With offices located in Gaylord and Alpena, Huron Pines takes a holistic approach to improving the health of our high-quality Great Lakes ecosystems. We understand that the connections between land, water and people are what make this region special. At the core of all of our work is a goal to teach and instill a conservation ethic in the hearts of people across Michigan and beyond and to make our communities better places to live, work and enjoy.

Our Values

These are the guiding principles behind all of our efforts, what drives our work:

1) Improve quality of life through conservation

Our work improves the quality of life in the communities where we live and serve. We understand that we must help empower communities and partners to value their natural resources and work together to be successful. Building that conservation ethic starts with school partnerships, opportunities through our Huron Pines AmeriCorps program, engaging volunteers and local communities, educating civic and elected leaders and always striving to develop the next generation of leaders.

2) Do good work

We seek to continually improve our outcomes and processes, learn from our mistakes, be accountable and adapt to changing circumstances. We have a commitment to the success of our projects and we take pride in all of our work. We are committed to ensuring projects are well planned and prioritized to maximize benefits to both people and nature.

3) Explore and share

We value Northeast Michigan’s clean water and healthy, diverse ecosystems and endeavor to adapt the latest scientific methods to fit our regional needs. We continue to evolve as leaders in conservation by advancing our expertise through investigation and discovery and sharing the lessons we’ve learned with others.

4) Provide access to nature

We strive to understand the many ways in which people connect with nature and the outdoors in Northern Michigan and how our work intersects with those experiences. We recognize that while we believe that a strong connection with the outdoors is important for health and wellbeing, not every individual or community’s experience and opportunity to create these connections is the same. Through a commitment to continued learning and understanding, we will strengthen our awareness of the barriers and inequities that exist at the individual and community levels, in order to advance more equitable opportunities to experience the outdoors in our region.

5) Secure a sustainable future

A sustainable environment requires that we also have a sustainable Huron Pines, which means sustainable finances and relationships. We ensure that we have the financial resources to support our work into the future as well as build strong relationships with businesses, organizations and individuals who can advance our mission and achieve shared goals. When we do this, we achieve the right results for conservation, for the organization and for the good of those we serve.

At Huron Pines, we know that everyone’s connection to the land and water surrounding us is personal and a little bit different. From more than four decades of serving Northeast Michigan, we also know that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to natural resource management. That’s why Huron Pines focuses on providing training, tools and technical advice that can help you define and achieve your own land management goals. Because using a collaborative approach is at the heart of our mission, our role is to work with all people, organizations and companies who wish to invest in making our special Great Lakes waters, wildlife and communities healthier.

Our organization’s niche is to take a “hands-on” approach to conservation. To that end, Huron Pines avoids engaging in political issues and litigation. Though we will occasionally comment on the resource impacts of conservation issues being considered by the legislature and/or local units of government, we’re not in the practice of starting petitions, hiring attorneys, engaging in media campaigns or asking anyone to support a political agenda. The neutrality of Huron Pines—particularly the ability of its Board and staff to bring together a diverse group of partners and project supporters to effect positive change—is one of the organization’s greatest strengths and one we constantly strive to maintain.