Conservancy Staff

The Leelanau Conservancy staff and board is committed to protecting and preserving fragile and sensitive lands in Leelanau County.

It all began with a vision. Ed and Bobbie Collins of Leland saw the future of Leelanau County in peril from over-development and increased demand for second and third summer homes. They feared seeing the loss of critical farmland and wetlands essential to the rural character of the County.

In 1988, their vision was put to work when they hired a young, ambitious lad with a geology degree and an interest in fishing. Brian Price and wife Susan took on the positions of Executive and Finance Directors and remain in those roles today. The staff of two has grown over the years to take on the many projects we have completed.

The Leelanau Conservancy members, staff, board, and volunteers have worked tirelessly to protect the places you love and the character that makes the Leelanau Peninsula so unique. Our organization has earned a reputation as one of the premier land trusts in the country, with projects touching lives and saving land in each of Leelanau’s 11 townships. As of 2008, over 6,500 acres and 22 miles of shoreline/stream and river frontage have been protected. We have created 20 natural areas and preserves, including a spectacular bluff at Whaleback, fragile wetlands at the Narrows, and the 145-acre DeYoung Farm on Cedar Lake. We have worked with over 110 landowners to protect their family lands through conservation easements.

Brian Price, Executive Director, has been the Leelanau Conservancy’s executive director since our inception in 1988. “Since the day he walked through the door when we were trying to get this off the ground, we knew he was the one who could execute our vision of protecting this beautiful peninsula” says Bobbie Collins, who founded the Conservancy with her husband, Ed, Brian sets the standard for integrity when it comes to dealing with landowners, units of government, the press, staff and all of our supporters. His primary focus these days takes in strategic planning for conservation, working with landowners in new, creative and innovative ways, guiding the land protection staff through complicated yet opportunistic bureaucratic red tape, and raising funds from major donors.

Brian attended Oberlin College from 1968 to 1972, receiving a BS degree in Geology. Prior to his work for the Leelanau Conservancy Brian spent 15 years as a commercial fisherman on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Brian has conducted fisheries research for Michigan Sea Grant, and worked for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians in training tribal fishermen to use trap nets in catching whitefish.

Brian has served on Cleveland Township’s Planning Commission since 1994, and serves as a director of several other non-profit organizations including the Land Information Access Association in Traverse City and the Heart of the Lakes Center for Conservation Policy, a statewide organization composed of land conservancies. Brian also owns and manages a 160-acre tree farm and vineyard in Leelanau County with his wife, Susan. They have four children.

Contact Brian at bprice@theconservancy.com.

Susan Price, Director of Finance and Administration, joined the organization soon after husband Brian came on board. She is known around the office as the one who keeps it all together. She handles all the financial reporting and forecasting and keeps everyone focused on what it will take financially to make our dreams a reality. On top of all that, Susan is our in-house, self-taught graphic designer, and produces all of our publications. Until we hired a communications director, Susan did much of that work too, and still oversees the overall message.

Prior to joining the Conservancy, Susan was an officer at Empire National Bank, serving in various positions such as Branch Manager, Accounting Supervisor and Assistant Auditor. She holds a bachelors degree from Denison University. Susan has lived in Leelanau County since the late 1980s and she and Brian have four children.

Contact Susan at sprice@theconservancy.com.

Matt Heiman, Director of Land Protection, has a passion for fishing that drives his desire to see Leelanau’s most critical habitat and ecologically sensitive areas protected. His educational background in aquatic ecology (B.A. from Albion College (1994) and Masters of Science candidate at CMU) helps him convey to landowners the value of their land from more than just a financial perspective. He joined the Conservancy in 2001 as a Land Protection Specialist and since then has completed several major land protection projects. Matt also co-wrote MDEQ approved watershed management plans for the Lake Leelanau and Glen Lake/Crystal River watersheds, which has led to the Conservancy receiving over $1,546,300 in CMI funds to purchase conservation easements over wetlands and forested areas critical to maintaining high water quality.

Prior to his work at the Conservancy, Matt worked as biological consultant performing stream restoration, fisheries population analysis, salmon spawning habitat restoration analysis, stream habitat mapping and macroinvertebrate studies in Michigan waters. He lives in Traverse City with his family and enjoys observing weather, cross country skiing and undertaking piscatorial adventures on local lakes and rivers.

Contact Matt at mheiman@theconservancy.com

Tom Nelson, Director of Farm Programs, focuses on farmland preservation, in addition to working to protect other important landscapes. He understands that farmland preservation is a vital tool to help farm families and protect Leelanau County’s agricultural soils as a resource for future generations of farmers and consumers. Tom believes that a strong and viable agricultural industry is integral to our economic health and retaining our local heritage, scenic quality and quality of life. He finds a great deal of satisfaction in forging partnerships with farmers who wish to preserve their land for farming. He also works with the Leelanau County Farmland Preservation Board and the M-22 Scenic Heritage Route Committee.

Tom graduated magna cum laude with a Master of Laws in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School. His background includes working as a social policy advocate in Ohio, Washington D.C. and Lansing. He lives at the Tip of the Peninsula and currently serves on the Leelanau Township Planning Commission. Tom enjoys spending time outdoors with his black lab, Ellie May, hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing, sea kayaking and cross country skiing.

Contact Tom at tnelson@theconservancy.com.

Anne Shoup joined our staff as the Director of Charitable Giving in March 2006. In this role, she will help steward the Conservancy's many friendships and work to expand the organization's ability to conserve the land, water and scenic character of Leelanau County.

