Become a Conservation Steward!

The Michigan Conservation Stewards Program (CSP) is an 8-week, educational program for adults who are enthusiastic about learning science-based ecosystem management principles and sharing this knowledge with others to help improve their local communities. This program will help adults gain the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to land and water stewardship, as well as educational efforts in their local area. Participants also create their own conservation networks by interacting with fellow participants and staff of local conservation organizations.

Classroom and online sessions deliver the foundations of conservation, and local field experiences guide students through forestland, grassland, wetland, Great Lake, inland lake, and stream environments. Conservation Stewards work on capstone projects with other students to help them apply what they learn to real-world conservation needs in their communities.

The Conservation Stewards Program in Alpena County is administered by Michigan State University Extension and planned and delivered in partnership with Huron Pines.

The Alpena County cohort will host their weekly classes from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, from Sept. 9 to Nov. 11, 2025. Weekly classes will meet throughout Alpena County at a variety of locations (view the schedule here).

For complete program details, please visit the Michigan Conservation Stewards Program website.

For more details specifically about the Alpena County cohort, please visit the Alpena County Cohort webpage.

2025 Hybrid Program

• 8 weeks of instruction delivered between September – November 2025 consisting of the following components: 

  • Weekly online course content to review and complete on-your-own via the course web site

  • Up to three hours of weekly, in-person lecture and field instruction with local cohort

  • 1 – 2 Saturday field experiences to explore ecologically diverse natural communities with local cohort

• Selection of a Capstone (Applied) Project related to restoring and conserving Michigan’s ecosystem, completed with guidance provided by a local mentor

• Certification of Completion

Course Themes

• Foundations of Conservation: Heritage, Ecology, and Society & Conservation

• Terrestrial, Wetland, and Aquatic Ecosystems 

• Natural Communities of Michigan

Program Fee: $250

• Registration includes a copy of a "Field Guide to the Natural Communities of Michigan" which will be provided to each participant at the first session of the course. 

Scholarships

• Scholarships are available for all and help offset the program registration fee. For more information on scholarships, please visit this page.

Space is limited. Registration closes on August 17.

For cohort and content related questions, please reach out to Maddie Khuri at maddie@huronpines.org.

For general questions and registration assistance, please contact Shelby Warner at warner80@msu.edu or (517) 884-7076.