Michigan Trout Unlimited
MICHIGAN Trout
Introduction to New NRC Commissioners
6
by Dr. Bryan Burroughs, Michigan TU Executive Director
Summer 2021
Over the last year or so, there have been five appointments to the Natural Resources Commission, resulting in the addition of four new NRC members. With the addition of the two new most recent commissioners, Michigan TU takes the opportunity to spotlight these new commissioners and have them introduce themselves to our members. The new commissioners include (shown in the photo above from left to right) NRC Chair Carol Rose, Mike Lashbrook, Dave Cozad, and Tom Baird. We are glad to have them aboard the NRC and thank them for their service. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and who you are? Rose: I, Carol Moncrieff Rose, am a lifelong Michigan resident (okay, with the exception of living in Ohio for three years as an adolescent) and intend to remain so for the rest of my days. I had a happy childhood in a rural corner of Ann Arbor and developed a love and wonder for the out-of-doors exploring the forests and fields around our “starter home” neighborhood. In time, I went to Michigan State University, graduating with a degree in sociology. My career path, oddly, led me to a management position with a large savings and loan in Ann Arbor. Since those early career years in Ann Arbor, my husband, Paul, and I relocated to northeast Michigan to take advantage of its abundant public lands, lakes, and streams and the endless outdoor recreational opportunities they offered. Professionally, we have a commercial real estate appraisal and consulting firm based in Montmorency County and have a large service area in Northern Michigan. Living in Northern Lower Michigan exposed both of us to numerous conservation-focused organizations with whom we remain quite active. These include Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the Montmorency County Conservation Club, the Ruffed Grouse Society, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, among others. We are both Life Members of Trout Unlimited, and our home chapter is Headwaters TU. One of my favorite involvements has been with the awardwinning Upper Black River Council, for which I served as chair from 2008 until my appointment to the NRC in early 2020. I continue to be active in the UBRC, but in a more limited capacity now. My involvement with all of the above-mentioned organizations includes habitat work, which I enjoy immensely. Like many who will read this, I’ve planted many hundreds of trees, shrubs, and plants for wildlife habitat enhancement, as well as worked my way through coastal jungles of phragmites
and pulled invasive plant species from both land and water. I have helped “deconstruct” non-active beaver dams from various locations on the Upper Black River watershed, as well as organized and participated in numerous volunteer events to install in-stream habitat structures for the watershed’s naturally-reproducing brook trout and the macroinvertebrates upon which they feed. Lashbrook: I thank TU for the opportunity to introduce myself to your group of dedicated anglers and coldwater fisheries conservationists. My name is Mike Lashbrook, and I am currently semi-retired, still doing a little consulting in the area of alcohol regulation. My entire career has been in association management and issue advocacy; over 13 years with the National Rifle Association in Washington, D.C., and then 27 years leading the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers. I live in East Lansing with Debra, my bride of 48 years, and we are blessed to have two daughters, sons-in-law, and four granddaughters living nearby. While working at the NRA from 1976-1989, I was fortunate to work with some of the legends of Michigan Conservation such as Rep. John Dingell, Hal Glassen, Pete Petoskey, Tom Washington, and Rick Jamison. My passion for hunting and fishing was a significant factor in my decision to come to Michigan. Cozad: I’m a life-long Michiganian from Bay City, where I live with my wife of 39 years, Kathy. I founded Mainstream Resources in 1982 and have had the good fortune of practicing environmental and natural resources consulting for nearly 40 years. Mainstream Resources has served watershed restoration project committees on the Au Sable, Pine, Manistee, Jordan, and Clinton River watersheds, among others, over the years. I’ve been an active member of a variety of grassroots conservation organizations, including Trout Unlimited, where my involvement dates back to 1980. Longtime Mason-Griffith Founders Chapter member Bob Andrus was the person who drew me into Trout Unlimited. I’m a Life Member and have held a number of offices over the years at the state, regional, and national levels within TU, including a term on the national board of trustees in the early 1990s. My most recent service with Trout Unlimited was as Secretary of the MershonNeumann Heritage Chapter. In 1997, I was a co-founder of the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy and served on its board for ten years. As well, I am a member of the Pere Marquette Watershed Council, where I was a board member in the mid-1980s. I maintain additional memberships with Ducks Unlimited, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the Ruffed Grouse Society/American
