LCD Staff
Bernard (Buzz) Long – Executive Director
Buzz was born and raised in northern Michigan…Cadillac to be exact. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in crop science and a specialization in turfgrass management. He was drafted into the Army shortly after graduation and spent his time in the service in Germany. After serving his military duty he went back to work as the Assistant Superintendent at the Bloomfield Hills Country Club, but desired to move back to Northern Michigan. He took a job in construction until being hired as the manager of the Missaukee Golf Course. Shortly after that, an opportunity to work for the Soil Conservation Service arose and he was hired as a Soil Conservationist trainee with the United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, now NRCS, in Mt. Pleasant. After another training position in Lapeer, he moved to Roscommon where he worked as the District Conservationist for 4 ½ years before being transferred to Leelanau County. After 28 years serving the Leelanau Conservation District as the NRCS District Conservationist, and after 34 years of service with NRCS, Buzz retired from USDA and was hired by the Leelanau Conservation District as Executive Director. He has been in that position now for 14 years. Buzz enjoys golfing, fishing, boating with his wife Karen as well as spending time with his family, 7 grand children and friends…and is looking forward to his second retirement…but has no definite plans to date. 
Karen Long – Administrative Assistant
I was born in Detroit MI and soon moved to Mt. Clemens MI where we lived until I was a Senior in High School. We spent our summers in Cadillac, at the Farm on Pleasant Lake that my Grandfather purchased as a hobby. We moved to Cadillac in my senior year of High School, which was big step for me but ultimately the best year in school. I graduated, and after training, was hired by Bell Telephone as a Telephone Operator. I married Buzz and after 5 different moves with USDA he was appointed District Conservationist for Leelanau County and we have been here since, with Buzz accepting different positions through the years. I stayed home with my daughters until they were in school and then was hired as the Middle School secretary at Suttons Bay School for 13 yrs, Office Manager for a Real Estate Co. and then accepted the position offered by the District Board and have been with them for 8 yrs. My family is the most important thing in my life, we have 2 daughters that have given us 7 grandchildren. I love being on Lake Leelanau in our boat, golfing on our golf leagues, spending time at the family house on Pleasant Lake with family, gathering with friends, and going to concerts! 
Tom Adams – Natural Resource Specialist
Tom grew up on a 120-acre fruit and woodland farm in Oceana County Michigan. He spent a lot of time helping with milk cows, beef cattle, hogs and chickens at his grandpa’s farm next door. Tom’s interest in farming and forestry led him to agricultural classes in high school where he was a member of Future Farmers of America. In his youth, Tom and a friend went into business making maple syrup. They built a sugar shack and the equipment for the operation, tapping over a thousand trees. After high school, Tom worked construction at a gravel pit where he drove trucks and heavy equipment. During the Vietnam War Tom went into the US Air Force and worked as a mechanic on B-52s. After his service, Tom used his mechanical background and worked for a John Deere dealer repairing tractors. Tom’s passion for farming and natural resources inspired him to attend Michigan State University. He graduated with a degree in Crop and Soil Science. While attending MSU he worked for the USDA Soil Conservation Service / Natural Resource Conservation Service and upon graduating, was hired full time. Over his 35-year career, he worked in five different Michigan counties and was the District Conservationist serving the Grand Traverse Conservation District for 23 years. Throughout his career Tom earned many awards, recognitions, and promotions. Tom retired in 2006 and soon began working with the Leelanau Conservation District. He has been assisting with tree plantings, invasive species identification, and eradication, pond development, grafting apple trees, grazing, hayland seedings, and drainage of surface and subsurface water. Tom’s passion for agriculture, forestry, and the environment finds him gardening, planting a variety of trees and shrubs to create natural habitat for wildlife, managing his own wood lot, and traveling with his wife and two daughters in his free time. In his travels, Tom enjoys exploring other ag programs in deserts, mountains, prairies, and ocean environments. 
Steve Christensen – Soil Erosion Control Officer & Drain Commissioner
Steve grew up on the family farm in Suttons Bay and graduated from Suttons Bay High School. He graduated from NMC with an associate degree and then from MSU with a bachelor of science degree and a teaching certificate (K – 8th). He taught for three years at King Street Elementary in Eaton Rapids before moving back to Suttons Bay to take over the family farm. He has worked as a Soil Erosion Control Officer (or Technician) for the Leelanau Conservation District for 32 years and has served as the Drain Commissioner for Leelanau County for the last 22 years. He and his wife Sarah also raise cherries on the family farm, which keeps him busy in the evenings and on the weekends. He enjoys camping with Sarah and the puppies in the new camper and fishing! He and Sarah have a blended family with four children and two grand children and they enjoy spending as much time with them as possible. They are looking forward to the transition to the next generation on the farm and the retirement years! 
Ellie Johnson – District Forester
Ellie hails from Erie, Pennsylvania, and earned her B.S. in Environmental Biology and B.S.E. in Secondary Biology Education from Clarion University. Her M.S. degree in Forest Resources comes from from Clemson University in South Carolina. She lived in eight different states before discovering Northern Michigan when working for the Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) out of the Antrim Conservation District. She really liked the area and was pleased to have the opportunity to stay here with the Forestry position! On the job, Ellie enjoys working with landowners, getting to know them and their land, and helping them to be good stewards of their forested property. Her hobbies include hiking around looking at cool trees, performing at open mic nights, playing games like Ultimate Frisbee, arting around, and botanizing (i.e., trying to key out plants). 
