Oceana County
Thank you for your interest in the 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 Oceana County cohort will host their weekly classes from 6-8:30 p.m. on Mondays, from Sept. 8 to Nov. 3, 2025. Weekly classes will meet throughout Oceana County at the locations listed in the chart below. Location details and more information will be distributed to registered participants in the end of August. Please note, there will not be class on Oct. 27, 2025.
Oceana County's field days will be on Saturday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Oceana County Schedule
|
Date |
Topic |
Location |
Speaker |
|
Sept. 8 |
Program Orientation; Foundations of Conservation: Ecological Foundations; What is a Natural Community? |
Oceana Conservation District, |
To Be Announced |
|
Sept. 15 |
Foundations of Conservation: Conservation Heritage, Society & Conservation, and Indigenous Perspectives on Conservation |
To Be Announced |
Corey Wells, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians |
|
Sept. 22 |
Aquatic Ecosystems: Lakes |
Camp Miniwanca, |
Erick Elgin, MSU Extension, and Ashley Elgin, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
|
Sat., Sept. 27, |
Field Day: Dunes |
Lake Michigan Family Camp, |
Zach Chamberlin, Michigan Department of Environment of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) |
|
Sept. 29 |
Aquatic Ecosystems: Streams |
Oceana Conservation District, Marshville Dam Park, |
Brian Majka, GEI Consultants |
|
Oct. 6 |
Aquatic Ecosystems: Wetlands |
Gales Pond County Park, |
Jeremy Hartsock, Michigan State University, and Emma Waatti, Oceana Conservation District |
|
Sat., Oct. 11, |
Field Day: Agriculture and Conservation |
Claybanks and Benona Township Farms, |
Lynda Herremans, Oceana Conservation District |
|
Oct. 13 |
Terrestrial Ecosystems: Forests |
Earthscape Farm, |
Rod Denning, Newaygo Conservation District, and Bill Bobier, Earthscape Farm |
|
Oct. 20 |
Terrestrial Ecosystems: Grasslands |
To Be Announced |
Heather Keough, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) |
|
Oct. 27 |
Program Break - No Class |
||
|
Nov. 3 |
Putting It All Together: Capstone Project Celebration |
Camp Miniwanca, |
Hop Hopkins, Conservation Champion |
For cohort and content related questions, please reach out to Laura Ackerman at laura.ackerman@macd.org, or Erick Elgin at elgineri@msu.edu.
For general questions and registration assistance, please contact Shelby Warner at warner80@msu.edu or (517) 884-7076.
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