River—and
anywhere else people find, pull, and
report garlic mustard! Get resources,
get involved, and get pumped.
Learn more at
www.garlicmustardchallenge.wordpress.com
A blog by The Stewardship Network
Saturday Workshops
and business together to achieve direct conservation
results and behavioral change in consumers of landscaping
plants. Working with multiple service-learning courses,
hundreds of students and community volunteers, several
conservation groups, and a local nursery retailer, our
project has replaced invasive plants with native species
in close to 20 acres of urban woodlands. We have
conducted research to improve our restoration strategies,
and created marketing materials that communicate
the costs and benefits of invasive versus native plant
species and assist consumers in selecting appropriate
native alternatives. Next steps include a neighborhood
awareness campaign, conducting social science research to
gauge participant motivations and benefits, and extending
of our marketing model to additional nursery retailers.
24
12:10–1:05 p.m.
Natural Patterns of Sustainability (Room 104A)
Long-term Collaboration Between Researchers and
Park Managers (Room 103A)
Steve Thomas, Ecologist
Wendy Klooster, The Ohio State University
Long-term ecological studies are greatly facilitated by
cooperation between researchers and land managers.
Researchers can benefit from the first-hand knowledge
and experience of the land managers regarding the
specific habitats and management practices, whereas
the land managers benefit from increased knowledge of
the communities and processes occurring on their land.
From 2004 through 2013, scientists from The Ohio State
University have been studying the impacts of emerald
ash borer (EAB) on forest structure and community
composition within Michigan Metroparks and State
Recreation Areas. This presentation will describe various
aspects of this collaboration, including plot establishment,
data collection, extension and outreach opportunities, and
dissemination of results through reports and GIS maps.
Adapting to the Effects of Climate Change on Wild Rice
(Room 103B)
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Barb Barton, Endangered Species Consulting; Roger LaBine,
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
Additional Contributor: Jubin Cheruvelil, Michigan State
University
Climate change is predicted to significantly warm ambient
and water temperatures in the Great Lakes wild rice
region, increase invasive species, increase decomposition
rates which will release phosphorous and toxins from
the sediment, and alter the conditions that presently
exist. These changes will likely negatively affect wild
rice (Zizania spp.) populations, which in turn, will affect
the long-held traditions of wild rice harvesting by Tribal
communities. The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake
Superior Chippewa has harvested wild rice for centuries
from Lac Vieux Desert and surrounding lakes and rivers.
It is a staple of their diet, an important component of
their spiritual practices, and is the foundation of the
traditional practice of wild rice harvesting. In partnership
with the Tribe, we propose an adaptation strategy to
ensure that rice beds and ricing culture are preserved for
future generations.
There are probably numerous reasons that nature
fascinates people. Some of these reasons, such as
the diversity of plants and animals, might be easy to
pinpoint. But other reasons may be unclear, unconscious,
or spiritual, and thus rarely discussed. Perhaps one
unconscious reason for people’s fascination is that
nature’s countless plants, animals, and communities have
seemingly discovered many factors underlying complex
system sustainability. Thus they are able to survive,
reproduce, and adapt to constantly changing conditions
millennia after millennia. Yet the sustainability within
nature seems to contrast with conditions in many human
systems, including economies, communities, governments,
and cultures—systems which seem unable to give us
the stable, positive results we desire. Can we use our
increasing understanding of natural systems to improve
human systems? We will discuss sustainability patterns in
nature, and possible ways of applying this understanding
to our troubled human systems.
Toward a New Approach in Environmental
Conservation: The Importance of Indigenous Placebased Understandings (Room 104B)
Nichlas Emmons, Utah State University
It long has been known and studied that Native
Americans sustain an important relationship with the
natural environment. This relationship, held uniquely only
by the indigenous of this continent, is a defining feature
of cultures and economic, political, and social institutions.
To that end, developing a better understanding of
the importance of the natural environment to tribal
nation building is essential. Native peoples interact with
land and other natural resources in uniquely different
ways than contemporary dominant culture. The
indigenous ways of conceptualizing and understanding
the environment may provide key insights into more
meaningful ways for dominant society. The indigenous
of this continent practiced a sustainable economy that
focused on the long-term use of natural resources.
In doing this, emphasis was placed upon site-specific
knowledge and information flowed from one generation
to the next and contained important life lessons. Within
these contexts, we find a more meaningful way to
understand environmental interactions that promote
long-term sustainability and conservation.
Phragmites Treatment/Management Prioritization Tool
(Room 105A)
Anne Hokanson, Kevin Walters, Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Water Resources Division has recently developed a new
tool to help management groups prioritize the treatment
and management of invasive Phragmites. While the
invasive, non-native variety of Phragmites has become
widespread in much of the Great Lakes region, limited
funding and resources dictate that groups trying to
manage Phragmites regionally should carefully prioritize
management sites to improve the likelihood of success.
This tool will allow those groups to rank many sites and
focus on the highest priority locations. The tool uses
three categories of criteria—ecological, human values,
and feasibility/coordination of treatment—as factors
to score and ultimately prioritize invasive Phragmites
infestations for control. Ecological criteria include
considerations such as the region of Michigan where
the infestation is located and the quality of habitat in
the surrounding area. Human values criteria consider
such things as property ownership, severity of aesthetic
impacts, and whether the infestation is causing a human
safety hazard. Feasibility and coordination criteria include
the difficulty of the treatment at a specific location and
whether nearby phragmites treatment is planned.
Effective Partnership and Conservation in the Lakeplain
Oak Openings (Room 105B)
Contemplative Practice in Nature Study (Room 102)
David G. Haskell, University of the South
25
Contemplative practices offer ways of studying “nature”
that can be useful and enriching for teachers and students
alike. This workshop will introduce several contemplative
methods for listening (literally and metaphorically) to the
community of life, including the many roles that humans
play in the community. These methods can be used both
inside classrooms and in the field. We’ll discuss their
advantages and potential pitfalls.
The Story of the Land in Watercolor and Word
(Heritage Room)
Lori Taylor, Bear Track Studios, LLC
Learn to interpret the land in pencil and watercolor
sketches to tell its tale. Practice drawing techniques as
you rapid field assess (a mini “bio-blitz”) during a wild
slide show. The goal is to learn to capture as much
information as possible while walking the land with a few
tools and skills in your pocket.
in conjunction with and staffed by
Mike Losey, Lindsey Reinarz, Steven Woods, The Nature
Conservancy
invites you to visit the
Book Sale
Michigan Audubon Society will generously
donate a portion of the proceeds to
The Stewardship Network
Saturday Workshops
In 2000 The Green Ribbon Initiative was formed to put
a public face on the conservation efforts in the highly
fragmented lakeplain oak openings. Since then, it has
expanded and along the way we have learned to utilize
the strengths of each partner to attract millions of dollars
in funding and achieve tangible conservation results at
scale. Our goal is to do more and better conservation
and increase the capacity for others to do just the same.
Join us in exchanging ideas about having productive
partnerships, working effectively on lands with multiple
ownerships and broadening the basis of conservation
through outreach and education.
26
Conference Sponsors
Habitat Guardian
Wildlife Division
Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies •
Department of Entomology • Department of Forestry • Department
of Fisheries and Wildlife • Department of Community Sustainability
• Gordon and Norma Guyer and Gary L. Seever Endowed Chair in
Natural Resource Conservation • Native American Institute
Community Patron
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Community Sponsor
Parks and Recreation
Division
27
Heritage Sponsor
Celebrating 25 Years
Michigan State University
Native American Institute
The Gathering Society
Bear Track Studios, LLC
Mike Appel Environmental Design
Cygnet Enterprises, Inc.
Ottawa County Parks and Recreation
The Dahlem Conservancy
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
ecoChic landscape design inc.
Raisin Valley Land Trust
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Royal Oak Nature Society
Legacy Land Conservancy
SmithGroup JJR
Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Conference Sponsors
Friend of The Network
28
Poster Presenters
1.
Washtenaw County Parks’ Natural Areas Preservation
Program: Maximizing Land Preservation through
Effective Partnerships
Meghan Bonfiglio, Peter Sanderson, Washtenaw County
Parks & Recreation Commission
2.
Find Out about The Stewardship Network’s West
Michigan’s Cluster
Mike Bruggink, Fen View Design, LLC; Ginny Wanty,
Michigan State University Extension
3.
Find Out about The Stewardship Network’s
Lakeplain Cluster
Suzan Campbell, Michigan Natural Features Inventory;
Martha Gruelle, Wildlife Habitat Council
4.
Find Out about The Stewardship Network’s
Headwaters Cluster
Ryan Colliton, Oakland Township Parks & Recreation
5.
Find Out about The Stewardship Network’s Western
Lake Erie Cluster
Danielle Conroyd, Sharon Venier, River Raisin Institute
6.
