West Michigan Conservation Network Annual Meeting

West Michigan Conservation Network Annual Meeting & 20th Anniversary Celebration
November 5, 2026 | 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Registration: $40 (includes lunch buffet and refrestments)

Join conservation professionals, partners, volunteers, and community leaders from across West Michigan as we celebrate 20 years of collaboration and the accomplishments of more than 80 partner organizations working together to protect our region's natural resources.

Your registration includes a full day of networking, lunch, partner updates, awards recognizing outstanding conservation leadership, the latest West Michigan CISMA invasive species initiatives, and opportunities to strengthen partnerships across the region. The program also features an inspiring keynote by Jesse Lincoln, Plant Ecologist with the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, exploring the future of conservation in Southern Michigan and the importance of protecting our remaining natural landscapes.

Whether you're a longtime partner or new to the network, you'll leave with new connections, fresh ideas, and practical opportunities to collaborate in the year ahead.

Registration includes:

• Lunch and networking
• WMCN 20th Anniversary celebration
• Partner highlights and conservation success stories
• Awards and recognition program
• West Michigan CISMA updates and collaborative initiatives
• Keynote presentation by Jesse Lincoln
• Action planning for future conservation partnerships

We look forward to celebrating the past 20 years—and building the next 20 together!

Info: Enjoy presentation on WMCN history and partner highlights. Celebrate 20 years of the West Michigan Conservation Network and the accomplishments of more than 80 conservation partners. Melanie Manion, Conservation Manager with Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, and other WMCN partners will share ecosystem restoration successes, lessons learned, and collaborative projects from across West Michigan.

Learn how land managers have used prescribed fire, targeted herbicide applications, invasive species control, and native plant restoration to improve natural areas and protect ecological health. The program will highlight practical management approaches, lessons from the field, and successful partnerships, followed by awards and recognition of outstanding contributions.

Info: See conservation in action across West Michigan through highlights from WMCN’s 80+ partners. This fast-paced session will showcase current land stewardship and restoration projects, partnership successes, lessons learned in the field, and practical approaches being used to care for natural areas across the region.

Info: Presented by West Mi Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, staff will share updates on current goals, grants and collaborations.

Info: Inspiring keynote presentation from Jesse Lincoln about how Southern Michigan has been dramatically altered, but remarkable natural communities persist across its many protected lands. Beginning with experiences as an undergraduate nearly twenty years ago, this talk traces a personal journey that started in West Michigan. Drawing on more than fifteen years of fieldwork, it explores how these places shape us and how careful inventory forms the foundation of stewardship. Length of Presentation: 1 hour (including 15 minutes for questions).
Bio: Lincoln is a Plant Ecologist for Michigan Natural Features Inventory. In this role, he conducts thorough vegetation surveys on various public lands to identify important natural areas, document populations of rare plants.

Info: Summarize the day’s discussions and identify next steps for continued progress and collaboration.

Event venue & nearby stays

John G Russell Leadership Building (CEC), 120 Front Avenue Southwest, Grand Rapids, United States

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