Grand Traverse County
Thank you for your interest in the Michigan State University Extension Michigan Conservation Stewards Program (CSP), an educational program for those who are enthusiastic about learning science-based ecosystem management principles and sharing this knowledge with others to help improve their local communities. Through this program, participants will learn essential strategies to understand and help restore and conserve ecosystems in Michigan communities.
The Grand Traverse County cohort will host their weekly evening sessions from 6-9 p.m. on Mondays, from Sept. 11 to Nov. 13, 2023. Many of the weekly evening sessions will be held at the Boardman Nature Center, 1450 Cass Rd, Traverse City, MI, as well as a few additional locations throughout Grand Traverse County. Exact locations and speakers will be announced once available. Please note, there will not be weekly evening sessions on Oct. 30 and Nov. 6, 2023.
The Grand Traverse County cohort's half-day field trips will be on Oct. 14 and Oct. 28, 2023.
Grand Traverse County Schedule
Date |
Topic |
Location |
Speaker |
Sept. 11 |
Program Orientation; Foundations of Conservation: Ecological Foundations; What is a Natural Community? |
Boardman River Nature Center |
TBD |
Sept. 18 |
Foundations of Conservation: Society & Conservation |
Boardman River Nature Center |
TBD |
Sept. 25 |
Aquatic Ecosystems: Lakes |
Boardman River Nature Center |
TBD |
Oct. 2 |
Aquatic Ecosystems: Streams |
Boardman River Nature Center |
Steve Largent, Grand Traverse Conservation District |
Oct. 9 |
Aquatic Ecosystems: Wetlands |
TBD |
Elliot Nelson, Educator with MI Sea Grant and MSU Extension |
Sat., Oct. 14, 1/2-day field trip |
Field Trip |
Boardman River Restoration Site |
Steve Largent, Grand Traverse Conservation District and Steve Silagy, EGLE Wetland Biologist Emeritus |
Oct. 16 |
Terrestrial Ecosystems: Forests |
Boardman River Nature Center |
Julie Crick, MSU Extension |
Oct. 23 |
Terrestrial Ecosystems: Grasslands |
TBD |
TBD |
Sat., Oct. 28, 1/2-day field trip |
Field Trip |
Boardman River Nature Center |
Julie Crick, MSU Extension |
Oct. 30 |
No Class |
|
|
Nov. 6 |
No Class |
|
|
Nov. 13 |
Putting it All Together: Capstone Project Celebration |
Boardman River Nature Center |
TBD |
For cohort and content related questions, please reach out to Rachel Straughen at rstraughen@gtcd.org.
For general questions and registration assistance, please contact Shelby Warner at warner80@msu.edu or 517-884-7076.