Our Outreach Team

I am the Director of Illinois RiverWatch, a community science program that teaches volunteers to monitor water quality in their local streams by examining stream habitats and identifying the numbers and kinds of aquatic macroinvertebrates that live there. My involvement with community science at NGRREC also includes coordination of the Winter Chloride Watchers, who monitor road salt impacts on rivers, streams, and ponds; the revision of Stream Discovery as an introduction to RiverWatch; and the leadership of a 10-year mussel monitoring project in the upper Sangamon River. In addition to these programs, I conduct research in stream ecology with a focus on aquatic invertebrates. Recent work includes studies of the impacts of road salt on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities, an exploration of the long-term changes in freshwater mussel assemblages in the Sangamon River, an evaluation of the diversity of dragonflies and damselflies in Illinois, and studies of small invertebrates in streams, wetlands, and Mississippi River backwaters. My work occurs at the confluence of NGRREC’s three pillars: Education, Research, and Outreach. Our community science programs educate individuals about water quality and provide resources to educators who bring this science into the classroom. The research in my lab includes both traditional studies of aquatic populations and projects that engage volunteers in the study of local mussel assemblages. Our public engagement includes outreach to the public at community festivals, to salt-using municipalities at public works forums, to our volunteers in newsletters and online speaker series, and to scientists at conferences and webinars.

Regional Manager of Land Conservation Specialist (LCS) of Northwestern Illinois. I have been employed with NGRREC since May of 2013. I manage a team of five LCSs throughout the Northwestern 1/3 of the state. We offer technical assistance to the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

I am a regional manager leading Land Conservation Specialists in Southern Illinois. The Land Conservation team partners with the Natural Resource Conservation Service throughout Illinois to provide technical guidance, monitoring, and outreach pertaining to natural resource management of properties enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs (ACEP).

As a Land Conservation Specialist (LCS), I worked on CRP status reviews and WRP annual easement monitoring reviews for the NRCS. I was aiding four district groups with these reviews, stretching from Whiteside County (IL) east toward Will and Kankakee counties. I was recently promoted to Regional Manager for Land Conservation, leading a team of LCSs in the Northeastern part of Illinois and am very excited for what the future may hold.

I help lead, direct and manage NGRREC's Outreach pillar as the Conservation Program Manager. I work with both state/federal partners and NGRREC staff and leadership to help fund and manage NGRREC’s Habitat Strike Team and Land Conservation Specialist Program, which provides both boots-on-the-ground restoration activities and conservation technical assistance to landowners, respectively. My role provides coordination communication between partners, NGRREC leadership, L&C administrative staff and NGRREC outreach staff. I administer grants and conduct report writing for all funding grants the outreach program is involved with. I apply for grants and help draft agreements and budgets with funding agencies and partners. With an applied wildlife ecology research background, I provide support to NGRREC’s intern program and have served as the lead mentor to many undergraduate students – including several L&C students. Their projects complement the Illinois State Wildlife Action Plan, which ties in closely with some of our funding objectives related to the Habitat Strike Team. My students and I seek to publish projects that can help inform conservation decisions associated with habitat management for wildlife. Currently, we are focused on wildlife response to invasive bush honeysuckle (i.e., the species the strike team focuses the majority of their time eradicating) and other multi-scale habitat factors.

My role at NGRREC is focused on conservation stewardship, working on both private and public land in the state of Illinois. This is accomplished through grant funding from different agencies such as IDNR. Through these programs, we are able to conduct crucial wildlife habitat restoration within our local ecoregion. Our main purpose is invasive plant species removal accomplished through a variety of methods, including foliar application of herbicide, selective tree removal, and the utilization of prescribed fire. Using these management practices allows our crew to have a meaningful impact on local wildlife habitat. We primarily spend our time in the field however, we also help other members of NGRREC with outreach events as well as maintaining our equipment and supplies.

I work with landowners and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to create, develop, and maintain wildlife habitat through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This includes planning and reviewing CRP land to create and sustain proper habitat using grasses, forbs, shrubs and tree species native to Illinois and monitoring and planning restoration of native wetlands in Illinois under the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP).

I am a Land Conservation Specialist in southeastern Illinois. As an NRCS partner, I work primarily with wetland easements, where former agriculture land has been permanently restored to wetland habitat. I also assist with the Conservation Reserve Program.

I am a Land Conservation Specialist for Shelby, Effingham, Fayette, Bond, Clinton, and Washington Counties. I help facilitate monitoring Wetland Easements and CRP properties with the NRCS offices local to my district. Though I just started at the beginning of the year, I'm looking forward to adding to my inventory of skills, such as producing burn plans, conservation planning and further aiding the NRCS in helping landowners and producers.

My role at NGRREC is to partner with the United States Department of Agriculture through the Natural Resources Conservation Service to assist landowners and producers with conservation implementation, maintenance and management solutions within federal government cost-share program parameters.

I am a Land Conservation Specialist working in NRCS area 4. My duties are primarily monitoring and creating compatible use agreements for NRCS wetland easements. I am also involved with CRP as a planner and doing field work such as status reviews, suitability and feasibility studies etc.

As a Land Conservation Specialist, I assist NRCS with the implementation of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). Through these programs, I help local landowners identify and mitigate their land’s resource concerns and protect natural habitats to promote biodiversity and ecological health. I conduct detailed ecological assessments to identify conservation priorities. This includes identifying and monitoring native flora and fauna, assessing habitat conditions, and identifying threats such as invasive species, pollution, and/or significant soil erosion. I use these reports to inform the development of specifically tailored management plans. I collaborate with government agencies, non-profits, and private landowners to write and help implement conservation plans. This involves planning land restoration projects such as native plantings, soil erosion control and wetland rehabilitation. These restoration projects help improve local water quality, reduce soil erosion, and provide wildlife habitat. Many of these practices help establish habitat corridors to enhance connectivity between fragmented habitats, facilitating wildlife movement. Additionally, education and community engagement are crucial components of my role. I contribute to local educational programs and workshops to raise awareness about environmental issues, the current best conservation practices, and available government conservation programs providing technical/financial support.

As a partner with NRCS, I assist landowners with creating or improving wildlife habitats on their land by going to the sites and giving advice on how to improve or maintain the area. A large part of this involves educating landowners on the plants present on their property to prevent the spread of invasive species.