MUCC Welcomes New Huron Pines AmeriCorps Service Member

Kristina Kennedy • January 18, 2023

Hello! I’m Tyler Lancaster, a Huron Pines AmeriCorps service member now serving at Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) as the Engagement Specialist. I grew up in the suburbs of Flint, Michigan. My appreciation for the outdoors happened early in my life when my parents signed me up for the Cub Scouts during elementary school. Through the Scouts, I experienced camping, hiking and being mindful of my activities outside to help better the great outdoors. I would say my love for nature truly started when my family took me to Sleeping Bear Dunes. I was in awe of the size and beauty of the area, not to mention exploring and climbing the dunes. After the experience I was obsessed, taking every opportunity to visit State Parks, conservation areas and National Parks (Death Valley National Park is my favorite). 

It was this love of nature that led me to pursue a career in natural resources, first leading me to Michigan State University as I originally wished to be a geologist. After taking a friend’s suggestion to become an Ecology and Conservation Director at a Boy Scout camp in Wisconsin, I figured out quickly that geology wasn’t the field for me. I returned and I switched colleges from MSU to the University of Michigan (Flint campus). There I pursued my Bachelors of Science with a concentration in wildlife biology. While pursuing my degree, I participated in undergraduate research opportunities such as studying bee habitats along riparian zones of the Flint River and helping to conduct a fish ecology study of the Flint River. Many of my classes focused on conservation and I graduated in 2021 with honors. 

I am incredibly excited to be serving with MUCC through the Huron Pines AmeriCorps program. I’m looking forward to gaining hands-on experience and networking with folks in the conservation field during my service (as well as making a difference!). It’s going to be a great year.

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