Introduction to New NRC Commissioners

by Dr. Bryan Burroughs, Michigan TU Executive Director

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

Woodcock Society, and Anglers of the Au Sable.

Baird: I, Tom Baird, live in Elk Rapids, presently, but had previously lived in the greater Lansing area for many years. I am an attorney by trade. Through the decades, I have been actively involved in conservation in Michigan in numerous ways and have been actively engaged with a number of conservation organizations over the years. Some of these include; Anglers of the Au Sable (having served as President and Board member), MITU (legal director), FLOW (Board, Policy Committee chair), MLCV (Advisory Board), and the Glassen Foundation (Trustee).

What kind of outdoor recreation activities do you like to do personally, and what kind do you do most often?

Rose: As to other outdoor recreational pursuits, I have fished since my young childhood and continue to do this day with both fly rods and spinning rods. I came to hunting later in my life and have successfully harvested deer, small game, and, in 2019, a Michigan elk! I’ve hunted grouse and woodcock over the years, and more recently turkey, but have yet to put a gobbler in the bag. This really doesn’t bother me much because I just love being outdoors and absorbing the beauty of the environment I’m in, along with the challenges of my hunting and fishing pursuits. I enjoy paddle sports, recreational shooting, “wildflowering,” and, more than anything else, hiking. Having an active English cocker spaniel in our household makes daily hiking a very good fit for all of us!

Lashbrook: Flyfishing has become my favorite outdoor pastime, both fresh and saltwater. However, any type of fishing provides the much-needed water therapy to cope with these crazy times. I also enjoy upland game and waterfowl hunting. My brother runs a waterfowl guiding business in upstate New York around Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, and I have spent many days sharing a blind with him. And finally, I enjoy time afield with my 10-month old wirehaired pointing griffon. Watching a good hunting dog work gives me great pleasure.

Cozad: I enjoy recreating year-round throughout Michigan, where our abundant and diverse natural resource base enables these experiences. We are fortunate to have sufficient cold water available to support salmonid fishing 365 days a year. I also enjoy being in the woods each fall in pursuit of grouse and woodcock. I’m very fond of floating Michigan’s rivers in a variety of watercraft and find good reasons to do so. In the winter, I enjoy both Nordic and downhill skiing, with an occasional snowshoeing event interspersed.

Baird: I enjoy fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, kayaking, golf, snowshoeing, skiing, with fishing probably being my most frequent outdoor hobby.

What is your favorite type of fishing to do in Michigan?

Rose: Over the course of my life, I have had the pleasure of fishing all over Michigan on both peninsulas, in the American West and three Canadian provinces. Like many anglers, I think I enjoy the environment I’m in as much as the thrill of the catch. Fishing out on the big waters of the Great Lakes is always exciting, as is taking the family fishing boat out on one of Michigan’s great inland lakes. Coldwater fisheries are my particular favorite, however, as they are quieter, more challenging, and viscerally more satisfying, whether I’m successful or not. Fishing for Atlantic salmon on the Flowers River in Labrador a number of years ago was one of the most exciting outdoor adventures I’ve ever had. It was in one of the most remote and vast wildernesses in North America, with the only other humans being the few other anglers staying at the lodge there, our guides, and a few staff members. Oh, and then there were the bears and wolves who also agreed with me that Atlantic salmon are REALLY fun to catch!

Lashbrook: Fly fishing is my passion at this point, and I pursue all manner of gamefish throughout the state, from bluegill in local ponds/lakes while fishing with my granddaughters to smallmouth on the Grand and Muskegon Rivers to steelhead and salmon on the Pere Marquette. I have a good friend who owns a piece of paradise along the PM, so I fish there most frequently and would have to say it is my “home waters.”

Cozad: I particularly enjoy fishing for trout on streams throughout Michigan and like searching for and finding new, productive reaches of stream which are off the beaten path. In the past, I’ve spent a fair amount of time seeking out round whitefish in mid-size coldwater streams.

Baird: Flyfishing on rivers and streams for trout is my favorite type of fishing.

What goals or objectives do you have for your participation on the NRC?

Rose: As to my involvement with the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, I am here to say that I learn something new about natural resources and resource management every single day. Being a commissioner, and now serving as chair, is a challenging, fascinating, and timeconsuming commitment. As one can imagine, there’s a lot of homework involved for all of us.

The DNR staff has been great to work with and are readily available to answer questions as they come up. While we don’t always agree with what’s being recommended for regulation or quota changes, the NRC works it through, making sure that we weigh both the science and stakeholder input in the decisions we make. I will share that I particularly look forward to hearing from stakeholders during the public comment portion of every meeting, as well as personal interaction with them via phone, emails, or hand-written letters.

As I live in northeast Michigan, where the presence of bovine TB in both our wild deer population, as well as within the domestic beef and dairy herds, I have a particular interest in how wildlife disease is managed. In terms of my goals as a member of the NRC, I’d like to work on improving the lines of communication between the NRC, the DNR, the state legislature, and our collective stakeholders. I also look forward to returning to in-person meetings, re-establishing the committee structure on the NRC, and the opportunity to bring in other voices that will complement those of the DNR.

Lashbrook: Pardon the cliché, but my primary interest in the NRC is to give back to the state of Michigan and its natural resources, which I have enjoyed all these years. I am not a biologist, nor do I have a background in natural resources. I am a generalist, if you will, who enjoys multiple outdoor recreation activities and have no preconceived notions or pre-set goals for the NRC. My background is public policy and advocacy, and believe I can be a consensus builder on the commission. I will approach each issue through the lens of science and what’s best for the resource. I hope to keep politics and partisanship out of the decision-making process but realize the difficulty of that goal in today’s environment.

Climate change and its impact on our natural resources has to be a focal point moving forward. This is especially true as it relates to our coldwater fisheries. Invasive species and the changing Great Lakes ecosystems will require a lot of attention as well.