<p>
	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}John-Canoeing-250pxl.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 188px; float: right;" />Invasive species are the second leading threat to biodiversity conservation around the world. John Brittenham is looking to change that. Brittenham is a Restoration Biologist wtih Blue Heron Ministries, a Christian land conservation organization in Northern Indiana. But to understand how John got to this position is to understand his professional and academic journey. A student of Huntington University (B.A., Biology &amp; Biblical and Religious Studies), John discovered his passion at Au Sable, taking &#39;Environmental Ethics,&#39; &#39;Conservatin Biology,&#39; &#39;Animal Ecology,&#39; and finally &#39;Restoration Ecology.&#39; He went on to graduate school at Taylor University (M.E.S., Environmental Science) and worked as a Field Steward for The Nature Conservancy and Restoration Biology with Native Connections in Southwest, Michigan. We connected with John to learn more about his current work and the journey that brought him there:</p>
<p>
	<strong>What do you do in your current position? </strong></p>
<p>
	I work on natural land restoration in northeast Indiana, southern Michigan, and northwest Ohio. I&rsquo;m part of a four man crew that works year round to restore both public and private lands, some of which are nature preserves owned by Blue Heron Ministries, back to their unique native ecology. The bulk of this work involves combating invasive species through fire, chemical, and mechanical means. Every fall we also spend a large amount of time collecting seed from and then planting local varieties of native species found throughout our area. I spend almost 100% of the time in the field working on our various projects and properties. Currently I am able to do a few projects a year directly involved with educating others about the importance of stewarding God&rsquo;s creation. This is one area I hope to see my involvement increase in the coming years.</p>
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	<strong>Why is this work important to conservation? &nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	The importance of Blue Heron Ministries work is twofold. First, this work is on the front lines of conservation, actively conserving and restoring natural areas. This is where the battle to protect and steward God&rsquo;s great creation is happening. We work every day in the field fighting invasive species, collecting and planting native species, getting native ecosystems established, returning fire to the landscape of fire dependent ecosystems, and teaching other people to do the same. &nbsp;</p>
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	Second, Blue Heron Ministries concentrates on the most degraded and rare ecosystems in North America, the prairie/oak woodland continuum. &nbsp;We work in the fens, bogs, prairies, savannas, and oak woodlands of northern Indiana, northwest Ohio, and southern Michigan. We seek to preserve the most vulnerable and rare ecosystems in our area in order to preserve biodiversity and all of its components. &nbsp;We believe that God created all of these ecosystems and created them good. It is our responsibility to steward these systems, especially since we are almost entirely responsible for their degradation. At Blue Heron Ministries, we are doing our part to keep these pieces of God&rsquo;s glorious creation intact and functioning.
	<p>
		<strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">What about your work gives you hope?</span></strong></p>
	<p>
		<span style="font-size: 12px;">I have only worked for Blue Heron Ministries for just over one year, but in that time I have seen our crew restore and improve a very large [amount of land]. Some of the projects I have been a part of have taken areas completely dominated by invasive species and returned them to high quality natural habitat. I am given hope by seeing the affects of just one small group of about four field workers and realizing how much of a difference they can make. If we can do this with such a small band of dedicated stewards, I can only imagine how great the effect would be if this model became a movement in the Christian church.</span></p>
	<p>
		<strong>What was most memorable and important to you about your time at Au Sable?</strong></p>
	<p>
		This question must be answered in two parts. First, it was Randy VanDragt&rsquo;s &#39;Restoration Ecology&#39; class that centralized my passion for restoring God&rsquo;s creation through restoration ecology. I had always loved God&rsquo;s creation, but through my courses at Au Sable, and culminating in Randy&rsquo;s class, I learned that God has given me the passion and calling to serve him by actively stewarding His creation through my employment. My second most memorable and important experience at Au Sable was meeting and marring my wife Emily (Hoekwater). We met during the environmental education internship in the fall of 2002. &nbsp;We were good friends from the beginning, but if you ask either one of us at that time if we could foresee dating the other, we both would have said &ldquo;not a chance.&rdquo; We continued to work together on and off at Au Sable over the next few years. God worked in both of our hearts and by the fall of 2005 I had fallen in love with Emily, convinced her to consider me as a romantic interest, and after dating for a year, we were married in the fall of 2006. So, Au Sable was the most influential factor in both my current employment and in marrying my wife, Emily Brittenham.</p>
	<p>
		<strong>How does your faith in Jesus Christ affect the work you do today?</strong></p>
	<p>
		My faith in Jesus Christ is what gives me hope, joy, purpose, and perseverance in this field. I know that ultimately Christ will make all things new, and we will see Him restore all of creation. But, I am also given a purpose in that I am an instrument in his restoration of creation, and I am called to share the command for Christians to steward God&rsquo;s creation with others.</p>
	<p>
		<strong>How did your time at Au Sable help prepare you for what you are doing now?</strong></p>
	<p>
		My time at Au Sable opened my eyes to the responsibility I have as a Christian to care for creation. It also brought to a head my passions in life and showed me how to best use those passions for God&rsquo;s kingdom. Au Sable taught me the core of Christian stewardship and how to practice this stewardship in everyday life. Au Sable also gave me the academic knowledge I needed to continue my studies into graduate school and to begin my career as a restoration biologist. No other place or experience was more instrumental in my personal development as a Christian caring for God&rsquo;s creation than Au Sable was.</p>
	<p>
		<strong>Why do you think people should continue to study at Au Sable today?</strong></p>
	<p>
		I think people should continue to study at Au Sable because there is to my knowledge no better place to learn about our responsibilities as followers of Jesus Christ to care for the created order. Au Sable has a long history of molding individuals into the stewards that God intended them to be and has learned to do this very well and effectively. The academic classes and programming are outstanding, and the faculty and staff are second to none. But, Au Sable is more than just an institution of higher learning; it is a community of devoted Christ followers who seek to carry out God&rsquo;s will in their lives and to teach others to do the same. To anyone who has an affection towards God&rsquo;s creation and seeks to learn more about creation and their connection and responsibility towards it, Au Sable is the place to study.</p>
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