Using a Viability Analysis to Identify Information Gaps,
Establish Monitoring Metrics, and Derive Restoration
Endpoints in the St. Clair-Detroit Rivers System
Robin DeBruyne, USGS Great Lakes Science Center
7.
Management Experiments on Lake Erie Flowering Rush
Alyssa Dietz, Bowling Green State University
8.
Analysis of Coyote Diets in Metropolitan Detroit Michigan
William Dodge, Wayne State University
9.
Wildflowers in a Michigan Garden:Transforming an
Urban Lot into a Native Oasis
Cheryl M. English, Black Cat Pottery
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
10. Variability of Nitrogen and Nitrate Levels Found in
Surface Water within the Great Lakes Basin
Dhareus Franks, Damon Rogers, ECOTEK
11. Find Out about The Stewardship Network’s Huron
Arbor Cluster
Jason Frenzel, Huron River Watershed Council; Drew Lathin,
Creating Sustainable Landscapes, LLC
12. Landfill Gas and Biogas: Using Waste Material as an
Alternative Energy Source
Miles Frierson, Nydea Terrell, ECOTEK
13. Restoring a Golf Course: An Ohio Case Study in
Progress at Acacia Reservation
Constance E. Hausman, Cleveland Metroparks
14. Why I Want Charcoal for Christmas
Jonathan Huck, Michigan State University
15. Art × Science (Mimi Kato × Cleveland Metroparks):
Retro-Reflections on Sculpting Nature
Mimi Kato, artist; Jennifer Hillmer, Cleveland Metroparks
16. Find Out about The Stewardship Network’s
Raisin Cluster
Bob Kellum Oh These Irish Hills!; Sybil Kolon, Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality
17. Local Connections for Community-based Conservation
at a New Bird Sanctuary
Bri Krauss, Michigan Audubon
18. Find Out about The Stewardship Network’s
Mid-Michigan Cluster
Leslie Kuhn, Michigan State University; Bri Krauss, Michigan
Audubon; Andrea Stay, Eaton County Conservation District
19. Find Out about The Stewardship Network’s Southwest
Corner Cluster
Paul MacNellis, Volunteer Land Steward
20. Strengthening the Network of Prescribed Fire Managers
and Researchers in the Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna
Ecoregions: Assessing Research Needs
Craig Maier, Tallgrass Prairie & Oak Savanna Fire Science
Consortium
21. Spotted Knapweed Control Methods Affect Native Plant
Establishment in a Michigan Prairie Restoration
Laurelin Martin, Grand Valley State University
22. The Washtenaw Wilderness: A Grassroots Project to
Certify an Entire County (Washtenaw County, Michigan)
as a National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Community
Wildlife Habitat ®, One Yard at a Time
Mary Mathias, National Wildlife Federation-The Washtenaw
Wilderness; Julia Liljegren, National Wildlife FederationGreat Lakes Regional Center
23. Nectar Resources of Oak Savanna Forbs for
Butterfly Restoration
Helen Michaels, Bowling Green State University
24. Ground-flora Composition and Diversity of Young
and Mature Wildfire-regenerated Jack Pine Forests of
Northern Lower Michigan
Elizabeth Monarch, The Ohio State University
25. Invasive Plant and Herbicide Legacy Effects Limit Native
Recruitment in an Urban Woodland
Melissa O’Neill, Indiana University
26. Impacts of an Adjuvant and an Herbicide on the
Mortality and Foraging Behaviors of the Native Bumble
Bee Bombus Impatiens.
Scott Prajzner, The Ohio State University
31. Work in Progress: Evaluating the Effects of Seasonal
Prescribed Fire on a Species of Special Concern, the
Eastern Box Turtle
Tracy Swem, Michigan State University
27. Communicating Fishery Management Goals and
Objectives Using an Adaptive Framework for the St.
Clair-Detroit Rivers System Initiative
Ed Roseman, US Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center
32. GIS Inventory and Map of Canopy Trees in an Indiana
Old-Growth Forest
John Taylor, Ball State University
28. Assessing Restorability of Western Lake Erie Wetlands
Justin Saarinen, University of Michigan-Dearborn
29
33. A Comparison of Current and Pre-settlement Jack
Pine-dominated Ecosystems in Northern Lower
Michigan, USA
Madelyn M. Tucker, Wayne State University
29. Rate My Land: a Property Rating and Award Incentive
Program that Fosters Private Landowner Engagement in
Biodiversity Inventories and Management
Derek Shiels, Rate My Land, Northern Habitats
34. Expansion of the Michigan Butterfly Network Across
the State and Connecting with Regional Partners
Ashley Anne Wick, Kyle Bibby, Kalamazoo Nature Center
30. The Effect of Seed Predation on Seedling Fitness in
Lupinus perennis
Jacob Sublett, Bowling Green State University
35. Writing the St. Marys: A Community Writing Project to
Enhance Sense of Place for the St. Marys River Community
Gregory Zimmerman, Lake Superior State University
Join The Stewardship Network
The Stewardship Network connects, equips and mobilizes people
and organizations to care for land and water in their communities.
Towards that end, we:
•Train, develop, and support vibrant conservation leaders—both
volunteer and professional
• Build the capacity of partner organizations and individuals
through the development of model conservation projects and
implementation of landscape-scale region-wide initiatives
• Recognize the need to bring people together in local action
guided by landscape-scale goals
Become a member! Join The Stewardship Network today
and help protect your local land and water!
www.StewardshipNetwork.org/JoinNow
Poster Presenters
• Connect volunteer leaders and organizations to The Network’s
wealth of knowledge and experience in conservation and
protection
30
Keynote Bios
Winona LaDuke
Philip Enquist
White Earth Land Recovery
Project
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe)
is an internationally acclaimed
author, orator and activist
who has devoted her life to
protecting the lands and life ways
of native communities. She is founder and co-director of
Honor the Earth, a national advocacy group encouraging
public support and funding for native environmental
groups. With Honor the Earth, she works nationally and
internationally on issues of climate change, renewable
energy, sustainable development, food systems and
environmental justice.
David G. Haskell
University of the South
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
David Haskell’s work integrates
scientific and contemplative
studies of the natural world.
His book, The Forest Unseen:
A Year’s Watch in Nature,
was a winner of the National
Academies’ best book award for 2013, was a finalist
for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in non-fiction, and is the
recipient of numerous other literary awards. Haskell
holds degrees from the University of Oxford and
Cornell University. He is a professor of biology at the
University of the South, where he served as chair of
the Biology Department. In 2009, the Carnegie and
CASE Foundations named him Professor of the Year for
Tennessee. The Oxford American featured him in 2011
as one of the southern US’s most creative teachers.
He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, with his wife, Sarah
Vance who runs Cudzoo Farm, a homestead farm that
produces hand-made goat milk soaps.
Philip Enquist, FAIA, leads the
global City Design Practice of
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
LLP (SOM), the world’s most
highly awarded urban design
and planning group. Phil and
his studios have improved the quality and efficiency
of city living on five continents by creating locationunique strategic designs that integrate nature and urban
density within a framework of future-focused public
infrastructure. Phil passionately believes that the world’s
explosive growth in cities and population must be
managed by humane and holistically sustainable thinking
at the national, regional and metropolitan scales. The
scale of Phil’s design perspective continues to expand
from innovating sustainable urban forms that enhance
city living with walkable, transit-enabled districts
humanized by their natural amenities to rapidly changing
urban clusters within regional ecosystems like North
America’s Great Lakes basin and China’s Bohai Rim. Phil
is committed to the profession through one-on-one
mentorships and recent teaching positions with Illinois
Institute of Technology, Harvard University’s Graduate
School of Design, and the University of Michigan’s
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning as
the Charles Moore Visiting Professor. Phil was honored
with the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award from
the Architectural Guild of the University of Southern
California School of Architecture for his dedication
to strengthening the physical, social and intellectual
infrastructure of cities. The year prior, the Chicago
Tribune named him and his studio Chicagoans of the
Year in Architecture, citing “the city-friendly designs of
Phil Enquist.”
Stephen W. Allen
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the
Potawatomi
Stephen W. Allen is habitat
specialist for the Nottawaseppi
Huron Band of the Potawatomi
in southwest Michigan. He
has been responsible for
natural areas and effective management of Tribe
properties since 2008. He also has been active in the
understanding and return of wild “river” rice to tribal
lands. Steve is also principle of Geum Services Inc.
(GSI), founded in 2005. GSI conducts environmental
consultation, site evaluation, biological inventory and
monitoring and open-space verification on low-impact
developments. The clientele includes larger landholders
such as tribes, municipalities and corporations. Also
served are golf courses, lake associations and private
homeowners. Coordinating and enabling volunteer
employee programming to steward corporate
lands is a specialty. Also, GSI provides native plant
consultation, rain garden and lakescaping installation,
and low-maintenance wildlife habitat design. A life-long
ornithologist and naturalist, Steve spent fourteen years
with the Kalamazoo Nature Center working with the
Avian Research Program and founding the Community
Wildlife Program prior to starting GSI.
