Nature Center Summit

2026 Nature Center Summit
January 30th, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

This year, DNR staff and partners will meet together at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center in Roscommon to share the most up-to-date data and trends. 

10:00 a.m.          Welcome/Introductions (Au Sable Room)

10:15 a.m.          Partner Organization Spotlight (Au Sable Room)
                                  - Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE): Lauren Westerman
                                  - National Association for Interpretation (NAI): Michelle Fournier
                                  - Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA): Dan Auer

10:30 a.m.          Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Overview for the Department of Natural Resources
                             Dan Lord, Finance and Operations Division (Au Sable Room)
                             A high-level overview of the fiscal year 2026 budget for the Department of Natural Resources. General information provided on where the funding comes from, where it goes, as well as current challenges and opportunities for increased funding to support people, programs, and facilities.   

11:00 a.m.          Breakout Sessions (choose one per time block)                        

         Fire Safety is Everyone's Responsibility, Andrea Stay, DNR Forest Resources Division, (Au Sable Room)
Fire safety isn't just for Smokey Bear - it's your job, too! Nine out of ten wildfires in Michigan and across the nation are caused by humans. Join DNR’s Forest Resources Division to learn about both wildfire prevention and the benefits of prescribed fire.  In 2025, DNR Fire officers responded to over 480 fires across the state. Participants will practice educational activities and take home a fire education bucket of supplies to use with youth and adults.

         Proactive Programs, Introduction to Michigan’s Natural Rivers, Dana Castle, DNR Fish Division, (Manistee Room) 
The Michigan Natural Rivers Program is a zoning program that places a 400-foot zoning district around 16 of Michigan’s pristine rivers, preserving values for generations to come. The program has a watershed approach to zoning and allows individuals to develop their property but doing it in a wise way by having them meet certain standards while developing to ensure both the ecological and aesthetic qualities of these rivers remain protected. The program includes building setbacks, impervious surface limits, protected vegetated buffers, reducing run-off, erosion, and keeping the water cold. 

Noon                Lunch included  (Main Lodge)

1:00 p.m.          Breakout Sessions (choose one per time block) 

          Eastern Michigan and Lake Huron Fisheries, Jeff Jolley, DNR Fisheries Division, (Au Sable Room)
Details coming soon.

         Exploring to Learn: Unstructured nature exploration in place-based field trips, Luke Grange, DNR Marketing and Outreach Division (Manistee Room)
This session examines the effect of including loosely structured discovery and exploration time during place-based field trips. Allowing students time to make their own discoveries during exploratory play has been observed to deepen student interest, engagement and provide opportunities for observation and questioning. Participants in this session will experience an exploratory play session and hear how to facilitate a productive exploratory play activity and strategies to transition to other activities.- 

2:00 p.m.          Breakout Sessions (choose one per time block) 

         Certified Invasive-Free Products – Coming soon to Michigan! Viki Sawicki DNR Forest Resources Division, (AuSable Room)
Soon better purchasing choices will be available in Michigan for gravel, fill, mulch, compost and firewood. Invasive plants, insects and pathogens find ready transport to new locations by hiding out in these products. This not only puts Michigan’s forests and other natural areas at risk but can also lead to destruction of public and private buildings and infrastructure.  Learn more details about these new programs set to launch in 2026.

         Enhancing Human-Wildlife Coexistence Across Michigan, Jared Duquette, DNR Wildlife Division, (Manistee Room)
Michigan’s landscape is changing biologically and socially. Wildlife populations are shifting, less people are hunting, and the public increasingly desires coexistence with wildlife. These and other factors create major challenges to traditional wildlife management, but underscore the need to implement contemporary and novel approaches. This presentation will explore how the Michigan DNR is adapting to these challenges to enhance human-wildlife coexistence, particularly through partnerships and contemporary conservation projects. - 

3:00 p.m.          Breakout Sessions (choose one per time block) 

         Waterfowl, Wetlands, and You: The Importance of Ducks, Geese, and Swans in Michigan, Kali Rush, DNR Wildlife Division, (Au Sable Room)
Join Michigan DNR’s Waterfowl Specialist, to learn about the history of waterfowl, their relationships with wetlands, and what we can learn from them. She will talk about the types of waterfowl and how you can identify them, where they live, how we study them and why it matters to us. 

          Terrestrial Invasive Species, Katie Grzesiak, DNR Wildlife Division, (Manistee Room)
Description coming soon.

4:00 p.m.          Adjourn                             

Registration coming soon.

Questions about the event? Email Shaun McKeon at MckeonS@Michigan.gov.