by Jon Steigerwaldt, RGS & AWS Forest Conservation Director – Great Lakes and Upper Midwest
RGS & AWS continues to grow our impact in the Great Lakes region, a critical area for our mission-related work that spans seven states – Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
We’re pleased to announce that our rapid rate of growth and escalating work necessitates the addition of new senior staff leadership. We are dividing the Great Lakes Forest Conservation Region into eastern and western divisions, adding a senior-level forest conservation director position to continue to build out our growth in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
This position posting is live on the RGS & AWS website as of this week. Please share with qualified applicants you may know.
Some other recent developments since our last update in May are worth sharing.
Funding wins are increasing our ability to deliver targeted habitat conservation that will benefit ruffed grouse and a host of forest-dependent species. Here are a few highlights:
- $32,000 in new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding is being added to our Huron-Manistee National Forests Stewardship Agreement.
- Our new 2024 State Wildlife Habitat grant will add a $371,500 investment to our work on both the Ottawa National Forest and Hiawatha National Forest.
- A soon-to-be-finalized agreement with Pheasants Forever in Indiana will foster partnership around young forest work on private lands.
In addition, we just submitted a funding proposal to Region 9 to support collaboration across all national forests in Michigan. Through this agreement, RGS & AWS would add capacity to meet several critical needs to ensure success of existing agreements/projects and pursue new restoration projects on Michigan’s national forests. This agreement will allow RGS & AWS to hire a forest conservation director and forest wildlife specialist and expand collaboration around the Pere-Marquette Forest Habitat Collaborative and the Huron-Manistee National Forests Early Succession Habitat Improvement Project.
To reiterate, our strategic expansion in conservation delivery and in secured grants and funding agreements, with support and engagement at the chapter level, is fueling this growth. Prior to 2020, our team in the Great Lakes region was managing less than $500,000 in habitat projects. In less than five years, we’ve built a program comprising more than $7.25 million in grants and agreements with a variety of funding partners, including our Region 9 Stewardship Agreement with the U.S. Forest Service and 11 agreements with six national forests.
We’re continuing our focus on shifting toward a bigger, wholesale model of habitat management and conservation delivery – and to increasing funding and agreements like the Region 9 Forest Service Agreement, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation MOU and the Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever MOU, as well as developing a private lands delivery program in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.
We look forward to expanding our team and continuing to advance our mission for the remainder of 2024 and beyond!
