Huron Pines receives a 2021 MSU Extension Key Partner Award
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EmailMSU Extension honors Huron Pines for developing healthier Natural Resources and supporting the AmeriCorp program during the annual Fall Extension Conference held virtually on Sept. 28.
Michigan State University Extension awarded Huron Pines with a 2021 Key Partner Award on Sept. 28. The Key Partner Award recognizes those that have made significant contributions to support and promote MSU Extension programs.
Serving Michigan for more than four decades, Huron Pines has conserved and enhanced northern Michigan’s natural resources to ensure healthy water, protected places, and vibrant communities. By providing training, tools, and technical advice, the nonprofit works with all people, organizations, and companies who wish to invest in making Great Lakes waters, wildlife, and communities healthier.
A signature program is the Huron Pines AmeriCorp program, a service and workforce development program that helps develop leaders in conservation. Huron Pines also coordinates invasive species management partnerships including the Huron Heartland and Huron Coastal Invasive Species networks.
Huron Pines has partnered with Michigan State University Extension for many years, enhancing communities through conservation projects, place-based education partnerships, workforce development, and community service partnerships. MSU Extension programs have been host sites for the Huron Pines AmeriCorps program. Huron Pines also is an administrative and leadership partnership to the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (NEMIGLSI), a regional network enhancing student learning through place-based stewardship education. Examples of these partnerships include student-designed green infrastructure installations and student-managed schoolyard forests. Through Huron Heartland and Huron Coastal Invasive Species networks, they work with MSU Extension to support a strategic approach to invasive species management.
Hosting a Huron Pines AmeriCorps member provides tremendous value because MSU Extension AmeriCorps members expand outreach, collect data, and offer program support. The NEMIGLSI network has hosted more than 10 members who contribute to educational kits available for educator use. These kits contain activities and resources around identified community needs such as marine debris, water quality, and invasive species. At Michigan Natural Features Inventory, members improved the Vernal Pool Monitoring Patrol Program by helping with logistics, training, and application implementation for collecting data. Huron Pines has helped MSU Extension reach more youth while also helping youth increase awareness of science, technology, engineering, and math careers.
Huron Pines is most deserving of being recognized as a Key Partner for MSU Extension.