Michael Bald
Got Weeds?
Michael Bald founded his
company Got Weeds? in
Royalton, VT in early 2011
to offer non-chemical weed
management options to
landowners in central Vermont
and New Hampshire. His focus is on long-term site
stewardship, soil health, and native plant diversity. Mike
seeks to integrate the worlds of invasive species, youth
education, organic farming, and sustainable operations.
With a BS in biology from the University of Notre
Dame, four years of service in the Army Corps of
Engineers, and nine years working for the US Forest
Service in Vermont, Mike appreciates the importance of
healthy habitats, site specificity and ecosystem resilience.
Got Weeds? has offered manual and mechanical weed
control alternatives for three growing seasons. Although
Mike has worked with invasive plant species for the past
ten years, he has recently narrowed his concentration to
the “danger plants” as a specialty.
31
Barb Barton
Endangered Species Consulting
Barb Barton is an endangered
species biologist and has been
involved with the conservation
of wild rice since 2007. She
is active in regional efforts to
assess, restore and preserve
wild rice and works with several Tribes in Michigan on
restoration projects. Since 2008, Barb has served as
co-instructor and outreach coordinator for numerous
traditional wild rice camps. Her recent projects include
research on the history and restoration of wild rice in
the Saginaw Bay, and how the Lac Vieux Desert Band
of Lake Superior Chippewa will adapt to the effects of
climate change on traditionally harvested wild rice beds.
Barb has also been working on developing a state-wide
wild rice map to inform conservation efforts. In addition
to consulting on wild rice and endangered species, Barb
works as an aquatic resource specialist for the MDOT.
Barb is also a musician whose fingers first touched strings
at the age of five. She was one of the first artists in
residence at Isle Royale National Park, where she penned
her most popular song, My Michigan. A former winner
of the Detroit Music Awards Best Vocalist in Folk Music,
Barb has been performing her original music across the
Great Lakes and East Coast region for nearly 30 years.
Elin Betanzo
Northeast-Midwest Institute
Elin Betanzo is project manager
for Toward Sustainable Water
Information, a cooperative
partnership between the
Northeast-Midwest Institute
(NEMWI) and the United
States Geological Survey (USGS) exploring the regional
availability of water monitoring data to support
decision-making. The project initially focuses on
nutrient enrichment in the Lake Erie basin and shale gas
extraction in the Susquehanna River basin to understand
and illustrate the level of monitoring effort that might
be required to answer specific policy questions. Elin
has previously worked as a hydraulic engineer at the
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, and she
spent ten years at the Environmental Protection Agency
Presenter Bios
Presenter Bios
32
writing drinking water regulations, developing, and serving
as the National Tribal Drinking Water Coordinator.
Elin earned her MS in environmental engineering from
Virginia Tech and a BS in environmental science from
Carnegie Mellon University. Elin is a professional engineer
and a certified water system operator.
Gabriel Biber
Mid-Michigan Environmental
Action Council
Gabriel joined Mid-MEAC
in May 2012 to lead their
Volunteer Stream Monitoring.
Working closely with previous
coordinators and Mid-MEAC’s
volunteers, he continues to coordinate important data
collection efforts through exciting volunteer days in the
Red Cedar watershed. In addition to these activities,
Gabriel lends his community organization experience
to our expanded collaborative network, including the
Middle Grand Organization of Watersheds and other
local and regional conservation groups working for
healthier rivers. Gabriel serves on the Ingham County
Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board. He is
the volunteer & special projects coordinator for Haven
House, a family homeless shelter in East Lansing. Gabriel
has studied local food systems and marine ecology
in the Eastern Caribbean and coordinated Greater
Lansing’s network of urban farms and community
gardens through the Greater Lansing Food Bank. He
lives in Lansing with wife and kids and is pursuing an
MSA degree from Central Michigan University.
Nichole Marie Biber
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Little Traverse Bay Bands of
Odawa Indians
Nichole Biber has served on her
tribe’s Traditional Tribal Burial
Grounds Board since December
2012. A longtime organic
gardener inspired by traditional
Three Sisters planting methods, she believes every
individual is empowered to make a positive difference
in re-establishing the biodiversity of our soils. This
empowerment need not end in death, and Nichole seeks
to advocate for the sacredness of natural decomposition.
With her PhD in English from Michigan State University,
she strives to find the words that will inspire a more
widespread commitment to conservationist burial
grounds among tribal, and all, sovereign nations.
Lisa Brush
The Stewardship Network
Lisa has worked in the
environmental field in Michigan
for nearly twenty years. She is
currently the Executive Director
of The Stewardship Network
and has been involved with
The Network since its inception more than a dozen
years ago. She has a wealth of experience helping nonscientific people understand scientific issues. As she has
built and coordinated The Stewardship Network, she
has emphasized effective and meaningful stakeholder
involvement in developing and implementing all aspects
of this program. Lisa’s life at home, at work, at play, and
personally is guided by her desire to help people connect
with their environments in a hands-on way. The solutions
she seeks to implement through The Stewardship
Network are found by listening on a daily basis to
the people who actively care for our natural lands,
waters, and our communities; discovering the tools and
knowledge needed. Lisa has an MS in natural resources
from the University of Michigan, a BA (science in society)
from Wesleyan University and is a graduate of MSU’s
Great Lakes Leadership Academy.
Jason Carlson
Applied Ecological Services, Inc.
Jason Carlson has thirteen years
of professional experience in
GIS/remote sensing applications.
As a technical project manager
and lead of the Geospatial
Department at AES, Carlson is
active in all phases of project design and implementation
including integrating creative solutions using GIS/remote
sensing, spatial analysis, statistics, modeling, database
design, and integration of field mapping techniques.
His work spans watershed and resource management,
landscape and vegetation modeling, database creation
and cartographic design. Within Jason’s field endeavors,
he has had an active role in remote research – mapping
bird territories and landscape vegetation patterns in
the Quetico Boundary Waters Region; tree surveying,
site inventory and development design in Costa Rica;
and evaluation and assessment/prioritization of natural
Paula Cathcart
IHM, River Raisin Institute
Paula Cathcart, IHM is a
member of the Sisters, Servants
of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary of Monroe, MI. She is
committed to justice, peace and
sustainability. She has worked
as an educator and administrator. In the tradition of her
community, Paula responds with courage to the needs of
the times. She believes that the 21st century calls humans
to recognize their essential oneness with all of creation.
This work, to bring about ecological, social and economic
sustainability, requires a transformation of consciousness.
The opening of one’s mind and heart is deeply spiritual
work. With the help of Gloria Rivera in 2005, she
initiated Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit, a Bioneers
Network site, to promote sustainable community.
Through the engagement and support of many individuals
and organizations, GLBD has put on nine energizing
annual conferences and grown into a year-long program.
In 2011, these two women received the Detroit Free
Press Green Leaders Award for their work.
Malin Ely Clyde
University of New Hampshire
Cooperative Extension
Malin Ely Clyde has been
coordinating environmental
volunteers with the University
of New Hampshire Cooperative
Extension’s Coverts Project
since September 2000. The program trains volunteers
to promote wildlife habitat conservation and forest
stewardship in New Hampshire. Previously, Malin
worked with New Hampshire Audubon, and prior to
that, as a staff member at Ann Arbor’s Natural Area
Preservation Program (NAP). Years after leaving
Michigan for New England, and after training hundreds
of volunteers working with a wide variety environmental
organizations, Malin realized that the model of The
Stewardship Network (TSN), which she learned about
at NAP, might be a way to better connect volunteers
and environmental organizations in New Hampshire.
Reconnecting with Lisa Brush over the last few years,
Malin is excited by a new partnership with TSN to bring
the collaborative model to New England.
33
Danielle Conroyd
River Raisin Institute
Danielle is executive director
for the River Raisin Institute,
a nonprofit founded by the
IHM Sisters that sponsors
educational works with the
goal to respect, nurture and
promote the well-being of all creation. In addition
to her role with the River Raisin Institute, Danielle
Conroyd has been the Project Director for the IHM
Sisters’ Monroe Campus Long Range Master Plan
(MCLRMP) since 1998. In this role, she oversaw the
sustainable renovation of the 376,000 square foot
IHM motherhouse for which the IHM Sisters have
won eleven awards. Danielle’s professional background
includes a number of human resources positions,
including Vice President, Human Resources for Allnet
Communications and Senior Vice President of Human
Resources for Mercy Hospitals and Health Services of
Detroit. Danielle has a BA from Marygrove College, a
Master’s in Education from Wayne State University and
more than twenty-five years experience working with
organizations as a change agent.