Anne grew up in Alaska, flying around the Last Frontier with her bush pilot father and commercial fishing in the waters around Kodiak Island. The many years spent surrounded by pristine wilderness - mountains, ocean, bears and all! – cultivated her deep love of the outdoors and strong belief in conservation.

After studying English at Princeton University, Anne worked in operations management outside of New York and Cleveland for several years. Six years ago, she and her husband, Dan, returned to his hometown of Traverse City for a vacation which prompted a thrilling move northward. Anne worked at Interlochen Center for the Arts for five years, managing the volunteer corps, building relationships with alumni and friends, and raising scholarship and operational funds. She is thrilled to be a member of this talented staff and committed Conservancy community.

Contact Anne at ashoup@theconservancy.com

Jenée Rowe, Stewardship Director, joined our staff to grow and nurture the Volunteer Stewardship Network, manage Conservancy properties and assist Land Protection efforts. She worked for two years at Columbia University’s Biosphere 2 Center as an earth system science teaching assistant before returning to the Great Lakes bioregion to work with Inland Seas Education Association, NMC’s Water Studies Institute and the Benzie Conservation District. Jenée has a B.A. in Geology from Wisconsin’s Lawrence University and a passion for fieldwork. “I enjoy creating innovative avenues to involve youth outdoors,” says this avid outdoor enthusiast who is a certified Wilderness First Responder and a Leave No Trace Master Educator. She leads training sessions on low impact recreation techniques through discussion, hiking and practicing remediation.

As a young mother, she is soaking up her son Niles’ wonder in the quaking leaves, crunching pebbles and the blowing wind, which renews her own awe in her home, Leelanau County. Through Jenée’s stewardship work, she wants to give back to the land and community where she was raised. Her parents were long-time fiber artists who actively involved their children in the family business and community. Their weavings drew inspiration from the changing view of Lake Leelanau out their window and Leelanau’s landscapes. Growing up in a creative and environmentally conscious household gave Jenée the space to explore her artistic passions through pottery and watercolor painting. You may find her any given day sitting alongside the trail or amidst a beautiful view painting in her field notebook or digging her hands into the soil to test it for clay content.

Contact Jenée at jrowe@theconservancy.com

Yarrow Wolfe, Land Protection Specialist, is a native of Menominee and joined our land protection staff in July 2008. She worked previously in the Black Hills of Wyoming, where she managed a conservation district office for two years. She worked there with ranchers on conservation options to help preserve water quality. Yarrow is a graduate of Antioch College with a degree in Environmental Science, and attended Antioch New England for graduate work in Conservation Biology. Her background also includes environmental education, rare-plant monitoring and identification, GIS mapping and grant writing. Yarrow is passionate about stewardship of the land and working towards responsible development. She says that the land conservation movement in the United States has renewed her faith in humanity in many ways and showed her that there are many generous, adventurous and passionate people out there willing to volunteer time and money to conserve land. Yarrow is excited about working with landowners in Leelanau County to help preserve the rural character of this area and protect important plant and wildlife habitat.

Yarrow lives near Cedar and enjoys hiking and mountain/road biking with her golden retriever, cross-country skiing, exploring the outdoors, cooking, gardening, reading, knitting and sewing. Contact Yarrow at YWolfe@theconservancy.com

Carolyn Faught, Communications Director, lives in Omena with her husband, Dave, and two sons. In addition to working four days a week at the Conservancy, she also owns and runs Omena Cut Flowers U-Pick.

Prior to joining the Conservancy in 2002, Carolyn spent 10 years at Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine, where she served as Managing Editor. In 1997, Carolyn won the prestigious Ben East prize for environmental journalism for a piece on the DNR, and authored many other comprehensive environmental issue pieces. She also spent five years at the magazine in marketing and circulation, and is a 1979 graduate of M.S.U. with a B.A. in English. She is responsible for all the printed materials of the Conservancy, press releases and working with the Outreach Committee on events such as the annual Picnic and Silent Auction. Together with board member, Jeff Corbin, she also is responsible for the development and maintenance of the web site.

Contact Carolyn at cfaught@theconservancy.com.

Gayle Egeler has been a part of our staff since 1990. As our Membership and Outreach Coordinator, Gayle’s range of duties is extensive. As a Leelanau native, and a 16-year veteran of our staff, her knowledge is vast. She is the keeper of our database, the point person for membership questions, and the one who sees to getting the newsletter and all mailings out the door.

Contact Gayle at gayle@theconservancy.com.

Nancy Thomas joined the Conservancy as Accounting and Administrative Assistant in 2007. Nancy lives in Northport with her husband, Jim. She and her family have been coming to Leelanau County for years on vacation from Minnesota, and moved permanently to the area in 2007. They have two grown children who still reside in Minneapolis. Nancy brings a wealth of know-how to our front office with more than 25 years' experience in law office management and legal support.

Contact Nancy at nthomas @theconservancy.com.

Arlene Heckl is often the first face or voice patrons see or hear when they contact us. She is our part-time office administrator, with primary duties centered on phone answering and assisting the staff in a hundred different ways. An avid photographer, Arlene takes many of the photos you see in our publications. She also assists the Wildflower Rescue Committee with its needs. She processes Accounts Payables and performs other bookkeeping duties as necessary. Finally, she always makes sure there is coffee and cookies at the board meeting and never lets a birthday go by unnoticed.

Contact Arlene at aheckl@theconservancy.com.