Board
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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
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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. |
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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. |
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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 three fur-babies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, outdoor recreation, spinning her own yarn, and live music. |
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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 six nature preserves for habitat, recreation and community engagement through her volunteer programs. Sara started the Stewardship Series in 2017; a series of free workshop meant to educate landowners and volunteers about being good stewards. Sara has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Central Michigan University, in addition to classes Sara managed a genetic research lab that studied anoles, a type of lizard. Prior to joining Little Forks, she spent a year in Maryland serving with the Maryland Conservation Corps where she first learn she loved land management. Sara enjoys hiking with her dog and taking nature pictures. |
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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. |
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Mindee Goodrum, Huron Pines AmeriCorps Member
Hailing from Saco, Maine, Mindee graduated with a BS in Environmental Science from Saint Michael's College in May 2018. Since then, she did a half year term of service with the Maine Conservation Corps at the South Portland Parks and Recreation Department where she learned a lot about invasive plants and insects and was involved in other outreach and volunteer projects. Mindee is excited to spend her term of service with Little Forks Conservancy to learn more about non-profits, land management, invasive species, and to explore many new parts of Michigan. |
