<p>
	It may sound strange, but for all the technical expertise required, relationships are at the heart of conservation work. As land ownership lies in the hands of individuals, corporations, and communities, building good stewardship practices into our people&#39;s lives on land requires building strong relationships.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Callie-Bertsch.jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 131px; float: right;" />Callie Bertsch has been building relationships, and expanding conservation, since she graduated from John Brown University with a degree in Biology and minor in Intercultural Studies. During her studies, Au Sable occupied a formative period for Bertsch: a student at Great Lakes (Land Resources and Ornithology) and Pacific Rim (Bioethics and International Development and Environmental Sustainability), an Environmental Education intern in winter and spring 2005, and a cook in 2005-2006. However, she&#39;s now taken her education to the front lines of conservation efforts. She entered a joint Masters and Peace Corp program, where she received her Masters of Science in Forestry at Michigan Technological University and worked for the Peace Corp as a Community Development Volunteer in Bulgaria. &nbsp;Her work and research in Bulgaria required relationships, in tourism, business, cultural heritage preservation, and forestry. &nbsp;Her current job requires building relationships with local farmers to preserve important natural features and protect land and waterways.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	We caught up with Callie to learn more about her position and what&#39;s fueled her work:</p>
