Steering Committee

 
 
 
 

chairperson

Ben Savoie

Barry Conservation District

Ben is passionate about improving community involvement and knowledge of ecological restoration. He has a strong history of work with community organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America, Hastings Food Forest, and Michigan Tree Farm. He joined the Barry Conservation District in 2016 as their District Forester and holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Michigan State University.

Vice chairperson

DAVE BROWN

SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN LAND CONSERVANCY

Stewardship & Fire Manager

Treasurer

GraceAnna Cooper

Michigan DNR

Secretary

Michele Richards

Michigan Department of Military Affairs

Michele has been a part of the fire council since its inception in 1999, and has been instrumental in its continued existence ever since. She works at Fort Custer Training Center as a natural resources specialist for the Michigan Army National Guard. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Earth Science and Environmental Studies from Western Michigan University (earned in 1998), and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (earned in 2017). Natural resources management at Fort Custer includes prescribed fire, invasive plant management, ecological restoration, endangered species management, avian studies, and the occasional foray into wetland ecology.

Staff

Policies & Bylaws

Policies & Bylaws

Committee Link

SUBMIT EVENT OR TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Event Form
"An interagency firefighting team aided by a fire drone conducted a highly successful prescribed burn in central Wisconsin on Department of Defense land, April 11. ...Traditionally, there are two main methods for prescribed burns, hand ignition
The FIRST NE-MW Regional Prescribed Fire Science and Management Workshop will be held in Madison, Wisconsin at The Madison Concourse hotel on August 29 – 31, 2023. Sponsored by the Northeast Regional Strategy Committee (NE RSC), a regional org
"The Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC), established in April 2002 by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to provide an intergovernmental committee to support the implementation and coordination of Federal Fire Management Policy
"Tribal officials from three Chippewa Bands signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Forest Service this week to provide for co-stewardship and protection of “treaty-reserved rights under the 1854 Treaty” across the m
Large burn sites in forested areas are ideal for morel mushroom hunting, especially in burned areas where jack, white or red pine once grew. Grassy and other non forest areas are not as likely to produce morels. The MI DNR have put together a map of