Michigan
Featured Work in MI
What are you having for dinner? Imagine trying to answer that question if you couldn’t get to a grocery store all week. That’s the reality for more than 23 million Americans who live in “food deserts.” According to the U.S…. Read More
We’re helping to implement the Ann Arbor Greenbelt Initiative, a far-reaching project designed to protect and link city parks, natural areas and working farms throughout the city, while curbing the growth and effects of sprawl. For a relatively small city,… Read More
Waterloo Recreation Area in Michigan is a little-known treasure. About a one-hour drive from Ann Arbor, this 20,000-acre park is the largest in the lower peninsula and shares a 36-mile hiking trail with the Pinckney State Recreation Area. Yet there wasn’t… Read More
The Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network is a collaborative effort of communities, conservationists, foundations and businesses working to enhance the natural resources of the Saginaw Bay Watershed and create a more sustainable future for all its inhabitants. The Fund administers… Read More
If you envision Michigan as the palm of your hand, some of the state’s most important conservation lands can be found in Leelanau County, near the tip of your pinkie finger. There, for instance, you can find the Crystal River:… Read More
Securing the latest addition to the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area along Lake Michigan was a saga worthy of the big screen. It took five decades. It cost $19 million. The cast of characters included an Oklahoma landowner, a regional land… Read More
As concerns mount over the high costs and long-term environmental impacts of fossil fuels, wind has become an increasingly important sector of the energy industry. In 2009, the U.S. wind industry supported 85,000 jobs in all 50 states. The U.S…. Read More
Nature-based tourism is an important economic base in many communities, especially in rural places like Michigan’s famed Upper Peninsula (U.P.). For these communities, protecting land and water resources is more than good conservation: it is good business. The Sturgeon River—a… Read More
The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge is the gateway to the Great Lakes and contains one of the largest and most productive wetland ecosystems in Michigan. Not far from Saginaw, this urban refuge draws 60,000 visitors a year and provides outstanding… Read More
CONTACT
(269) 426-8825
pkohring@conservationfund.org
Midwest Director Peg Kohring has, over more than 17 years, led transformative conservation efforts in 12 states, by designing or implementing city greenway efforts, farm preservation, improved farmers markets, flood protection and more. Peg holds a bachelors degree in biology from Michigan State University.
(989) 892-9171
kellym@conservationfund.org
Great Lakes Office Director Mike Kelly advances conservation across Michigan, through real estate projects and the administration of the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network. In his spare time, he can be found outdoors with his kids—and often a fishing pole.
(218) 722-2393
tduffus@conservationfund.org
As Vice President of the Midwest region, Tom Duffus leads land conservation partnerships in the Upper Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River/Missouri River watershed. During the summer, he’s often found sailing on Lake Superior. He holds a Master of Forest Science degree from Yale University and a B.S. in Environmental Studies/Geology from St. Lawrence University.