Jacqueline Courteau
University of Michigan
Jacqueline Courteau has
worked on ecological science
and restoration in Michigan
since moving here in 1993. Her
research has focused on applied
ecology, including doctoral
research on how autumn olive and overabundant deer
affect native oaks and hickories, and consulting work
for Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Huron-Clinton
MetroParks, and Huron River Watershed Council.
Since receiving her PhD in ecology, she has taught
ecology, restoration ecology, and woody plants classes
at Eastern Michigan and is now lecturer for the Program
in the Environment at the University of Michigan,
where she is passionate about getting students out
into the field to learn in nature’s own laboratory. She
has been brainstorming with Sheila Schueller and
Presenter Bios
resource in Wood-Tikchik State Park, Alaska. Most
recently Carlson’s focus has been on integrating high
resolution, multi-spectral aerial imagery for natural
resource evaluation and restoration purposes.
34
Shawn Severance on how to get student field classes
to contribute to local conservation efforts in a new
CCC—a College Conservation Collaboration.
Natural Resources Committee of the Michigan State
Senate about S.B. 78, “the Anti-Biodiversity Bill”.
Michael Fisher
Peter David
Great Lakes Indian Fish and
Wildlife Commission
Peter David is a wildlife biologist
with the Great Lakes Indian Fish
and Wildlife Commission, where
he assists GLIFWC’s member
tribes in the implementation
of their off-reservation treaty rights. He received his
education (BS and MS in wildlife ecology) from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, and from the tribal
elders and members for whom he has worked for the last
25 years. At the commission, he has had the opportunity
to work with a variety of natural resources, with special
emphasis on ma’iingan, or wolves and manoomin or wild
rice. He likes to spend his free time with his wife Lisa and
3 children doing just about anything outdoors.
Nichlas Emmons
Utah State University
Dr. Nichlas Emmons (Kispoko
Shawnee) is a member of
faculty in the Department of
Environment and Society at Utah
State University. He graduated
with his doctorate from Ball
State University in 2012 and his research interests involve
Native land recovery and natural resource management.
Artemis Eyster
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Chelsea Roots & Shoots
Artemis Eyster serves as group
leader of the Chelsea Roots
& Shoots, a program of the
Jane Goodall Institute. She is
the Artist of the Huron Valley
Botanical Club and has co-led
wildflower and birding hikes at the Arc of Appalachia
Wildflower Pilgrimage and the Michigan Botanical Club
Foray. Artemis has presented numerous workshops
on nature awareness, nature crafts, and keeping a
nature journal. In September, she spoke at the National
Association of Environmental Educators Conference
in Baltimore. Last spring, Artemis testified before the
Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe
Michael Fisher, a Saginaw
Chippewa Tribal Descendant,
has worked as the water
resources technician for the
Saginaw Chippewa Indian
Tribe (SCIT) since July 2012.
He is responsible for water quality monitoring within
SCIT reservation boundaries. In addition to data
collection and analysis, Michael is involved with grant
administration and the education and outreach efforts
of the SCIT Water Quality Program. Prior to his most
recent position, Michael was a temporary environmental
technician for SCIT. He has completed internships with
the White House Council on Environmental Quality and
the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. In
2010, he received his BS in environmental biology from
Ferris State University. During the spring of 2011, he
participated in the Native American Political Leadership
Program at George Washington University. Currently,
he is working towards a Master of Public Administration
at Central Michigan University. Michael also serves on
his local recycling board.
Searchable
Events
Calendar
The Stewardship Network’s online calendar is
a clearinghouse of educational and volunteer
stewardship opportunities from many
organizations. If you’re looking to get hands-on,
boots-on-the-ground experience working in
natural areas, this is your one-stop-shop. All
organizations are welcome to post their events,
and everyone is encouraged to use this tool to
find local opportunities to get involved, learn
and make a difference.
www.stewardshipnetworkonline.org
An interactive events calendar hosted by
The Stewardship Network
Dhareus Franks
Ryan Gauger
ECOTEK
The Nature Conservancy
Ann M. Fraser
Kalamazoo College
Ann Fraser is a biology professor
at Kalamazoo College. Her
teaching and research interests
are focused around insect
biodiversity and behavior. She
has been on the faculty at
Kalamazoo College since 2003, during which she has
mentored numerous undergraduates in projects related
to her research program. Her interest in native bees and
the plight of pollinators was sparked by the diversity of
bee species she observed in student collections from
her entomology course, and by reports of declines in
honey bee populations. She is currently working with
her entomology class to design protocols for habitat
management, population monitoring and an education
campaign for native pollinators in her local area. Ann holds
a BS in biology from Acadia University (Nova Scotia,
Canada) and a PhD from Harvard University.
Miles Frierson
ECOTEK
Miles Frierson is in the 7th grade at Derby Middle School.
He joined the Ecotek Lab Program in 2012. His work has
focused on green chemistry, alternative energy systems
and environmental archaeology. His current research
involves generating energy and making compost from
garbage and organic waste material using a thermal
anaerobic digester system.
Since 2011 Ryan has served as
the Oak Openings Restoration
Crew Leader implementing
land management on the Kitty
Todd Nature Preserve (Ohio)
as well as privately owned land
adjacent to the preserve. Ryan has been involved with
land management since 2008 when he started as a crew
member on a Rx. fire crew with TNC in North Dakota
before transferring to the Kitty Todd Nature Preserve
later that year. Ryan also serves on the Stewardship
Sub-committee of the Green Ribbon Initiative helping
promote the stewardship of natural land within the
Oak Openings Region. In 2007, Ryan received his BA in
biology from Franklin College (IN).
Chitra Gowda
Essex Region Conservation
Authority
Chitra Gowda is the water
quality specialist at the Essex
Region Conservation Authority.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in
environmental engineering from
India, and a master’s degree in environmental engineering
from the University of Windsor, Ontario. Chitra has
more than eleven years experience in environmental
science and engineering projects, working in consultancy
firms, conservation authorities and the University of
Windsor, focusing mainly on source water protection
technical studies and planning as well as water quality
improvement best management practices. Her recent
projects include setting up a water control structure to
study phosphorous movement in managed tile drains
in Essex, Ontario, and the design and creation of a rain
garden for stormwater management in Harrow, Ontario.
Jennifer Grieser
Cleveland Metroparks
Jennifer Grieser has worked
as Senior Natural Resource
Manager—Urban Watersheds
for Cleveland Metroparks
since October 2010. She
has on the ground natural
resource management duties for the park district’s
central reservation (i.e. parks), but also engages in
Presenter Bios
Dhareus Franks is in the 11th grade at Detroit
Communications and Media Arts High School. He
joined the Ecotek Lab Program in 2010. His work has
focused on blending green chemistry, environmental
science and materials engineering to develop solutions
to encourage environmental conservation. In the
summer of 2013, Dhareus did research on biofuel at
Michigan State University. His current work involves
studying the water chemistry of the Great Lakes Basin.
35
36
watershed coordination across the park district. Jennifer
previously worked for New York City Department
of Environmental Protection’s Stream Management
Program in the Catskill Mountains, New York. She has
an MPA in environmental policy and natural resource
management from Indiana University.
Katie Grzesiak
Sylvia Heaton
Northwest Michigan Invasive
Species Network (ISN)
Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality
Katie graduated from
Northern Michigan University
in 2009 with a BA in
ecology. She continued
her education with an MS
at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural
Resources and Environment, focusing her master’s
thesis on the continuation of a long-term study on
the effects of herbicides on spotted knapweed and
native plant communities. Katie was able to inject her
passion for invasive species control into her teaching
responsibilities—especially during two semesters of
botany and a third on Woody Plants of Michigan. For
five field seasons, she led the Exotic Plant Management
Team at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, including
presentations on and communicating about invasive
species efforts with lakeshore visitors. Katie has been
with ISN since January 2013, and is enjoying applying her
teaching experience to outreach and education efforts
as well as staying sunburned and mosquito-bitten with
invasive plant field work.
Megan Hazell
AMEC Environment and
Infrastructure
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
the US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Bureau of Land
Management. Currently she is the lead wildlife Species
at Risk specialist for the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway
project, a large-scale multi-year transportation project
involving habitat management, monitoring and mitigation
for two snake Species at Risk in southern Ontario.
Megan Hazell has an MS in
biology and over thirteen
years of field and analytical
experience. She has broad
ecological experience in the
design and conduct of baseline inventories, monitoring
program design, ecological field studies and applied
research studies. She is involved in regular provincial,
federal and international agency consultation on wildlife
and Species at Risk and has obtained several permits
under the Species at Risk Acts for industrial mine clients
as well as the Ministry of Transportation, Department
of National Defense, Public Works and Government
Services Canada as well as undertaken consultation with
Sylvia is employed by the State
of Michigan and has worked
for the Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ) (formerly the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources) for 25 years as an
aquatic biologist. She received a BS in fisheries and
wildlife management with an emphasis in aquatic biology
and ecology from Michigan State University in 1987. In
1992, she obtained an MS in environmental toxicology
from Michigan State University. She is currently
Michigan’s water quality standards coordinator, and an
aquatic biologist with the Water Resources Division,
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Sylvia
also teaches biology courses as an adjunct faculty
member at Lansing Community College.
