I am an environmental field technician, working within the cooperative partnership between the Lake St. Clair CISMA and Six Rivers Land Conservancy. Our work resides within 5 counties in Southeast Michigan, and focuses on conservation easement monitoring, public outreach and education, and invasive species tracking, treating, and reporting. I have been with the CISMA and Conservancy for 2 years and have loved the opportunity to work in the great outdoors on the areas within SE Michigan that I want to be in (parks, nature preserves, and anywhere with trees and out of site from the roads). My degree is in environmental science with a concentration in resource management and sustainability from Oakland University. I have experienced several other fields of work before settling on environmental, including manufacturing, health care, and biomaterials research, but I feel very lucky to have such diverse and consistent work within the environmental field. I am an avid enjoyer of the outdoors, and use my free time to hike, mountain bike, snowboard, run, and look at every interesting plant, insect, or animal I come across.
TSN Conference 2026
January 23rd, 2026 (Friday) // 11:55 am – 12:20 pm // Room 105 // Evicting Invasive Species: The Realities of Suburban Stewardship // Land stewardship and invasive species management within a densely populated suburban environment presents unique challenges for our small, grant-funded CISMA. Fragmented site locations, inconsistent land access, and limited gear are all restrictions that we operate under, while navigating rotating priorities on multiple grants to fund us, each with their own timelines. With a small field crew and only 1 field vehicle, logistical hurdles are inevitable. Yet, suburban work also offers some surprising silver linings, such as increased visibility and more opportunities for community outreach and collaboration. This presentation explores the realities of suburban stewardship and invites discussion on scalable solutions. Current and relevant projects that we will provide data and content on include Red Swamp Crayfish, phragmites, water primrose, and other terrestrial and aquatic invasive species. We will focus on our main service areas of Clinton and Oakland Counties.