Friends of Nachusa Grasslands
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      • Stewardship Unit Planting Histories
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    • Available Units
    • Controlled Burns
    • Prescribed Fire Recruitment
    • Restoration Publications
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      • Seed Collection Guides
      • Introduced Plant Management
      • Introduced Woody Identification
      • Monitoring
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        • Bison
        • Bison Babies Broadcast Videos
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Friends of Nachusa Grasslands Executive Director

Mike Saxton
Picture
For 15 years, Friends of Nachusa Grasslands has been a volunteer organization dedicated to helping provide for the long-term care and management of the project. The Nature Conservancy owns and operates Nachusa Grasslands. The Friends are helping to build endowments, conduct and encourage stewardship, support education and scientific activity, and fund land acquisition.

Friends has now hired their first employee, Mike Saxton, as their Executive Director. He will assume the Executive Director position in January 2026.

  • Mike has a long history with Nachusa. He was on our seasonal crew several times, helped build our bison fence for two years, and spent a few winters doing brush work at our DNR neighbor.
  • For the last eleven years, he has been the vice president of Friends. He has been involved in our fundraising and communications efforts, in addition to serving on our Science Grant committee for many years.
  • Mike earned a master’s degree in geography from Northern Illinois University with a study at Nachusa.
  • For ten years, he has been the Manager for Ecological Restoration and Land Stewardship at the Missouri Botanical Garden Shaw Nature Reserve in Missouri, where he worked to make it a Nachusa South. Mike ramped up volunteer stewardship and also increased controlled burns, brush thinning, and seeds collected for restorations.
  • Mike also worked in the Chicago office of The Nature Conservancy supporting philanthropy and was a volunteer coordinator for the Cook County Forest Preserves. 
Mike at Nachusa
UPDATED 12/2025

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8772 S. Lowden Road  (mailing address)            
2075 Lowden Road (Visitor Center)           
Franklin Grove, IL 61031

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  • Home
  • About Friends
    • Mission, Leadership, Objectives, and Financials
    • Executive Director – Mike Saxton
    • Friends Annual Meeting 2025
    • Endowments
    • Heritage Heroes Initiative
    • Friends Annual Reports
    • Newsletters >
      • A Prairie Calling (print and digital)
      • PrairiE–Update (email)
    • Commenting Policy
  • Plan Your Visit
    • Hours & Parking
    • Directions and Map
    • Visitor Center
    • Pet Policy
    • Public Bison Tours
    • Bison Viewing
    • Hiking >
      • Hiking Guidelines
      • Hiking Destinations
      • Guided Hikes
      • Stone Barn Savanna Tour
      • Visitor Center Trail
      • Scavenger Hunt
    • Fall Festival >
      • Yearly Festival
    • What's In Bloom?
    • Exploring Nachusa Grasslands on Your Own
    • Things to Do
    • Places to Eat and Stay
    • Local Sites to Visit and Explore
  • Donate
  • Calendar
  • Volunteer
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Thursday and Saturday Workdays >
      • Workday Signup
      • Workdays – November to February
      • Volunteer Workday Safety Protocols
      • Leader Workday Safety Protocols
      • Steward Workday Tips
    • Workday Email List
    • Volunteer Recognition
    • Docents
  • Stewardship
    • Nachusa Stewardship
    • Restorations
    • Planting Histories >
      • Stewardship Unit Planting Histories
      • Planting Histories in Chronological Order
    • Weed Reports
    • Native plant resources
    • Volunteer Stewards
    • Groups and Committees
    • Available Units
    • Controlled Burns
    • Prescribed Fire Recruitment
    • Restoration Publications
    • Stewardship Resources >
      • Seed Collection Guides
      • Introduced Plant Management
      • Introduced Woody Identification
      • Monitoring
      • Resource Links
  • Science
    • Science at Nachusa Grasslands
    • Science Grants 2026
    • Science Grants by Year >
      • Science Grants 2021 to 2025 >
        • Science Grants 2025
        • Science Grants 2024
        • Science Grants 2023
        • Science Grants 2022
        • Science Grants 2021
      • Science Grants 2016 to 2020 >
        • Science Grants 2020
        • Science Grants 2019
        • Science Grants 2018
        • Science Grants 2017
        • Science Grants 2016
      • Science Grants 2011 to 2015 >
        • Science Grants 2015
        • Science Grants 2014
        • Science Grants 2013/2012/2011
    • Potential Research Topics
    • Scientific Publications
    • Anderson Science Award
    • Science Videos
    • Become a Community Scientist >
      • About Community Scientists
      • Butterfly Monitoring
      • Calling Frog Monitoring
      • Dragonflies & Damselflies
      • RiverWatch
  • About Nachusa
    • General Info
    • Nachusa Staff
    • Prairie Smoke Annual Reports
    • Plant Inventory >
      • Common Names
      • Genus Species
    • Animal Inventory >
      • Amphibians
      • Birds
      • Bison Bison >
        • Bison
        • Bison Babies Broadcast Videos
      • Fish
      • Insects
      • Mammals
      • Other Arthropods
      • Reptiles
    • History
    • Jobs
    • Hunting
    • Geology >
      • Geology Part 1
      • Geology Part 2
      • Geology Part 3
    • Websites of Interest
  • Teacher Resources
    • K-2nd grades
    • 3rd-5th grades
    • 6th-8th grades
    • High School
  • BLOG AND MEDIA
    • Nachusa Blog
    • In The News
    • Photo Gallery >
      • Spring Photos
      • Summer Photos
      • Autumn Photos
      • Winter Photos
    • Videos
  • Contact Us / FAQs