JOHN HARTIG

Great Lakes scientist working as a boundary spanner on ecosystem restoration and waterfront revitalization.

INTRODUCTION

ABOUT JOHN

Dr. John Hartig is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor. His interdisciplinary research focuses on cleanup of the most polluted areas of Great Lakes. John also serves on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and as the chair of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan's Great Lakes Way Advisory Committee.

Biography

John Hartig serves as a Visiting Scholar at University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. For 14 years he served as Refuge Manager for the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. John has received numerous awards for his work, including a 2022 Michigan Notable Leader in Sustainability from Carin's Detroit Business, a 2018 Honor Award for Meritorious Service from U.S. Department of Interior, the 2017 Community Peacemaker Award from Wayne State University’s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, and the 2015 Conservationist of the Year Award from the John Muir Association. He has authored or co-authored 150 publications on the environment, including eight books: Great Lakes Champions; Rouge River Revived; Ecosystem-Based Management of Laurentian Great Lakes Areas of Concern; Waterfront Porch; Bringing Conservation to Cities; Burning Rivers; Honoring Our Detroit River, Caring for Our Home; and Under RAPs: Toward Grassroots Ecological Democracy in the Great Lakes Basin. John’s recent book titled Waterfront Porch won a 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award in the “nature/environment” category.

WORKS

PUBLICATIONS

John has authored and co-authored over 150 publications on the environment.

In addition to scientific publications, John has published eight books: Great Lakes Champions; Rouge River Revived; Ecosystem-Based Management of Laurentian Great Lakes Areas of Concern; Waterfront Porch; Bringing Conservation to Cities; Burning Rivers; Honoring Our Detroit River, Caring for Our Home; and Under RAPs: Toward Grassroots Ecological Democracy in the Great Lakes Basin.

SPEAKING

EVENTS

Dr. Hartig is trained as a limnologist with more than 30 years of experience in ecosystem-based management and conservation. His particular interest is strengthening science-policy-management linkages. He is currently leading a U.S.- Canada project on evaluating what has been achieved and learned from nearly 40 years of using an ecosystem approach in restoring Great Lakes pollution hotspots.