Gordon Henry Jr
Michigan State University
An enrolled member of the White Earth Chippewa
Tribe, Gordon Henry serves as director of the Native
American Institute (NAI) at Michigan State University.
The NAI is dedicated to community-based participatory
research and outreach, in service to the cultural
and technical needs of American Indian tribes and
communities throughout the Great Lakes. He is also
senior editor of the American Indian Studies Series (and
the series sub-imprint Mukwa Enewed) at Michigan
State University Press. Under his editorship the AISS
has published research and creative work by an array
of scholars, working in a variety of disciplines, related to
the larger field of American Indian Studies. His poetry,
fiction and essays have been published extensively, in the
US and Europe. Dr. Henry has been a faculty member
at MSU since 1994. He is also a ceremonial helper who
has learned and been given permission to do such
cultural work by Francis Cree and Louis Cree from Turtle
Mountain, North Dakota. He has participated and helped
with various ceremonial practices for the past 29 years.
Jane Herbert
Michigan State University
Extension, Greening Michigan
Institute
Jane Herbert is a senior
water resource educator with
Michigan State University
Extension and the recipient of
the 2013 MSU Distinguished Academic Staff Award.
Prior to joining Extension in 1996, she worked as
water resource specialist at the Barry Conservation
District. Prior to that she worked as a fishery biologist
in Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky. Jane is immediate
past president of the Michigan Chapter of the North
American Lake Management Society, vice-chair of the
Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership and serves as
lead educator and coordinator for the partnership’s
flagship certification training, Certified Natural Shoreline
Professional. Jane also served as lead coordinator
for the development of the 400-foot long Shoreline
Management Demonstration Area at MSU’s Kellogg
Biological Station on Gull Lake in Kalamazoo County.
Jane holds a BS in natural resources from the University
of Michigan and an MS in agricultural and extension
education from Michigan State University.
and initiating enforcement actions relating to wetlands,
inland lakes, streams, and the Great Lakes protection.
Anne has a BS in environmental biology/zoology from
the Lyman Briggs School at Michigan State University.
37
Martha Holzheuer
Environmental Consulting &
Technology, Inc.
Martha obtained her BS
in resource ecology and
management, MS in terrestrial
ecology, and Master of
Landscape Architecture from
the School of Natural Resources & Environment at the
University of Michigan. For the past eight years she
has worked as a landscape ecologist at Environmental
Consulting & Technology, Inc. on a variety of projects
including rare species surveys and monitoring; wetland
assessment, delineation, and monitoring; floristic quality
assessments; invasive species management plans;
native planting design; and implementation of municipal
wetland, woodland, and natural features protection
ordinances. She also has experience with and a passion
for field-based education of the public and clientele
regarding the protection of rare species and the
identification and use of native plants.
Anne Hokanson
Anne Hokanson is the Great
Lakes Coastal Wetland
Ecologist with the DEQ Water
Resources Division. Anne’s
duties include development and
implementation of wetland monitoring efforts, providing
public and staff support for Phragmites management
efforts, coordination with Michigan’s Coastal
Management Program in the review of grant proposals
and land acquisition sites, and providing support to
field staff reviewing permit applications and compliance
efforts on coastal wetland sites throughout the state.
Anne is a partner in several ongoing coastal wetland
monitoring efforts at this time, which include the use
of Michigan’s Rapid Assessment Method (MiRAM),
along with more technical biological and chemical
indicators, to evaluate the quality of wetland sites. Prior
to becoming a coastal wetland ecologist, Anne worked
as a DEQ field staff in Southeast Michigan reviewing
permit applications, conducting compliance inspections,
Beatrice Jackson
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe Helping
Healer Program
Beatrice Jackson is a
Tsimphean/Nicola Anishinawbe
originally from Yakima,
Washington. She is a
Grandmother of the Three
Fires Midewewin Lodge. Her responsibilities include
insuring the continuance of the teachings passed
on from past generations on into the future. She is
a fourteen year Sun Dancer. Currently Beatrice is
Helping Healer for the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe in Mt.
Pleasant, Michigan. The Helping Healer Program is a
bridge between prevention, education, outpatient, and
residential therapeutic services, and also community
outreach person between therapeutic services and
the traditional healer. Her education background also
includes a BA in Social Work from Michigan State
University and a BS from Ferris State University. She
is a producer and director of several movies and a
member of the Snow Bird Singers hand drum group.
Presenter Bios
Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality
38
Dan Kashian
Wendy Klooster
Wayne State University
The Ohio State University
Dan Kashian is an associate
professor at Wayne State
University, where he conducts
research in forest and landscape
ecology. He studies the effects
and interactions of human and
natural disturbances on forest structure and ecosystem
processes. He received his BS and MS degrees in
natural resources at the University of Michigan, his PhD
in forest ecology and management at the University
of Wisconsin, and did his postdoctoral research at
Colorado State University. Dr. Kashian’s research in
Michigan in part examines the dynamics of jack pine
forests near Grayling and the ecological effects of the
emerald ash borer in the Metro Detroit area.
Wendy Klooster completed
her PhD in the Horticulture
and Crop Science Department
at The Ohio State University
in June 2012. Her dissertation
focused on forest responses to
emerald ash borer-induced ash mortality; specifically,
how it affected the establishment and growth of nonnative invasive plants. She is now in her second year as
a post-doctoral research scientist in the Entomology
Department at Ohio State, with a continuing focus on
the ecological impacts of EAB. Her project is on growth
responses of non-ash trees following ash mortality.
She also teaches general entomology at Ohio State’s
Agricultural Technical Institute. Wendy received her MS
in horticulture from Michigan State University in 2008.
Spencer Kellum
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
The Stewardship Network
Spencer is a native of the Irish
Hills, a scenic area known
for rolling hills and lakes
in southeast Michigan. His
childhood was spent exploring
the woods, fields and streams
on his family’s farm. Spencer has a wide variety of
experience with conservation planning and on-theground implementation of conservation projects. In
his current position as conservation specialist with The
Stewardship Network, Spencer leads conservation
activities including rare species monitoring, local
conservation planning, invasive species control,
volunteer coordination, and prescribed fire planning
with clusters throughout the Great Lakes. Spencer
received a BS in environmental science from Saint Louis
University in 2009 and an MS in geographic information
systems from Eastern Michigan University in 2013. He
is able to leverage these skills to benefit conservation
efforts throughout Michigan, where he has been
involved in local restoration efforts since 2005. Spencer
recently married his lovely new wife, Amelia, and is
happily settling into married life.
Roger LaBine
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake
Superior Chippewa Indians
Roger LaBine is an enrolled
member of the Lac Vieux
Desert Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa (LVD) and
employed as a water resource
technician. He currently is chairman of the LVD Culture
Committee and the LVD Conservation Committee, a
LVD Voigt Task Force Representative, and co-chairman
of the Native Wild Rice Coalition. He is active in the
preservation of wild rice through continued restoration
efforts of rice beds for his community on traditional and
historic tribal lands and in the surrounding area lakes and
rivers. He shares his knowledge through conducting wild
rice camps on his traditional homelands. He was inspired
by his Uncle Naagaanash who was also his mentor.
Mike Losey
The Nature Conservancy
Mike Losey is the interagency
restoration team crew leader
for The Nature Conservancy’s
Ohio Chapter. He is responsible
for implementing ecological
restoration on globally rare
natural communities across the lakeplain oak openings
region of southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio.
Since October 2011 Mike has worked to restore over
Jared Macbeth
Walpole Island Heritage Centre
Originally from California, Jared
moved to Walpole Island First
Nation with his wife Summer
after they both completed their
BS in physics (astrophysics) at
the University of California –
Santa Cruz in 2005. Since then he has volunteered in the
Walpole community and worked at the Walpole Island
Elementary School tutoring mathematics. In 2009, he
joined Dean Jacobs as the project review coordinator for
WIFN’s newly minted External Projects Program. Over the
past four years he has worked extensively with the public
and private sector on duty to consult matters focusing on
relationship building and mutually beneficial partnerships.
He is currently partnering with the University of Western
Ontario on an ecological history project for parts of
WIFN’s Traditional Territory. Jared is also partnering
with the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation and
Queens University on improving first nation and municipal
relationships during the land use planning process.
Barb Macdonell
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Barb Macdonell is an
environmental planner with
the Ministry’s Windsor Border
Initiatives Implementation Group
(BIIG). Last year, Barb received
a People Inspiring Excellent
Results (PIER) award from the MTO in recognition of
her species at risk work on the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray
Parkway. She is particularly proud that one of the letters
of support for this award came from the Walpole Island
First Nation Heritage Centre. Barb is a Registered
Professional Planner and a graduate of the University of
Waterloo’s School of Urban and Regional Planning. She
has worked at the municipal, regional and provincial levels
of government in Alberta and as a planning consultant in
London, Ontario prior to joining the MTO in 2005. She
currently sits on the Board of Tallgrass Ontario.
