Mary joined Michigan Natural Features Inventory in 2025 as a Conservation Associate, bringing with her expertise in fire-dependent natural communities and the strategic use of prescribed fire to enhance biodiversity and support critical habitat for fire-adapted rare and endangered species. Raised in southwest Michigan, Mary developed an early passion for plants and the ecology of natural systems. She earned her BS in Natural Resource Management from Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and spent her early career in the Great Plains and Midwest, where she honed her knowledge in large-scale prescribed fire, grassland management, and long-term ecological monitoring. In 2020, she returned to southwest Michigan as a land manager at a biological field station, where she spent four years overseeing conservation projects, leading prescribed fire operations, mentoring undergraduate students, and advancing the protection of rare and endangered species. During this time, she also earned an MS in Biology from GVSU, studying the impact of prescribed fire seasonality on plant composition in restored tallgrass prairies. Mary is a passionate educator, frequently delivering presentations on the intricacies of fire-dependent ecosystems and promoting the relevance of Indigenous Knowledge in natural resource management. She is a proud member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (Ojibwa) and an active participant in the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council.

TSN Conference 2026

• January 22nd, 2026 (Thursday) // 11:35 am – 12:35 pm // Red Cedar Room // Student Pathways Session // The landscape of careers in stewardship and sustainability is diverse and rapidly changing. How can you identify and form your career path? What professional development do you need to grow or transition among the options, from academia to business to government and non-governmental organizations? This session provides a supportive environment to share questions and learn best practices from each other and from professionals with different experiences.

• January 23rd, 2026 (Friday) // 11:20 am – 12:20 pm // Red Cedar Room // Setting the Straits on Fire – Part II // Through a cooperative agreement with the USFWS, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB), MNFI, & MSU Department of Forestry are reconstructing fire histories in culturally significant sites in MI’s Straits Region. Last year our team provided a broad overview of our research. This year we will prove that sequels can be as compelling as the original. After a full field season of dendrochronological sampling, we will dig into the results for forests with unique fire histories in Waganakising, LTBB’s homeland. Mae Wright, LTBB’s Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, will join us & provide an overview of the cultural context of the study area & interpretation of the results based on oral histories & archival research. Through collaborative sampling we are increasing literacy about cultural burning, fire ecology, & dendrochronology with the goal of returning Good Fire to the Straits to increase landscape resilience, ecological integrity, co-management, & cultural heritage.