Biography
I work in the areas of restoration ecology, plant systematics and evolution, sustainability studies, and faith-based creation care. My current research focuses on how to engage the local community to work together to restore health and beauty to the Plaster Creek Watershed. This work involves propagating native plants from local genotypes for use in habitat re-creations, as well as ongoing research on stream microbes, macroinvertebrates, flow dynamics, and overall water quality. I have also done work in prairie, forest, and wetland restorations.
My life outside of Calvin is filled with family activities. My wife Teri and I have three children, who are involved in a variety of musical, artistic, and athletic activities. We all enjoy camping together in the summers, gardening, bicycling, cooking, reading, and working together to try to lead lives that are consistent with our faith. I teach 5th grade church school and lead small group studies at my home church, Sherman Street CRC.
Education
- Ph.D. in Botany, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan (1997)
- M.S. in Environmental Science, University of Wisconsin (1989)
- B.S. in Biology and Chemistry, Calvin College (1985)
Professional Experience
I have served as an environmental consultant on environmental impact statements and performed many botanical inventories for local townships, state parks, and other organizations. I have helped many local schools, churches, and parks establish native wildflower gardens and led plant rescue efforts to preserve native species from areas that are planned for development. In addition, I have worked as a botanist for the Ann Arbor Parks Department, served on the board of the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, been on the academic advisory board for Au Sable Institute, and consulted for the Nature Conservancy.
Academic Interests
My research in systematics and evolution has included studies on a naturally occurring aster hybrid (Aster cordifolius x Aster sagittifolius) in West Michigan and a naturally occurring poplar hybrid (Populus deltoides x Populus balsamifera) at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Wilderness State Park. Most recently, I have been helping to lead a local watershed group, the Plaster Creek Stewards, to improve the health of a seriously degraded stream whose watershed includes much of Calvin鈥檚 campus. As part of this effort, I have helped start a native landscaping and habitat establishment initiative called Native Landscapes, which focuses on promoting native biodiversity within urban areas, particularly sites within the Plaster Creek watershed. This restoration ecology work is an outgrowth of an abiding interest and challenge in trying to incorporate creation care principles into all aspects of daily living (as individuals, communities, and institutions). Finally, I have also done research in cloud forest restoration in Costa Rica.
Research
- Change in flowering period over time among native species at Flat Iron Lake Preserve in Greenville, Michigan: a long term study
- Germination and growth requirements for successful seedling propagation of local Kent County native plants: evaluating growth medium, mycorrhizal inoculation, stratification techniques and out-planting strategies
- Restoring a degraded stream: practicing reconciliation ecology in the Plaster Creek watershed
- Relative success of avocado seedlings in a successional cloud forest community in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica
- The impact of 100+ years of urban growth and development on natural communities in Kent County: a retrospective assessment of Emma Cole鈥檚 Flora of Grand Rapids and Its Vicinity
Research and Scholarship
