MSU Extension Natural Resources

In the past, resource management agencies such as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) or Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (MEGLE) had sole responsibility for conservation, resource management, and environmental protection programs. 

The amount of resource management and ecological monitoring needed throughout the state, coupled with increasingly limited financial and human resources within state agencies, means these agencies no longer have the capacity for these traditional roles. Over the years, organizations like The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI), regional and local land conservancies, watershed councils, conservation districts, conservation and recreational organizations, universities, and local governments have emerged as essential partners and leaders in resource management. 

These organizations frequently seek local volunteers to assist with their work. At the same time, a growing number of Michigan residents want to take actions that positively affect local landscapes and watersheds. Additionally, land use changes throughout the state have increased the number of small-parcel landowners who seek to understand natural resources and ecosystem processes to make informed decisions about their properties and their communities. 

Many conservation and stewardship education and volunteer training programs exist throughout Michigan, coordinated through public, private, and non-governmental organizations. However, these programs tend to focus their efforts on very specific activities or locations. The Michigan Conservation Stewards Program grew out of a desire to provide coordinated training and support to empower conservation volunteers and build a network of skilled, committed conservationists that can join in local conservation activities and leadership efforts.

The Michigan Conservation Stewards Program (CSP), through Michigan State University Extension, seeks to bring together local conservation and stewardship communities through ecosystem-based learning experiences. It provides a balanced, integrated, practical course in ecosystems, conservation and land management. The CSP provides learning and stewardship opportunities to achieve the following program goals:

• Gain knowledge about natural resources ecology and conservation management;
• Gain experience with ecosystem-based management;
• Explore one’s own attitudes and diverse attitudes of others towards natural resource management and the affiliated state and local agencies, organizations, and institutions;
• Gain skills necessary to participate in conservation management activities; and
• Contribute to existing natural resources stewardship activities.

The CSP is structured around 10 weeks of instruction, beginning with Michigan’s natural resource history and ecosystem concepts, followed by a focus on lake, stream, wetland, forestland, and grassland ecosystem structure, function, and management. Participants meet for a weekly 2.5-3 hour session, plus 1-2 field sessions that are held on various Saturdays. Field sessions are designed to reinforce concepts discussed in the classroom, giving participants hands-on experiences that are led by professionals in their respective disciplines.

A cornerstone of the program includes capstone projects, where participants take what they learn in the classroom and field sessions and apply it to real-world conservation needs in their own communities. Projects are either pre-set by conservation partners, or something the participants themselves want to pursue. All capstone projects are required to be conducted on publicly accessible lands.

CSP leadership expanded its reach to new locations in 2023, including Grand Traverse and Wayne Counties. Five other locations reestablished their programs, including the West Michigan and Capital Area regions, and Washtenaw, Oakland, and St. Clair Counties. This is the largest number of coordinated cohorts in Michigan’s CSP history. This extensive network required a wide variety of partnerships for class and field locations, participant recruiting, local teaching expertise, and potential capstone project sources. 

Organizations and agencies partnered with MSU Extension by offering their physical sites for in-person classes, providing content experts for in-person presentations or field experiences, or ready-made project ideas for capstone projects. The program overall was held at approximately 47 different physical locations, and engaged about 40 different external partner experts over the course of the program. MSU Extension staff also served as in-person content experts in each location, including professionals from the Michigan Natural Features Inventory and Michigan Sea Grant. Participants not only benefited from these various sources of natural resource expertise, but also were able to put a “face” to organizations and state agencies that they may not have otherwise been exposed to.

A total of 173 individuals participated across the seven cohorts for the CSP in 2023. Over one-third of the registrants were 55 years of age or older, and about 20% were fully retired. On the other hand, nearly half (approximately 45%) made time to participate in the program while working full-time. Registrants also had higher levels of education than the overall population of the state. Over one-third of registrants possessed a bachelor’s degree. About another one-third have earned a master’s degree or higher. 

Of those who engaged in the program, 91.3% earned a certificate of completion. For a course spanning multiple months and encompassing a large proportion of participants working full-time, this high rate of completion underscores the ability of the Conservation Stewards Program to connect with learners across many different backgrounds and provide a learning environment relevant to their everyday lives. 

A video was created to capture the experience Capital Area participants had. 

A total of 158 capstone projects were initiated during the program. Examples of projects include the following: 

• Establishing pollinator gardens
• Establishing an elementary school earth club
• Completing training to collect and contribute data into the Michigan Bumble Bee Inventory community science effort
• Setting up photo monitoring stations for the Oakland Township parks to allow citizens to contribute photo observations to monitor changes in the parks over time
• Partnering with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to map invasive plants at Michigan state parks
• Collecting and redistributing native seeds at Michigan Nature Association sanctuaries that supports a wide range of habitat for wildlife
• Improving trails at a local sanctuary
• Developing a bee educational program and delivering it to local school kids 

The final in-person session at each cohort location was dedicated toward showcasing the participants’ capstone project efforts. Everyone had a chance to review and celebrate each other’s achievements. Cohort coordinators also dedicated time toward asking a series of open-ended discussion questions that were designed to gauge participants’ overall impressions and personal impacts of the program. 

During the last session of class at each location, participants were informally asked a series of questions about their experience throughout the program. Related to what one thing was the most memorable about the program, many participants identified the hands-on nature of the field experiences and hikes. Another student shared, “I was not expecting to love salamanders as much as I did.” 

With regard to what made them feel especially proud, one participant shared they “realized just one highly motivated person can have a huge impact.” Another participant “used the experience to apply to a Michigan State University’s master’s program and got accepted.” Regarding advice they would give to anyone who wanted to participate in the program in the future, one participant responded, “Don’t be scared. Jump in, learn, make friends and enjoy!” Another participant wrote, “Be prepared to be inspired.” 

The CSP leadership also distributed a survey to all participants after the last session that compares changes in knowledge, attitudes, and confidence to pre-survey questions. All responses showed an improvement in the proportion of correct answers, especially those that may be a source of controversy, such as public agency funding and logging forests. Changes in perception about natural resources and their management also tracked positively. Specifically, there was a strong increase in the percent of participants who considered themselves confident in engaging with local conservation partners, and a sense of leadership in conservation in their respective communities.

Public Value

The Conservation Stewards Program through Michigan State University Extension establishes a statewide network of stewards who engage in scientifically-based conservation activities to enhance resource management and sustain healthy ecosystems across Michigan, including land and water management, ecological monitoring, restoration, and public education.