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	<em>Today, there are over 4,000 Au Sable alumni around the world doing great things to serve and protect our precious natural world.&nbsp;Profiles in Stewardship&nbsp;shares the significant accomplishments, enduring effort, and lasting effectiveness of Au Sable alumni as they seek to do God&#39;s work in the world. We hope these stories create a space for mutual admiration, common purpose, and collective achievement among all those doing creation care. &nbsp;In two words, true community. To learn more, read Executive Director Fred Van Dyke&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="">introduction to this blog series</a>.</em></p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}breederland2013.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 250px; float: right;" /></p>
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	Today Mark Breederland, now a resident of Traverse City, Michigan, works full time serving and protecting God&rsquo;s earth as an Educator in the Michigan Sea Grant College Program. Thirty-three years ago, in 1980, he first visited the Au Sable Institute as a student in Taylor University&rsquo;s (Indiana) Introduction to Environmental Science Education, taught by Au Sable founder Harold Synder, then on the faculty of Taylor. He returned in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986, enjoying Au Sable as a student, a maintenance worker, and again as a Taylor student in the Senior Capstone class, which was then held in January (in Mark&rsquo;s case, January 1984) at Au Sable&rsquo;s Great Lakes campus. Through all the years, education, experience and accomplishments, between then and now, Mark has never forgotten what he learned at Au Sable, how it prepared him to be a steward of God&rsquo;s creation, and how it changed his life in both professional and personal ways. As our first Profile In Stewardship, we asked Mark about his current work and its connection to Au Sable.</p>
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	<strong>What do you do in your current position? </strong></p>
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	I am a field-based educator for the Michigan Sea Grant College Program and I work with coastal communities on a wide-variety of Great Lakes topics including fisheries, invasive species, lake level fluctuations, and waterfront land use planning. &nbsp;Michigan Sea Grant helps to foster economic growth and protect Michigan&rsquo;s coastal, Great Lakes resources through education, research and outreach. &nbsp;As a collaborative effort of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, Michigan Sea Grant is part of the NOAA-National Sea Grant network of 32 university-based programs.</p>
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	<strong>Why is this work important to conservation?</strong></p>
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	The Great Lakes basin is home to more than 30 million people - roughly 10% of the U.S. population and more than 30% of the Canadian population. &nbsp;The Great Lakes comprise about 21% of the world&rsquo;s supply of surface fresh water and provide the basis for commerce, recreation, and industry.</p>
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	<strong>What was most memorable and important to you about your time at Au Sable? &nbsp;</strong></p>
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	I appreciated the close interactions of faculty (including those teaching other courses I was not registered in) with students as well as the exposure to the vast resources of Northern Michigan. &nbsp;The dining commons was one key place this interaction took place, but often other places were just as important, like the volleyball court or our overnight trips. I especially remember the backpacking trip to South Manitou Island in 1982. &nbsp;</p>
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	<strong>How does your faith in Jesus Christ affect the work you do today? &nbsp;</strong></p>
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	God, through His Word and profound grace in my life, has worked to help me understand the thread of the Gospel throughout the Old and New Testament scriptures. &nbsp;God is sovereignly and providentially working towards His glory and ends and I am amazed he adopted me into His family. &nbsp;More practically, I think a Christian world-view grounds me in dealing with people and issues. &nbsp;I still think that Francis Schaeffer&rsquo;s classic book (1970) &ldquo;Pollution and the Death of Man&rdquo; impacted my thinking very much and provides what I believe to be a strong biblical-view of creation care. &nbsp;I really like the &ldquo;substantial-healing&rdquo; emphasis and theme he suggests. &nbsp;</p>
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	<strong>How did your time at Au Sable help prepare you for what you are doing now?</strong></p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}BreederlandMagoon Creek May 04 069.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 150px; float: right;" />In many ways, but let me list two. &nbsp;First, as an educator still living in the Northern Michigan Great Lakes ecoregion, &nbsp;I am often re-telling and sharing information on our history, biology, hydrology, and ecology, which I first learned at Au Sable. &nbsp;I&rsquo;ve drilled down a bit more into issues of migration, fisheries, dune ecology, river ecology and others over the years, but my exposure to these at the introductory field level at Au Sable was foundational. &nbsp;Second, while at Au Sable I had opportunity to interact with other experts outside my biology &amp; environmental competency fields. I talked with environmental chemists, fisheries biologists, and geologists among others. &nbsp;This is still a daily work for me as I try to connect resource experts to assist coastal community needs in Michigan and often go well outside of my competency areas. &nbsp;</p>
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	<strong>Why do you think people should continue to study at Au Sable today?</strong></p>
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	I think the focused field-oriented programs at Au Sable provide an excellent basis for learning. &nbsp;Additionally, the faculty come from a wide variety of Christian Colleges in many different places and can share different perspectives on issues in the community at Au Sable &ndash; sometimes making for some interesting discussions and debates. &nbsp;There are some fun recreational opportunities in Northern Michigan and I enjoyed interacting and learning from other students at other Christian Colleges. &nbsp;I think attending Au Sable is a commitment and an investment of time and resources to participate in a summer program but one that will pay large returns in your life and career.</p>
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	Mark Breederland&rsquo;s story, like that of every Au Sable alumni, is a unique journey of God&rsquo;s call in the world of serving and protecting creation, but it is also like other stories in common threads that connect it to the Au Sable Institute as a place, a powerful learning experience, and a continuing community. Watch for more stories that follow as we continue to celebrate the life and work of Au Sable alumni in future Profiles in Stewardship.</p>
