S2535 The Keweenaw Heartlands Project: Conservation as a Catalyst to Community Resiliency
Class | Registration opens Monday, March 10, 2025 10:00 AM EST
This session will take you to the Keweenaw Peninsula, an iconic Michigan destination of beauty, ruggedness, nature and wildlife. The Case Study will demonstrate how conservation can play a catalytic role in addressing the challenges of building more resilient rural communities through the Keweenaw Heartlands Project; An innovative collaboration in which The Nature Conservancy, in collaboration with MDNR, local community members, and partners purchased 32,600 acres of threatened forestland vital to the community’s economic base. Michigan’s rural communities are home to natural features that draw people here and drive many of the state’s top economies (timber, agriculture, tourism), yet they face fundamental challenges in retaining population and building a sustainable future.
Zoom - Recorded
Helen Taylor
Helen Taylor has spent more than 34 years working on Great Lakes protection, policy, and conservation. She joined The Nature Conservancy in 1996 and has served as Michigan Chapter’s state director since 1999. Taylor also has worked in environmental policy with a concentration in Great Lakes issues, pollution prevention, waste, and public/private partnerships. She’s received several environmental gubernatorial appointments, including eight years as commissioner of the Great Lakes Commission and 21st Century Infrastructure Commission. She currently serves on the board of the C.S. Mott Foundation.