Merrin L. Macrae
University of Waterloo
39
Merrin Macrae is an associate
professor in the Department of
Geography and Environmental
Management at the University
of Waterloo. Her research
interests center around
the effects of variable hydrologic conditions on
biogeochemical (nitrogen, phosphorus) transport in
agricultural landscapes. Types of hydrologic change
include artificial drainage (i.e. tile drains) and climatic
variability (e.g. seasonality, different types of storms).
She is also interested in characterizing the success of
best management practices in minimizing annual and
event-based biogeochemical losses. She received her
BES (1996) and MS (1998) from York University and her
PhD (2003) from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Craig Maier
Tallgrass Prairie & Oak Savanna
Fire Science Consortium
Craig Maier has worked as
coordinator of the TPOS Fire
Science Consortium since
August 2013. He works with
researchers, land managers, and
staff from institutions, agencies, and NGOs across the
Midwest to strengthen the network of prescribed fire
researchers and managers. He is a native of Wisconsin
and has a passion for the rich and highly-threatened
natural heritage of the Midwest. Craig has studied and
worked in northern Wisconsin and the West and is
happy to call southern Wisconsin home once again. He
earned a BS in Geoscience from Northland College
and an MS from the Nelson Institute for Environmental
Studies at the UW-Madison. He has experience with
prescribed fire and invasive species management from
work with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, The Nature
Conservancy’s Baraboo Hills Project, and the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources.
Melanie Manion
Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission
Melanie has worked as the natural resource management
supervisor for Ottawa County Parks and Recreation
Commission (OCPRC) since 2011. She is responsible for
the stewardship of almost 6500 acres of parks and open
spaces including many unique natural features such as
Presenter Bios
600 acres of rare habitats on partner lands in the oak
openings region. Mike has also been fortunate to work
for and learn from the Michigan Chapter of The Nature
Conservancy, Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps,
Oakland Township Parks and Recreation Department
and the Institute for Regional Conservation.
40
habitat for several protected species. Before working at
OCPRC, Melanie was the stewardship coordinator for
the Land Conservancy of West Michigan where she was
fortunate to be part of the inception of the West Michigan
Cluster, which gave her the opportunity to learn from
numerous experienced land managers. Melanie received
her BS in biology and environmental studies and MS in
conservation biology from Central Michigan University.
David A. Mifsud
Herpetological Resource and
Management, LLC
David A. Mifsud is a certified
wildlife biologist, certified
professional ecologist, and a
professional wetland scientist.
He has been working for over
fifteen years in wildlife biology, wetland ecology, and
habitat conservation and management with expertise in
Michigan amphibians and reptiles. Mifsud is the Michigan
Herpetological Atlas administrator, co-chair of the State
of Michigan Amphibian and Reptile Technical Advisory
Board, and chair of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile
Conservation’s Michigan Chapter. He serves as an expert
on Great Lakes turtles for the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Tortoise and Freshwater
Turtle Specialist Group. David has overseen and designed
numerous projects and studies focused on the inventory,
monitoring, rescue and translocation, and head starting
of amphibians and reptiles in Michigan for a variety of
partners and clients. Currently he is developing a manual
for the State of Michigan for the best management
practices for conservation of amphibians and reptiles.
Ivan O’Halloran
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
University of Guelph
Dr. Ivan O’Halloran has
conducted research on
aspects of nutrient cycling
in agroecosystems for
approximately thirty years.
His areas of research include
impact of nutrient sources and tillage practices on
mycorrhizal associations, phosphorous forms, nutrient
cycling and crop production; and variable rate nutrient
management as related to the spatial and temporal
variability of soil nutrients. Recently, his studies have
focused on management impacts on losses of nutrients
and pathogens from agricultural lands to surface waters.
In 2010 he presented a “Land Application Options
Report” to the Ontario Ministries of Agriculture and
Environment that addressed producer and government
identified issues surrounding scientific evidence to
support land application regulations for manures and
biosolids. The report focused on regulations that were
removed from the provincial Nutrient Management Act
and/or proposed as best management practices. He also
serves on the province’s Lake Simcoe Science Advisory
Committee which reports on the ecological health of
the lake and its watershed.
Mae Pego
Gun Lake Potawatomi Tribe
Mae Pego is from the Gun Lake Potawatomi Tribe. She
is a traditional knowledge keeper and a member of the
Three Fires Midewiwin Society. Mae is also the founder of
the women’s hand drum group, the Wabanaisee Singers
(Snowbird Singers). She has worked as a teacher and as a
photographer and cultural advisor for Ziibiwing Center.
Steve Pego
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe
Steve Pego is the chief of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe.
Steve is a member of the Three Fires Midewiwin
Society and is one of the founders of the Great Lakes
Alliance Drum.
Kim Piccolo
Huron-Manistee National Forests
Kim Piccolo has worked for
the Huron-Manistee National
Forests in Mio, MI for the past
eight years. Her focus is on
wildlife habitat management,
including management for
Kirtland’s warbler, Regional Forester’s Sensitive Species
(RFSS), and game species. She enjoys teaching school
children about their local environment through classroom
visits, field trips, and the Kirtland’s Warbler Young Artists
Calendar Contest. Kim received her MS and BS from the
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and
Nichols Arboretum
Jeff Plakke loves the outdoors
and has been working in the
field of natural resources for
many years. While pursuing
a BS in forestry at Michigan
Technological University, he worked on the Ecological
Study of Wolves and Moose on Isle Royale. He also
worked there as a back country ranger and a biological
sciences technician. After graduating from MI Tech, Jeff
worked as a conservation district forester in Oceana
and Newaygo counties of west Michigan where he
consulted on tree health and land management. Jeff
later moved to Ann Arbor and began working for the
University of Michigan, Matthaei Botanical Gardens and
Nichols Arboretum. While working he attended the
School of Natural Resources and Environment studying
terrestrial ecosystems and later graduated with an MS
in resource ecology and management. He is now the
natural areas program manager at Matthaei-Nichols and
is focused on all aspects of natural areas stewardship on
their four properties including rare species conservation,
controlled burning, exotic invasive species control, native
plant propagation and many other aspects of the care
and promotion of these facilities. Jeff has also written
several grants and manages the awarded projects related
to the natural areas stewardship of Matthaei-Nichols.
Julie Powers
Mid-Michigan Environmental
Action Council
Julie Powers joined MidMEAC in 2010 and serves as
the organization’s executive
director. She coordinates
everything from volunteer
programs to community outreach to fundraising, with
a deeply dedicated board of directors, hundreds of
volunteers and great interns. Julie has worked in the
nonprofit sector since 1996 with expertise in grant
writing, fundraising and program management. She
serves on the Ingham Drain Board of Determination
and the Capital Area Community Services Board of
Directors. She’s had the opportunity to grow through
leadership positions with organizations including the
Michigan Community Action Agency Association, the
National Foundation for Credit Counseling and Michigan
Equality. In addition to her work with Mid-MEAC, Julie
does grant-writing and program development consulting
for other nonprofit organizations across the country,
specializing in complex federal projects. Julie also has
an active leadership role in numerous local service
organizations, and is a resident of Lansing’s Eastside.
41
Lindsey Reinarz
The Nature Conservancy
Lindsey Reinarz has worked
as the Green Ribbon Initiative
(GRI) partnership specialist
since December of 2011. Her
current position allows her to
work with different agencies
and private landowners to implement cooperative
conservation efforts across the lakeplain oak openings
region of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.
Before beginning her position as the partnership
specialist, she was the co-crew leader at The Nature
Conservancy Kitty Todd Nature Preserve where she
developed a passion for the oak openings and honed her
land management skills which she originally acquired as a
steward in the loess hills of Pottawatomie County, Iowa.
Heather L. Reynolds
Indiana University Bloomington
Heather Reynolds is an
associate professor of biology at
Indiana University, specializing
in plant community ecology.
Her research interests include
the role of plant-soil-microbe
interactions and environmental heterogeneity in
structuring the composition and diversity of plant
communities. She and her lab group research a range
of plant-environment interactions and their applications
to the restoration of native plant communities and
sustainable agriculture. Her teaching employs servicelearning and engages students at the interface of science
and society, and she is active in promoting native
landscaping and other aspects of sustainability in the
Bloomington community. Heather received a PhD in
integrative biology from the University of California,
Berkeley in 1995 and a MS in plant ecology from the
University of Connecticut in 1990. She conducted
postdoctoral work at the WK Kellogg Biological Station
from 1995-1998 and taught at Kalamazoo College
before joining Indiana University.
