The Stewardship Network Conference #16
This year's event will be conducted February 2nd & 3rd, 2023 and marks our third consecutive online session after a long in-person tradition. Each year since 2008, we've assembled this fantastic gathering of regional and national caretakers of nature to share ideas, challenge our thinking, and leave energized for the seasons ahead, bolstered by the knowledge that none of us are doing this vital work alone. We hope you'll join us!
2023 SPEAKERS
(More speakers coming soon!)
| Amy Greene, nature centers director, oversees operations and programming for the Belle Isle Nature Center, supporting stewardship, connection, and equitable access to nature for metro Detroiters. Before joining the Detroit Zoological Society, she spent 13 years teaching science in the metro Detroit area. |
Mark Shepard
Mark Shepard is the CEO of Forest Agriculture Enterprises LLC, founder of Restoration Agriculture Development LLC and award-winning author of the book, Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers. Mark has also been a farmer member of the Organic Valley cooperative, the worlds largest Organic Farmer’s marketing co-op, since 1995. He is most widely known as the founder of New Forest Farm, the 106-acre perennial agricultural savanna considered by many to be one of the most ambitious sustainable agriculture projects in the United States.
New Forest Farm is a planned conversion of a typical row-crops grain farm into a commercial-scale, perennial agricultural ecosystem using oak savanna, successional brushland and eastern woodlands as the ecological models. Trees, shrubs, vines, canes, perennial plants and fungi are planted in association with one another to produce food (for humans and animals), fuel, medicines, and beauty. Hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts and various fruits are the primary woody crops. The farm is entirely solar and wind powered and farm equipment is capable of being powered with locally produced biofuels.
Trained in both mechanical engineering and ecology, Mark has developed and patented equipment and processes for the cultivation, harvesting and processing of forest derived agricultural products for human foods and bio fuels production.
Mark was certified as a Permaculture designer in 1993 and received his Diploma of Permaculture design from Bill Mollison, the founder of the international Permaculture movement. He teaches agroforestry and Permaculture worldwide.
Missy Stults
Dr. Missy Stults is the Sustainability and Innovations Director for the City of Ann Arbor. In this role, she works with all city operations, residents, businesses, the University of Michigan, nonprofits, and others to make Ann Arbor one of the most sustainable and equitable cities in America and to implement the A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan. Prior to joining the City, Missy worked with cities and tribal communities around the nation to advance their climate and sustainability goals, including during her time as the Climate Director at ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and as a consultant to philanthropic organizations. Missy has a PhD in urban resilience from the University of Michigan, a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and undergraduate degrees in Marine Biology and Environmental Science from the University of New England.
Samantha Tank
Sam is a project manager for the Great Lakes Commission’s aquatic invasive species program. In this role, she coordinates the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative, the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework, the Invasive Mussel Collaborative and the European Frog-bit Collaborative, as well as providing staff support to the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species.
Andy Vander Yacht
| Dr. Andrew (Andy) L. Vander Yacht is an Assistant Professor of Silviculture & Forest Ecosystem Management in the Department of Sustainable Resources Management at SUNY ESF. He teaches silviculture, fire ecology and management, and forest management for wildlife. Broadly, he seeks to: 1) understand how disturbance, particularly fire, affects the structure, composition, health, and resiliency of temperate forested ecosystems, and 2) how this knowledge can inform modern forest management. Specifically, he works to advance silvicultural practices in NY and beyond as he explores historical disturbances in forests, plant-soil-fire feedbacks, forest carbon management, fuel ecology, pyric herbivory, the restoration of disturbance-dependent biodiversity, and fire effects on ticks and tick-borne disease. Before SUNY ESF, Andy earned a B.S. in Biology at Hope College (Holland, MI) and M.S. (Wildlife Science) and Ph.D. (Natural Resources) degrees from The University of Tennessee. |
About #TSNconference
Now in its 16th year, The Stewardship Network Conference is the moment where theory meets practice and curiosity leads to solutions. Each annual convening unifies hundreds of professionals, students, and volunteers from a dazzling array of environmental fields. Here they share their setbacks and successes, compare advancements and techniques, and revel in diverse perspectives and creative expressions — all in support of our shared mission to care for the natural world.
About The Stewardship Network
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, The Stewardship Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an award-winning, 20-year history of connecting, equipping, and mobilizing people and organizations to care for land and water in their communities. As a flagship program of the organization, TSN Conference embodies our vision to "build a diverse network of connected communities empowered to care for our environment together, now and forever."
