Local Stewardship Network Clusters  increase communication and resource-sharing among people in a targeted geographic area. Clusters serve as subnetworks on a scale that allows frequent face-to-face interaction and informal conversation.

The Stewardship Network Stewardship Clusters

• the Raisin Cluster in the Raisin River Watershed
• the Huron Arbor Cluster in the greater Washtenaw County area
• the Headwaters Cluster in the Oakland County area
• the Southwest Corner Cluster in the southwest part of the state
• the West Michigan Cluster in the counties surrounding Grand Rapids

 Emerging Stewardship Clusters

• the Shiawassee-Genesee-Lapeer Cluster in the counties of the same names
• the Southeast Michigan Lakeplain Prairie Cluster in the Greater Detroit and Down River areas 

Where are current Stewardship Network Clusters? 
Who participates in clusters? 
What do clusters do?
What do we gain by participating in a cluster? 
What are the roles & responsibilities of organizations participating in a cluster?
What does the Network provide local clusters? 
How can I start a Cluster? 

Who participates in clusters?
Participants in clusters typically include:

• Area land conservancies/trusts
• Parks departments
• Other local government units
• Corporate landowners
• Private businesses
• Individual volunteer stewards
• Other organizations and individuals interested in protecting natural areas

What do clusters do?
Through events, workshops, activities and on-line networking, the cluster membership shares ideas, information, skills and resources to enable local groups to increase their capacity to care for local natural areas. The cluster membership with support and input from the Network determines the activities it engages in. Clusters typically:

• Plan trainings
• Hold workdays
• Hold on-line discussion forums to learn from people who are experienced in natural areas protection
• Create tool-sharing programs
• Pool resources to hire common stewardship crews
• Share the expertise of its members to make the entire Stewardship Network stronger.

What do we gain by participating in a cluster?
Potential gains for groups participating in Stewardship Network Clusters include:

• Access to the volunteers, expertise, and resources of each member organization and group
• Restoration of land in a local area
• General education of residents and continued education of members and interested individuals
• A network of interested individuals and groups with whom we can share information and questions
• Energy/Support/Inspiration for stewardship work on land in a local area. This could also be extended to others embarking on similar work near and far
• Management Planning, both to gain the skills of management planning, and to develop management plans for specific areas
• Completed projects
• Funding opportunities for all participants
• Outreach and awareness for member organizations and the work they do; of the land itself; of the flora and fauna that are part of the land; and of our region and its meaning to people who live there
• Increased dialogue about a variety of issues and topics, such as burning techniques, invasive species, and working with volunteers
• Reduced fees for our annual conference and other workshops
• Information about our natural areas webcasts and the ability to help determine the topics

What are the roles & responsibilities of organizations participating in a cluster?
There are three different levels of participation for organizations involved in a local Stewardship Network Cluster: 

• Lead organization

How can I start a Cluster