Once someone retires from the daily work of managing Michigan's natural resources, it can be hard to just walk away from the job. Many retired state and federal resource managers remain actively engaged in resource management through the Michigan Resource Stewards.

The Resource Stewards group was formed in 1997 to draw upon the vast experience of these retired professionals. The members of the group continue to advocate for the protection of Michigan's environment and natural resources, drawing on more than 3,000 combined years of professional experience.

"Having worked for the Michigan DNR for 15 years as a fisheries biologist, I knew how the daily pressures of the in-basket and phone calls, and the daily fire fighting we had to do on all types of issues would dominate us, so it was tough to work on the broader policies that drove the agency," said Dave Borgeson, current president of the Resource Stewards. Borgeson attends most of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission meetings around the state and closely monitors NRC policy and decisions.

"Once you have worked in resource management, it gets in your blood. I still care deeply; I am active in the outdoors 360 days of the year. I know how important it is to encourage good stewardship and appropriate management policy," Borgeson added. "And that is what we do. The Stewards monitor issues and let it be known how we view those issues."

Using sound science, the Resource Stewards have played an important part in the public process of policy development for the Department of Natural Resources. The group has weighed in on a variety of issues, including making sure Chronic Wasting Disease does not infect Michigan's white-tailed deer to aspen management on public forest lands.

Virginia Pierce is another of those who initiated the Resource Stewards, after working for the DNR more than 20 years.

"Now I'm doing for free what I used to get paid for," Pierce quipped. She noted, however, that being able to say what they want to say and not be encumbered to do so is of paramount importance in maintaining resource integrity.

"We felt that in some cases the resources were getting the short straw," Pierce said. "It was important to us as experienced resource managers to push for some fundamental policy changes."

For instance, Pierce feels that the funding allocations to the DNR and Department of Environmental Quality are slipping badly, and stabilizing a permanent and predictable funding source for resource protection is a pressing issue.

She also pointed to the problem of aquatic invasives and said the Resource Stewards are working to build a national agenda to restrict discharge of bilge water from ocean-going ships, which is believed to be a primary factor in the introduction of nonnative species into the waters of the Great Lakes. And she pointed to threats to hunting rights and renewing hunter ethics as other issues that the organization is deeply interested in monitoring.

For 33 years, Gary Boushelle worked as a wildlife biologist and he, too, was one of those who originated the Stewards and set the group on its course. He said the organization can often represent the institutional memory on important issues.

"We all bring in certain expertise and a lot of historical significance to today's issues," Boushelle said. "We can see when a system is working and when it is not, and as stewards, we can interject with strong advocacy for environmental protection."

"Ours is a broad-based membership, comprised of folks from many agencies, all retired, and many diverse interests," Boushelle added. "But the tie that binds is our care and respect for the resources of Michigan. The resources are what matter the most and we must do what is necessary to ensure that people understand their vital importance."

Boushelle describes the group as watchful and ready to take on rear-guard action. He said that every member is a watchdog. Issues that are of concern to one member of the group get communicated to all, and in that way they agree as a group on what they should do. In that way, they conduct research, build agendas and push issues forward through special interest groups, legislators and even the leadership in the resource agencies.

Borgeson recently attended a meeting devoted to the development of a Wildlife Action Plan for Michigan and says that in terms of what the future holds for the state, this may quickly become a top priority.

"This plan would encompass a lot of forward-looking elements, including broad landscape, ecosystem approaches that take into account not just one particular element but the whole picture, including threatened and endangered species, habitat and social impacts," Borgeson said. He added that the Resource Stewards want to make sure that what dollars they deploy go to where they can do the most good and this may be one of those causes.

The Resource Stewards organization is a member club of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, and is affiliated with the Michigan Environmental Council and the Michigan Land Use Institute. They work closely with the U.S. Forest Service and the DNR on issues across the state.

For more information on the Resource Stewards, visit their Web site at www.miresourcestewards.org.