Presenter Bios
Jeff Plakke
Gloria Rivera
42
IHM, River Raisin Institute
Gloria Rivera, IHM is a member
of the Sisters, Servants of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary of
Monroe, MI. She is committed to
justice, peace and sustainability.
She has worked as an educator
and administrator. In the tradition of her community,
Gloria responds with courage to the needs of the
times. She believes that the 21st century calls humans
to recognize their essential oneness with all of creation.
This work, to bring about ecological, social and economic
sustainability, requires a transformation of consciousness.
The opening of one’s mind and heart is deeply spiritual
work. With the help of Paula Cathcart in 2005, she
initiated Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit, a Bioneers
Network site, to promote sustainable community.
Through the engagement and support of many individuals
and organizations, GLBD has put on nine energizing
annual conferences and grown into a year-long program.
In 2011, these two women received the Detroit Free
Press Green Leaders Award for their work.
Damon Rogers
ECOTEK
Damon Rogers is in the 11th grade at Detroit Edison
Public School Academy. He joined the ECOTEK Lab
Program in 2010. His work has focused on blending
green chemistry, environmental science and materials
engineering to develop solutions to encourage
environmental conservation. In summer 2013 Damon
participated in a Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics program at Michigan Tech University. His
current work involves studying the water chemistry of
the Great Lakes Basin.
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Mike Sanders
Michigan Natural Features
Inventory
Mike Sanders currently serves
as the environmental review
specialist/zoologist for the
Michigan Natural Features
Inventory (MNFI). He has a BS
in biology from the University of Tennessee, an MA in
geography from Western Michigan University, and an
MS in wildlife biology from Tennessee Technological
University. Mike’s primary responsibility is to screen
environmental permit applications and projects against
MNFI’s proprietary natural heritage database. Mike
worked for six years as an assistant zoologist in MNFI’s
zoology group, where he participated in a wide variety
of field research projects including coastal wetland bird
surveys, nocturnal bird surveys, massasauga rattlesnake
surveys, Mitchell’s satyr butterfly surveys, Karner blue
butterfly surveys, and most recently large bird surveys
for coastal wind energy projects. Along with working
at MNFI, Mike is a chief petty officer in the US Coast
Guard Reserves. Mike worked in regional planning,
environmental education, teaching and natural resource
management positions before joining MNFI. His hobbies
include travel, hiking and volunteer activities. He lives in
Eaton Rapids, Michigan with his wife and two daughters.
Lori Sargent
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources
Lori Sargent has been a
nongame wildlife biologist
with the Wildlife Division of
the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources in Lansing
since 1994. She received her BS in wildlife biology from
Michigan State University and her MS in wildlife biology
from Purdue University. Her job duties include threatened
and endangered species protection, coordination of the
Michigan Frog and Toad Survey, coordination of statewide
raptor projects (including an osprey reintroduction project
in southern Michigan), and various other projects involving
nongame wildlife. Her interests include not only wildlife
biology but bird hunting and training pointing dogs for
field work, obedience and other competitive dog events.
Sheila Schueller
Eastern Michigan University
Sheila Schueller is a lecturer
at Eastern Michigan University
where she teaches ecology
and field biology classes. After
receiving her PhD in ecology and
evolutionary biology from the
University of Michigan in 2002, she served as assistant
director of the Ecosystem Management Initiative in the
School of Natural Resources and Environment. Over
four years as an adaptive management consultant, she
developed practical guidebooks for natural resource
managers and facilitated workshops for conservation
Alicia Selden
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources
Alicia Selden has worked in
the Stewardship Unit for the
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources, Parks and Recreation
Division since May 2011. She
provides GIS support (data management, mapping,
analysis) for the Stewardship Unit and coordinates the
eastern box turtle research project at Fort Custer
Recreation Area. Prior to joining the Stewardship Unit,
Alicia worked as a desert tortoise biologist in Nevada
and California. Alicia has a BS in zoology from Michigan
State University and graduate work in conservation
biology at Central Michigan University.
Shawn Severance
Washtenaw County Parks
Shawn Severance has worked
for over 10 years in the
ecological restoration field. She
has a Masters of Landscape
Architecture from the School
of Natural Resources and
Environment at the University of Michigan. Shawn currently
works as a parks naturalist for Washtenaw County Parks &
Recreation Commission, leading nature walks, conducting
prescribed burns and planning ecological restoration work.
Her mission, shared with Jane Goodall, is to create a world
where we can live in harmony with nature.
Season Snyder
AMEC Environment and
Infrastructure
Season has a PhD in biology
and over 15 years of experience
in terrestrial ecology in a
wide range of ecosystems
in the United States and
Canada. Season has worked for AMEC Environment
and Infrastructure for the past 8 years, specializing in
biophysical inventories and habitat assessments, habitat
restoration, and regulatory permitting and environmental
approvals. She has worked on projects in many sectors,
from mining and transportation to private development
and recreational development projects. Currently she is
the lead plant species at risk specialist for the Rt. Hon.
Herb Gray Parkway project, a large-scale multi-year
transportation project involving habitat management,
monitoring and mitigation for eight plant species at risk in
southern Ontario.
43
Elizabeth (Lisa) Stelzner
Michigan State University
Elizabeth (Lisa) Stelzner is
currently a PhD candidate
in plant biology and ecology
and evolutionary biology
and behavior at Michigan
State University (MSU). Her
dissertation research is on the influence of community
and landscape-level factors on the use of plant resources
by monarch butterflies. In addition to research, Lisa also
teaches undergraduate courses at MSU and participates
in scientific outreach with the community. Before moving
to Michigan, Lisa worked as a field botanist for the
California Native Plant Society and conducted surveys of
plant communities around California. She received a BS in
ecology and evolutionary biology and a BS in earth science
from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2006.
Tracy Swem
Michigan State University
Tracy Swem has worked as a
graduate research assistant in
the Department of Fisheries
and Wildlife at Michigan State
University since January of
2013. She is currently pursuing
a Master of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife; her thesis
focuses on the short and long term effects of summer
and fall prescribed fire on eastern box turtles as well as
detection probability investigations pre and post burn and
direct behavior during prescribed fire. This research is
conducted in partnership with the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources Stewardship Unit at Fort Custer
State Recreation Area in Augusta, MI. She worked
previously for the Michigan DNR Fisheries Division in
Charlevoix and Mattawan, MI. She received her BS
degrees in Biology, Environmental Studies, and Aviation
Flight Science from Western Michigan University in 2011.
Presenter Bios
organizations across the country to help them develop
useful monitoring programs. Currently, she is also
working to integrate undergraduate and high school
student coursework activities with the data collection and
analysis needs of restoration ecology practitioners.
44
Jason Tallant
Adam Thada
University of Michigan
Taylor University
A former regular in the
ecological restoration circuit,
Jason now directs his energy
and enthusiasm towards
data management and GIS
at the University of Michigan
Biological Station. He serves as the station’s information
manager and works with researchers and students
to steward the data that’s collected through their
ecological research. He also collaborates on remote
sensing related projects and themes explored by station
researchers. He has degrees in geographic information
systems (GIS), ecology, and environmental studies and
more than ten years of land stewardship experience.
Lori Taylor
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
Bear Track Studios, LLC
Author/illustrator and Michigan
native Lori Taylor grew up
in Clarkston on five acres of
pines and pond. This natural
playground and place of nature
study fed the artist’s lifelong
passion for the outdoors and inspired her to tell nature’s
story in picture and word. Lori is the author/illustrator of
a children’s mid-grade Michigan nature/mystery series, and
has worked as a graphic artist of educational materials for
Oakland County Parks and Recreation, exhibit preparator
for the Huron-Clinton Metroparks, a Michigan nature
center muralist and was artist-in-residence for Sleeping
Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Porcupine Mountains
Wilderness State Park. Her mixed media fine art also
has appeared in magazines and in many Michigan juried
fine art shows and galleries. Lori lives in Pinckney and is a
member of Bear Track Studios LLC, a group of artists who
are inspired by the essence of wildness and committed to
the ethics of conservation and stewardship.
Nydea Terrell
ECOTEK
Nydea Terrell is in the 7th grade and attends Birkshire
Middle School. She joined the ECOTEK Lab Program
in 2012. Her work has focused on green chemistry,
alternative energy systems and environmental
archaeology. Her current research involves generating
energy and making compost from garbage and organic
waste material using a thermal anaerobic digester system.
Adam Thada is a master of
environmental science candidate
at Taylor University (2014). His
thesis work involves researching
disturbance methods used to
aid interseeding of new species
in prairie restorations. After graduating with a biology
degree from Indiana Wesleyan University, Adam worked
in non-profit management in Indiana and Bolivia. Adam,
his wife, and his daughter live on the Mississinewa
Moraine in northeast Indiana.
Jennifer Thieme
The Nature Conservancy
Jennifer Thieme has worked
as a conservation project
coordinator for The Nature
Conservancy’s Oak Openings
Region Office for two years.
