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    State Park Stewardship

    The stewardship unit strives to balance resource protection with compatible recreational use. To accomplish this mission the unit seeks to lessen the impact of 23 million visitors each year on fragile park natural resources. Where natural habitats have been degraded by over use, or other causes, the Stewardship Program restores and enhances them. Protection of historic and archaeological sites, the invasion of weedy non-native plants, fragmentation (the breaking up of tracts of habitat), and the suppression of natural fire are just some of the many challenges involved in the stewardship of our natural resources.

    The State Park Stewardship Program was established in 1995 and operates within the Parks and Recreation Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The following primary goals have been established.

    • The comprehensive inventory of all natural and cultural resources within Michigan's state park system (over 100 state parks encompassing 280,000+ acres). The inventory attempts to identify and monitor unique, rare and endangered species as well as significant historic and archaeological sites.
    • The protection of park natural and cultural resources
    • The restoration and management of Michigan's native ecosystems and preservation of the native species within them

    Michigan state parks and recreation areas contain an abundance of significant natural features fundamental to the natural heritage of our state. With diligent attention and continued effort focused on the protection of these riches within our state parks Michigan will continue to be like nowhere else on earth.

    To accomplish our mission, we rely heavily on a network of dedicated volunteers to collect native prairie seedremove non-native weeds, participate in our Volunteer Steward Program and help with a variety of other stewardship activities.

    field with prairie seed To learn about prescribed burning check out this information on prescribed burning in Michigan State Parks

    Program Contacts Include:

    Ray Fahlsing
    Stewardship Unit Manager
    517-335-4823 
    FahlsingR@michigan.gov

    Lisa Gamero
    Stewardship Specialist
    517-241-4789
    GameroL@michigan.gov

    Glenn Palmgren 
    Ecologist
    517-373-7844
    PalmgrenG@michigan.gov

    Bob Clancy
    Ecological Restoration Specialist
    517-241-2055
    ClancyR@michigan.gov

    Tom Tucker
    Stewardship Ranger
    517-202-1378
    TuckerT2@michigan.gov

    Laurel Malvitz-Draper
    Natural Resource Steward, Southeast Michigan
    248-359-9057
    MalvitzL@michigan.gov

    Heidi Frei
    Natural Resource Steward, Southwest Michigan
    269-685-6851 ext. 147
    FreiH@michigan.gov

    Alicia Selden
    Stewardship Analyst
    517-335-0883
    SeldenA@michigan.gov

    Related Content
     •  Be Part of the Volunteer Steward Program
     •  Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps/AmeriCorps Stewardship Crews
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