“Growing up in rural Eaton County surrounded by (and immersed in) farms, forests, fields, ponds, and a creeks, where I spent endless days playing, exploring, fishing, hunting and working in, with all of those experiences instilling in me a deep appreciation for nature. I studied anthropology and history at Western Michigan University, earning a B.S.. […]
Lance Robinson – Agricultural Technician
Agricultural Technician since Summer 2018 Twenty years of dairy farming and management experience Current owner and operator of family’s apple orchard Past personal experience with NRCS in crop and nutrient management practices From Sparta, MI Contact Info: Lance Robinson Agricultural Technician 3260 Eagle Park Dr NE Suite 111 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525 Office: (616) […]
Emily Lawson-Bulten – CTAI Engineer
District Engineer since January 2019 Previously worked in Civil/Environmental engineering consulting Previous Research fellow for Clean Water Institute of Calvin College B.S.E. with a Civil/Environmental Concentration from Calvin College Favorite activities: Playing Soccer, really any activity outdoors, and fixing up her old house! From Denver, CO Contact Info: Emily Lawson-Bulten CTAI Engineer 3260 […]
Matt Soehnel – District Conservationist
Matt has been the District Conservationist for over 13 years. He enjoys helping Kent County resident’s conserve their soil, water, air, plant, and other natural resources. To get started, NRCS first works one-on-one with you to develop a conservation plan that meets your goals and vision for the land. This becomes a roadmap for which conservation […]
Katie Droscha – Soil Conservationist
Soil Conservationist since June 2010 B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from MSU M.S. in Limnology from MSU Favorite Media: Graphic Novels & Podcasts Favorite Activities: Aerobics Learning Japanese From Charlotte, Michigan Contact Info: CTAI – Soil Conservationist NRCS Grand Rapids Field Office Office (616) 942-4111 ext. 5840 Cell (517) 983-8365 Fax (855) 729-8876 Katie.Droscha@macd.org
Kendra Zeman – NFWF Engineer
District Engineer since April 2020 M.S., B.B. in agricultural and Biological Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Previous Intern at Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District in Preston, Minnesota From Anoka, Minnesota Contact Info: Kendra ZemanNFWF Engineer kendra.zeman@macd.org
Jessie Schulte – District Manager
Jessie Schulte has been the Conservation District Manager since 2016. She spent her first five years in Kent County working as the Land Manager and Volunteer Coordinator at Blandford Nature Center. Jessie Schulte has a BS in Resource Ecology from University of Michigan-Flint’s Earth and Resource Science Department and over 18 years of conservation experience […]
Strike Team – Skyler Fish and Jessica Hartges
Skyler Fish, Conservation Coordinator, graduated from Calvin College and has been organizing the strike team assignments. He returned to KCD from field work in 2019. He offers consultations on private property to identify invasive species and help advise in the installation of native plants. Jessica Hartges has returned after working in South Carolina for her […]
Bill Lindberg– MAEAP Tech.
Bill Lindberg graduated from Grand Valley State University with a B.S. in Biology and from Michigan State University with a M.S. in Horticulture. For the past five years, Bill had been working at Green Valley Agricultural (Nutrien Ag Solutions) as a retail sales associate assisting fruit growers along the lakeshore counties. Growing up, Bill enjoyed […]