She coordinates grant activities,
oversees biological monitoring, participates in prescribed
burns, and contributes to the Green Ribbon Initiative’s
conservation planning. She received her MS in fisheries
and wildlife biology from Ohio State in 2011 and her BS
in environmental science from Carroll College in 2006.
Between the two degrees, Jennifer worked on several
avian conservation projects throughout the country.
Steve Thomas
Ecologist
Steve works as an ecologist with
a focus on wetlands, hydrology,
botany, and natural community
succession. He is especially
interested in understanding how
natural communities change
over short and long timeframes in response to different
conditions, and in trying to understand the factors that
cause patterns in nature. His education includes a BS
in botany from the University of Wisconsin, Madison,
and an MS in watershed science from Colorado State
University in Fort Collins. He is originally from the
Chicago region, and has also spent time in Idaho,
Washington, Arizona, and Florida.
Mari Veliz
Ausable Bayfield Conservation
Authority
Mari Veliz is the Healthy
Watersheds Supervisor at the
Ausable Bayfield Conservation
Authority (ABCA), a 2400
km2 area along the southeast shore of Lake Huron. Mari has worked at the
ABCA since 2000 and coordinated the water quality
and bio-monitoring program since 2002. The Healthy
Watersheds Supervisor also works with communities
and agencies to undertake and implement watershed
projects and plans. Currently, she is working with
provincial and federal partners to evaluate agricultural
best management practices. Mari has a bachelor of
environmental studies from the University of Waterloo
and an MS from the University of Alberta.
Kevin Walters
Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality
Todd Nature Preserve. Prior to moving to Ohio, Steve
received his master’s degree in environmental and
forest biology in 2002 before starting his career as a
land steward with The Nature Conservancy in Michigan.
He has served on the boards of several non-profits,
partnered with dozens of organizations, implemented
over 150 prescribed fires and killed millions of weeds.
45
Keith Young
ECOTEK
Keith Young is the founder
and Executive Advisor of the
ECOTEK Lab Program. Keith
started ECOTEK to help
young people understand how
science research is linked to the
policy making processes and innovation. ECOTEK is the
only organization of its kind in the United States. Keith
earned his undergraduate degree from Central Michigan
University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business
School Leadership Best Practices Program. He has over
20 years of experience in the science and technology field.
Kevin Walters is an aquatic
biologist with the Aquatic
Invasive Species Program
in Michigan DEQ’s Water
Resources Division. He has
also worked as an invasive species specialist with the
Great Lakes Commission and a marine biologist with
the California Department of Fish and Game. Kevin
holds a BS degree in fisheries and wildlife from Michigan
State University and an MS degree in biology from San
Francisco State University. He lives in Grand Rapids with
his wife and three daughters where he enjoys sailing,
photography and writing.
Steven Woods
Steve has served as the oak
openings program manager
for The Nature Conservancy
since 2009 and the chair of
the Green Ribbon Initiative
Steering Committee since 2011.
He works closely with public and private partners to
synthesize goals and implement the Oak Openings
Conservation Plan throughout the lakeplain oak
openings region of northwest Ohio and southeast
Michigan including management of the 1000 acre Kitty
Presenter Bios
The Nature Conservancy
46
The Stewardship Network Clusters
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
What is
a Cluster
?
The Stewardship Network helps
groups share resources, plan
efficiently, and work together
in protecting and restoring
natural lands and waters. These
collaborative groups, called
Clusters, focus on setting and
achieving common goals in
conservation. Clusters are
geographically defined areas led
by partners who come together
to address the needs of the
human and natural communities
they encompass. Clusters are
linked to each other through
The Stewardship Network to
share lessons learned and achieve
landscape-scale impact.
Why
is the
Cluster
model so
effective
?
Clusters are grassroots efforts
that can tap into the support
of a larger organization that
has already blazed the trail.
Clusters determine their own
projects based on the interests
of the people and partner
groups involved. Meanwhile, The
Stewardship Network provides
them administrative support
in database management,
communications, and website
management along with
facilitative help in visioning, and
goal setting and tracking.
47
Anyone who is interested in
bringing together their community
to care for local natural areas
should consider launching a
Cluster. You don’t need to be an
expert or a professional to do
so. Reach out to your local parks
department, nature center, city
government and neighbors to start
the conversation.
Where
are
Clusters
?
Right now, Clusters are
operating and launching in
the Great Lakes and the
Northeast. Clusters start
where there is local interest
and energy to do so.
How do I get involved
If you’re interested in getting involved with
your local Cluster or starting a new one, contact
[email protected] today!
?
The Stewardship Network Clusters
Who
should
launch
a Cluster
?
48
Meeting Room Floorplan
The Stewardship Network Conference at Kellogg Center
Registration, Keynote Presentation, Food, Evening Activities
Friday and Saturday Concurrent Sessions
Red Cedar
Room
LOBBY LEVEL
Galaxy
Room
Centennial Room
Olympus
Room
NORTH LOBBY
Riverside Room
on lower level
KC’s Room
Room Big Ten
A
Room Big Ten
B
Room Big Ten
C
State Room
Kitchen
NORTH
Offices
GARDEN LEVEL
Riverside Room
Destination
State Office
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
MICHIGAMME LOBBY
Engineering
Fitness
Center
Michigamme
Room
The Sc
Hospitalit
Kitchen
EAST
49
Lincoln
Room
(RED CEDAR RIVER)
105B
105A
107
Vista
Room
106
104B
108
Spartan
Hospitality
Group Sales
Elevators to
Hotel Rooms
Willy
Room
104A
103B
110
103A
CENTRAL LOBBY
Gift Shop
SOUTH LOBBY
To Parking Structure
Front Desk
Offices
102
101
Auditorium
Heritage Room
Main Entry
and Drop Off
SOUTH
EAST
(RED CEDAR RIVER)
Offices
Offices
Offices
Offices
EXIT
EXIT
Offices
Offices
To Parking Ramp
chool of
ty Business
EXIT
WEST
Meeting Room Floorplan
Offices
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
50
Notes
51
Notes
Notes
www.StewardshipNetwork.org
52
Notes
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53
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SAVE THE DATE
2015 Science, Practice & Art
of Restoring Native Ecosystems
January 23 & 24, 2015
The Stewardship Network’s 2015 Science, Practice & Art of Restoring Native
Ecosystems conference will focus on Resilience—Creating Social and Ecological
Structures for a Changing World.
Resilience is key to our ability to thrive.
In ecosystems, resilience is the capacity to tolerate disturbance without collapsing.
A resilient ecosystem can withstand shocks and rebuild itself when necessary. Social
resilience is the ability of groups or communities to cope with external stresses and
disturbances as a result of social, political and environmental change. We depend
on ecological systems for our survival, and we continuously impact the ecosystems
in which we live from the local to global scale. Social resilience incorporates our
human capacity to anticipate and plan for the future. Let’s plan a future in which our
communities and our ecosystems are integrated for greater shared strength and
flexibility. Let’s plan a future in which our communities and our ecosystems not only
survive—but thrive!
Please join us on January 23 & 24, 2015 for the eighth Science, Practice & Art of
Restoring Native Ecosystems.
Through plenary talks, focused presentations, networking opportunities and
workshops, conference participants will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation
of how to build resilience. Topics addressing our theme will include: the ability to build
and increase the capacity for learning and adaptation; diversity as it relates to socialecological resilience; adaptive management and more.
In addition, presenters will speak on our traditional, wide variety of stewardship issues:
· Global Biodiversity
· Water Quality
· Watershed Conservation
· Species of Concern
· Game Species
· Environmental Justice
· Native Pollinators
· Invasive Species Control
· Environmental Education
· Use of GIS and Spatial data
Save these dates: January 23 & 24, 2015. We look forward to seeing you
at The Stewardship Network’s 2015 Science, Practice & Art of Restoring
Native Ecosystems conference.
Sincerely,
The 2014 Science, Practice & Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems Conference Planning Committee:
The Stewardship Network
Barb Barton, Endangered Species Consulting
416 Longshore Drive
David Borneman, City of Ann Arbor, Natural Area Preservation
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Lisa Brush, The Stewardship Network
734/996-3190 phone
Celia Larsen, Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor
734/996-5595 fax
Erin Mittendorf, The Stewardship Network
StewardshipNetwork.org

Yunyun Wei - Michigan State University

State of Michigan

Bob Nienhuis - Liberty Bible Church

Download a copy of the complete schedule.

The Minor in Entrepreneurship program - Innovate Blue

c.v. - New York University

2015 Final Year Accounting - Michigan Association of CPAs

Complete Results (PDF)

5月 国際交流推進委員会

0096 - Electronic Case Filings

COST Action ES1104 Arid Lands Restoration and Combat of

Relationship between point spread function layers and biological