Meet your Invasive Species Specialist

April Savickas

April Savickas is the Program Specialist on the Barry-Calhoun-Kalamazoo Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area Strike Team. Her primary focus is on the invasive vine Mile-A-Minute-Weed, which was first detected in Michigan around Albion of Calhoun County. She leads the efforts to educate the community, survey land to understand its extent, and treat the known infestation. This project is funded by the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

April graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management and certifications in Geographic Information Systems and Technology, Human Factors in Wildland Fire, Introduction to Wildlife Fire Behavior, and Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior.

She was a member and president of the Student Chapter of Michigan's Soil and Water Conservation Society. She has experience with land management in Colorado through mowing firebreaks, trail maintenance, trail repairs, and open space clean-up. She also has experience with invasive species removal in Michigan and Colorado.