Andie Balenger
Northern Michigan University
Andie Balenger (she/her) is an alumnus of Northern Michigan University (2025), where she earned a Master's degree in administration of outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism. She is currently a Student Success Advisor at NMU and a former crew leader for the Great Lakes Tribal Conservation Corps. Her core purpose as an outdoor recreation professional is exploring if and how we can ethically recreate on Indigenous lands. Andie's research interests are deeply informed by the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk), a framework developed by Mi'kmaw Nation elders Albert and Murdena Marshall. This approach emphasizes the importance of weaving Indigenous and Western perspectives to foster a more holistic understanding of the world.
All Sessions by Andie Balenger
From Consultation to Co-Creation
Collaborative work is hard work, but it is necessary for a project to be authentic and meaningful. Using the City of Marquette Cultural Trail as the case study, participants will see why collaboration is worth the effort. Along seven miles of Lake Superior shoreline in Marquette, MI, the Cultural Trail is a storytelling project that uses public spaces, narrative, artwork, and history to connect us more deeply to the water, land, and one another. This session explores how to cultivate and nurture partnerships that become your network of support. We will discuss how to embrace the strengths of a multi-sector leadership table and move beyond 'consultation' towards 'co-creation'. Participants will learn to identify the stewards of a place and activate them by sharing ownership rather than working in silos. We will discuss how to observe what already exists so that projects build up, not parallel. This session will ask participants to self-reflect on who sits at your leadership table, which voices are missing from the conversation, and who might complicate your project in productive ways? No matter the project specifics, meaningful stewardship and effective conservation requires collaborative work. Join us to discuss how to leave room in your plan for the beautiful interruptions and foster community investment that lasts long after the ribbon-cutting.