Adam Brown – MAEAP Technician
Adam was born and raised in LaPorte IN, but feels right at home in Northern Michigan after residing near Elk Rapids for over 10 years. He received a B.S. in Earth Science with minors in Biology and Environmental Studies from Western Michigan University in 2010. In 2011, Adam completed an 8-month hands-on experiential organic farm training course at the Organic Farm School on Whidbey Island, WA. This experience helped launch a career in organic farming. In 2012 he and his wife, Haley Breniser, managed a certified organic vegetable operation called Chinook Farms in Snohomish, WA. They later relocated to Northern Michigan to establish their own certified-organic vegetable and fruit farm in Kewadin -- Undertoe Farm. Throughout its 8 successful seasons, Undertoe Farm, built an amazing community of kind and environmentally-conscious customers that have helped the business thrive. Adam enjoys playing mandolin, attending live concerts, backpacking in the Upper Peninsula and Canada, and, naturally, growing vegetables organically. His favorite activity is spending ample time with his wife, Haley, and son, Atticus. If he could check one activity off his bucket list today, Adam would take a family trip to Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. Adam has a passion for soil health and developing sustainable agricultural ecosystems that can sustain the health of the landscape and the community. Adam took the MAEAP Technician job to make a lasting environmental impact within the ecologically sensitive and significant land in Northern Michigan. He hopes to enhance the agricultural ecosystems in his area by collaborating with an incredible group of conservation associates and local growers working to implement best practices on their farm ecosystem. 
Alexander Ryktarsyk– Natural Resources and Soil Erosion Technician
Originally born and raised in Livonia in Southeastern Michigan, Alex has traveled a long way to make his way up to the Pinky. Since graduating from Michigan State's Lyman Briggs College in 2018 with a degree in Zoology, he has worked with various agencies conducting vegetation and avian surveys up and down the Pacific Coast. He spent time with the US Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center focusing on wetlands. He participated in a range wide survey for the endangered Salt Marsh Bird's Beak, Chloropyron molle molle. He also worked on a handful of large scale wetland restoration projects in the San Francisco and Humboldt Bay's, studying the ability of wetland restoration projects to sequester carbon and conserve native species. Most recently Alex worked with the Chicago Botanic Garden to help implement the Seeds of Success program and the collection of seeds for restoration purposes from remnant habitats on US Fish and Wildlife Service and partner lands throughout the Midwest. While he has fond memories of hiking the Dune Climb and visiting the wreck of the Francisco Morazan on South Manitou with his family as a child, his passion for the region and its incredible ecosystems has only increased with time. Some of his favorite places in the county include the Coast Guard Saving Station, the Dune Climb (who doesn't love it?), Palmer Woods and Myles Kimmerly Park. Some of his favorite activities include hiking dune complexes around the US, back country camping, skiing, golfing, traveling to visit friends and family around the world, and looking at and reading about native plants. |
Contact InformationBernard (Buzz) Long – Executive Director
blong@leelanau.gov 231.256.9783 x 261 Karen Long – Administrative Assistant klong@leelanau.gov 231.256.9783 x 262 Steve Christensen – Soil Erosion & Sediment Control Inspector/ Drain Commissioner schristensen@leelanau.gov 231.256.9783 x 263 Alexander Ryktarsyk— Natural Resources and Soil Erosion Technician aryktarsyk@leelanau.gov 231.256.9783 x 266 Ellie Johnson – District Forester ellie.johnson@macd.org 231.256.9783 x 264 Adam Brown – Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) Technician adam.brown@macd.org 231.256.9783 x 268 Tom Adams – Natural Resource Specialist tadams@leelanau.gov 231.256.9783 x 265 Kelly Claar – Conservation Technical Assistance Initiative Program Services Assistant Kelly.claar@usda.gov 231.486.2550 Jason Kimbrough – NRCS Conservationist jason.kimbrough@mi.usda.gov 231.941.0951 Audrey Menninga – Invasive Species Network (ISN) Coordinator amenninga@gtcd.org 231.941.0960 x 18 Breanna Hannula – Produce Safety Technician bhannula@gtcd.org 231.941.0960 x 31 Board of DirectorsJim Lautner (Chair) was elected to the board of directors in 1990, choosing to run because of his interest in conservation and the stories he heard from his dad, Carl Lautner (who was on the board in the 70s). He emphasizes the importance of keeping the land healthy for continued farming and mitigating soil erosion, having personally planted many trees for windbreaks and erosion control.
Scott Collins (Vice Chair) is the newest member of the board, elected in 2018. He wanted to serve the Leelanau community, and his interest in soil health and regenerative agriculture led him to the Conservation District.
Denis Garvin (Treasurer) has been a director for 33 years, elected in 1989 due to his interest in conservation and his farming background. His time on the board has highlighted the significance of conservation practices such as no-till agriculture and its effect on water quality and soil erosion.
Lynn Bakker (Director) believes in the importance of using land wisely, an understanding that brought her to the board in 1990. As an ecologist, she recognizes that all aspects of conservation are connected and essential.
John Werner (Director) was elected in 1995, wanting to work with farmers and landowners to improve the quality of their land by utilizing the numerous programs offered by LCD. He places special importance on forest health, water quality, and educational programming.
Unless otherwise noted, the board meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm.
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