Our Outreach Team

The Outreach team at National Great Rivers includes our Landowner Outreach staff members (Land Conservation Specialists) and their Regional Managers, the Habitat Strike Team and our Community Science team.

 

 

Outreach Management Team

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Dr. Danelle Haake
Dr.Danelle Haake

RiverWatch Director and Stream Ecologist

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.
Email: dhaake@lc.edu
https://dhaake.weebly.com/
B.S. Biology, Missouri State University; M.S. Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University; Ph.D. Biology, Saint Louis University
Dr. Justin Shew
Dr.Justin Shew

Conservation Program Manager

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.
Email: jshew@lc.edu
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EYnXk2AAAAAJ&hl=en; https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin-Shew
B.S. Biology, Truman State University; M.S. Biology, Missouri State University; Ph.D. Zoology/Wildlife Ecology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Community Science Specialists

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Habitat Strike Team

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Land Conservation Specialist

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Benjamin Petropoulos
Benjamin Petropoulos

Land Conservation Specialist-Macomb, IL

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.
Email: bpetropoulos@lc.edu
B.S. Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Western Washington University
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