Board
|
Jon DeGroot - President
Chuck Martin - Vice President Bill Thomson - Treasurer Roger Garner - Secretary Robyn Galbraith - At Large |
Tim Dyste
Sue Erhardt Mary Haslam Sally Hightower Joshua Jones Steve Wilkowski |
Staff
Greg Yankee, Executive Director
Greg joined The Little Forks Conservancy in October 2016 as the Executive Director. In that capacity, he is the chief administrator for the organization and is responsible for the development, oversight, and implementation of goals, policies, programs, and procedures to fulfill the mission of Little Forks. Greg grew up in Michigan and graduated from Bucknell University and the University of Michigan Law School. Before joining Little Forks, he served in multiple roles for the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts, including Executive Director. He is excited to be back in Michigan and to explore all that mid-Michigan has to offer.
Email
Elan Lipschitz, Director of Land Conservation
Elan Lipschitz became the Land Protection Specialist for The Little Forks Conservancy in June 2000. As Director of Land Conservation, Elan works with landowners as they make their decisions about how best to preserve their properties. He works to negotiate the terms of a conservation easement if that is the route of land protection decided upon by the landowner. In addition to conservation easements, he is involved in conservation buyer transactions, evaluation of lands to be purchased by the Conservancy, land conservation planning and various partnerships with other conservation organizations. Additional areas of responsibility include the annual monitoring of easement properties as well as for the Geographic Information System (GIS) program at the Conservancy. Although not from Michigan, Elan has developed a deep appreciation for the wonders of our local landscapes.
Email
Andrea Foster, Community Programs Manager
Andrea joined the Little Forks Conservancy in February of 2015. Andrea Foster is the Community Programs Manager. She currently runs the Conservation@Home and Conservation@Work programs, Nature/Nurture, an environmental education program at ACEA and Windover High Schools, coordinates corporate volunteer events, manages three pollinator gardens, and works with community members and local organizations to make things happen!
In addition to her role with Little Forks, Andrea is on the Parks and Recreation Commission serving Midland’s City Council, is a volunteer coach with The Rock Center for Youth Development and serves on the Midland Area Community Foundation’s Public Arts Committee. She is a mother to her daughter and two fur-babies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, outdoor recreation, spinning her own yarn, and live music.
Email
Sara Huetteman, Stewardship Coordinator
Sara became the Stewardship Coordinator in January 2018 after serving as a Huron Pines AmeriCorps member in 2017 at the Little Forks Conservancy. As Stewardship Coordinator, Sara manages the nature preserves with the help of volunteers and manages the Stewardship Series. Sara has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Central Michigan University and hopes to incorporate more citizen science projects in the preserves and community. Sara enjoys hiking with her dog and taking nature pictures.
Email
Alyssa German, Outreach Coordinator
Alyssa joined Little Forks in January 2018. As the Outreach Coordinator, Alyssa is responsible for the communications and engagement activities within the organization. Alyssa works within multiple platforms to keep the community informed as well as content creation for Little Forks. Alyssa has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Photography from Northern Michigan University. Alyssa immensely appreciates the true healing powers of the outdoors and enjoys spending time camping, hiking, reading, and boating.
Email
Greg joined The Little Forks Conservancy in October 2016 as the Executive Director. In that capacity, he is the chief administrator for the organization and is responsible for the development, oversight, and implementation of goals, policies, programs, and procedures to fulfill the mission of Little Forks. Greg grew up in Michigan and graduated from Bucknell University and the University of Michigan Law School. Before joining Little Forks, he served in multiple roles for the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts, including Executive Director. He is excited to be back in Michigan and to explore all that mid-Michigan has to offer.
Elan Lipschitz, Director of Land Conservation
Elan Lipschitz became the Land Protection Specialist for The Little Forks Conservancy in June 2000. As Director of Land Conservation, Elan works with landowners as they make their decisions about how best to preserve their properties. He works to negotiate the terms of a conservation easement if that is the route of land protection decided upon by the landowner. In addition to conservation easements, he is involved in conservation buyer transactions, evaluation of lands to be purchased by the Conservancy, land conservation planning and various partnerships with other conservation organizations. Additional areas of responsibility include the annual monitoring of easement properties as well as for the Geographic Information System (GIS) program at the Conservancy. Although not from Michigan, Elan has developed a deep appreciation for the wonders of our local landscapes.
Andrea Foster, Community Programs Manager
Andrea joined the Little Forks Conservancy in February of 2015. Andrea Foster is the Community Programs Manager. She currently runs the Conservation@Home and Conservation@Work programs, Nature/Nurture, an environmental education program at ACEA and Windover High Schools, coordinates corporate volunteer events, manages three pollinator gardens, and works with community members and local organizations to make things happen!
In addition to her role with Little Forks, Andrea is on the Parks and Recreation Commission serving Midland’s City Council, is a volunteer coach with The Rock Center for Youth Development and serves on the Midland Area Community Foundation’s Public Arts Committee. She is a mother to her daughter and two fur-babies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, outdoor recreation, spinning her own yarn, and live music.
Sara Huetteman, Stewardship Coordinator
Sara became the Stewardship Coordinator in January 2018 after serving as a Huron Pines AmeriCorps member in 2017 at the Little Forks Conservancy. As Stewardship Coordinator, Sara manages the nature preserves with the help of volunteers and manages the Stewardship Series. Sara has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Central Michigan University and hopes to incorporate more citizen science projects in the preserves and community. Sara enjoys hiking with her dog and taking nature pictures.
Alyssa German, Outreach Coordinator
Alyssa joined Little Forks in January 2018. As the Outreach Coordinator, Alyssa is responsible for the communications and engagement activities within the organization. Alyssa works within multiple platforms to keep the community informed as well as content creation for Little Forks. Alyssa has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Photography from Northern Michigan University. Alyssa immensely appreciates the true healing powers of the outdoors and enjoys spending time camping, hiking, reading, and boating.
