Ecological restoration is a young science, and every place we transform habitat through stewardship is a place to learn lessons about those ecosystems. Those lessons don’t always come in the form of text books or technical academic literature, but through careful observation of nature’s response to our efforts. For those willing to take the time to observe these efforts, plants are by far our most reliable communicators of this useful information. Learn about just a handful of these valuable lessons we have been taught at the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy in our crusade to restore ecosystems – all of course, taught by plants.
Stories from the Understory and Overstory: Lessons learned about restoration from our Plant Partners
Webcast Video
Guests
Mitch Lettow
Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Stewardship Director
Mitch grew up on Pickerel Lake in Scotts, Michigan, where his time spent in the backyard and the water, with encouragement from his family, nurtured his fascination in nature. This fascination matured into a pursuit of a career in the field of ecology where he worked in both research and restoration for the Kalamazoo Nature Center, Michigan Wildflower Farm, Michigan State University, and the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. At MSU Mitch received his B.S. in 2009 and his M.S. in 2013 in Environmental Biology/Zoology and Entomology, respectively. Being interested in diverse aspects of the natural world, like ornithology and botany, the emerging field of Restoration Ecology was an appealing way to roll all of these interests into one. This allowed Mitch to get his hands dirty while making a satisfying and tangible difference for the natural communities he had come to love that face an increasing amount of environmental degradation. He was thrilled to come back to SWMLC’s Stewardship Program in July 2013. Mitch looks forward to restoring natural processes and biodiversity on the Conservancy’s many preserves, as well as learning from and working with many volunteers and community members who are critical to long-term stewardship and conservation. Mitch lives in Kalamazoo, where he can be found doing anything that gets him into the out-of-doors.