Every spring, Legacy’s preserves awaken with bustling activity. Vegetation blooms, wildlife emerge, and visitors wander. And for our team, new priorities arise, restoration projects ramp up, and events and volunteer workdays fill the calendar.
And none of it happens without people willing to step into the busy season alongside us.
To help care for our preserves each year, Legacy hires seasonal staff who spend months removing invasive species, supporting volunteer workdays, assisting with public events, and gaining hands-on conservation experience.
While every field season brings different priorities, projects, and staffing requirements, the goal remains the same: protecting and restoring the ecosystems that make our preserves special.
This year, we’re excited to welcome two seasonal staff members to the preserve team, Rosemary (Rosie) Kendall and Ansleigh Gunter.
Rosie will work with us from May until October as a Preserve Stewardship Technician. She walked Eastern Michigan University’s graduation stage only days before starting her position with Legacy, but she’s no stranger to our work. She spent much of her senior year volunteering with us–caring for our preserves and compiling tree data to calculate ecosystem benefits and carbon storage on land protected by Legacy.
Ansleigh joins us from May until August as a Preserve Engagement Technician assisting with a variety of outreach and nature-based art projects in addition to preserve stewardship. Her internship is supported through the Julia Elkin Conservation Leadership Award program at University of Michigan where she is currently earning a master’s degree at the School for the Environment and Sustainability.
Welcome, Rosie and Ansleigh!
Rosemary Kendall, Preserve Stewardship Technician
Rosemary grew up in Saline, just minutes from Legacy Land Conservancy’s headquarters. She joined Legacy in December 2025 as a volunteer and immersed herself in the work of the stewardship team and the broader mission of the organization. Her background in environmental science, fieldwork, and community-centered food systems reflects a commitment to conservation that serves both land and people.
As an undergraduate at Eastern Michigan University, Rosemary focused much of her research on trees. This included conducting a campus-wide tree canopy survey. She integrated ArcGIS data to map native and invasive tree populations and produced walking guides for community education. In her free time, she’s an avid tree climber and enjoys running on trails throughout Southeast Michigan.
Ansleigh Gunter, Preserve Engagement Technician
Ansleigh grew up in Florida, where she fell in love with mangroves and public lands. After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Richmond in Virginia, she moved to Michigan where she is currently completing her graduate studies in conservation ecology at University of Michigan’s School for the Environment and Sustainability. Her time with Legacy is supported by the Julia Elkin Conservation Leadership Award, which supports a summer internship in US land conservation in a public agency or non-profit.
Ansleigh enjoys cooking new recipes, walks in the woods with her dog, Jimmy, and exploring farmer’s markets. She’s excited to experience working in a non-profit organization and make connections with people passionate about conservation!