Conservation Profiles

Michael Lovegreen

There is a person in northeastern Pennsylvania that summons nothing but praise and accolades from those who have had the pleasure of meeting him. His name is Michael Lovegreen.

Mike is an extraordinary individual who has dedicated his life to conservation. To those who know him, it comes as no surprise that he was honored at the 1999 Northeastern Pennsylvania Environmental Partnership Awards ceremony. This award is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and is presented to individuals and/or organizations who demonstrate the ability to work successfully in partnership with others for environmental protection or conservation. Mike was recognized for his natural ability to motivate and energize people and bring them together for the purpose of reducing nonpoint source pollution.

Mike has been interested in conservation as long as he can remember. Early on he envisioned himself working outdoors in the parks or as a consultant. He began his career by earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York in Natural Resource Management. He then continued on to a two-year Rural Leadership Program fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and after that, completed additional coursework in Oceanography, Biological Sciences, and professional development. In June of 1980, he began traveling down a career path that would change his life forever; he accepted the position of Environmental Education Coordinator with the Bradford County Conservation District. Just four short months later the district manager position became available. Neal Halstead, current District Director and former Chairman of the Board, tried to convince Mike that he was an excellent candidate for the role but Mike declined feeling he did not have the experience needed to effectively manage the district. After several additional requests made by Neal and other Board members, Mike accepted the additional role of District Manager and has not looked back since.

When Mike stepped in as District Manager, the Bradford County Conservation District was viewed as a referral agency and did not have many services to offer. Its annual budget was $15,000 and staff consisted of Mike and the secretary. Mike launched into the job, getting to know farmers and other local residents, meeting government and township officials, and coordinating services with other conservation organizations. Mike, who was quickly recognized for his uncanny ability to get the job done, gained the respect, interest, and support of many individuals and organizations. Many of those early partnerships still exist today and are effectively serving Bradford County.

Almost twenty years later, with an annual budget of almost $750,000, the Bradford Conservation District has certainly grown. The Bradford district staff numbers have reached an all time high of twelve full-time people including a licensed engineer, several technicians and clerks and an environmental education coordinator. The Bradford County Conservation District now owns the Stoll Natural Resource Center, a service center that houses a host of partnering agencies. District Director Harry Volker explained, "after many years of hard work, the District has grown from an organization that offered little in the way of programs and referred most of the work out to other agencies into an exceptional one-stop-shop of educational and technological resources for the entire community… the district has become the hub of conservation activity and a terrific asset to Bradford County due to the dedication and perseverance of Mike Lovegreen."

A large part of Mike’s time is spent focusing on community development which he describes as "the ability to work with people to create structure and order and to empower them to continue striving for success long after the immediate goals are met." Janie French, Pennsylvania Watershed Coordinator for the Canaan Valley Institute, and colleague of Mike’s says that "Mike provides coordinated resource management" which she defines as "the process of bringing diverse groups of people together to create a vision for their watershed or project and provides them with the steps needed to reach their goals." She went on to say that "because he is sensitive to the needs of the local people, putting them above all else, he has built strong relationships which inspire him to bring that local insight to the state and national level.

Mike has adopted a theory he calls "the two year factor." This is the belief that good things take time and that from the point of introducing a new concept or goal to a group, it will take about two years of hard work to fully reap the benefits. With this in mind, he begins projects looking at the big picture. Mike’s patience has helped him to achieve continued success not only locally, but also at state and national levels.

Mike enjoys working with people and has played an instrumental role in numerous successful projects such as a biosolids program, the Bentley Creek Project, a quality assurance manual, the Upper Susquehanna Coalition and establishment of volunteer watershed groups. John George, NRCS District Conservationist and longtime colleague, believes that Mike has a unique ability to match projects with funding opportunities. He added, "Mike’s active involvement with partnerships and his ability to get and keep people involved at every level (from local residents to staff, public officials and state/national agencies) contributes to his overwhelming success."

Senator Rodger Madigan, who works with Mike often remarked, "Mike is a tremendous resource. His selfless giving of time should be an example to us all. He is an outstanding and respected leader that brings to the individuals, organizations, industry and township officials a comfort level in conservation that promotes partnership, cooperation and confidence." Madigan has observed a positive working relationship between the DEP and the Bradford District, particularly on issues that potentially involve enforcement. Working with landowners to obtain voluntary compliance may take more time, but in the end Mike believes the district’s efforts are well worth it.

Even with all of the activities and projects he manages, Mike has not lost perspective on where everything is rooted… at the table of the Conservation District Board. Mike firmly believes that the strong District Board is the key to Bradford’s many successes. Mike makes a concerted effort to keep his Board up-to-date and involved so they can make informed decisions and effective policies. One of the ways he supports the Board is by facilitating intense and interactive Board retreats every other year. During the retreats Board members share ideas and perspectives, brainstorm, solve existing problems, and establish new District goals.

Looking to the future Mike sees some very real challenges. The magnitude of the services, projects and education offered by the Bradford County Conservation District lends itself to an ever-increasing workload for both the District Board and staff. Mike strives to assure that the Bradford Conservation District maintains it’s professional services by constantly searching for additional resources, training and other types of support. Mike knows that he is "blessed with a great board who encourages growth and involvement at the national, state and local level." He believes that involvement at the national level provides a unique perspective to work at the local level and motivation to continue working to achieve goals on every level.

When asked what projects Mike sees for the future he commented, "Conservation is never ending… there are just so many things to do with so little time." Mike is content with the career choices he has made and where it has taken him. He is thankful for the opportunity to do the things he enjoys and he welcomes the reassurance he receives from his success.

When asked about his accomplishments, Mike is quick to remark that conservation is something that makes him feel good about himself. "At the end of the day, I can relax, knowing that I am doing something I believe in and that makes me happy."