Caleb Grantham
Carbondale
Summary
Driven by a passion for conservation, I've spearheaded initiatives for the past 11.5 years at The Nature Conservancy, enhancing land protection spatial protocol and increasing community engagement efforts in Southern Illinois. Leveraging skills in outreach and effective networking, I've significantly contributed to ongoing stewardship projects and program evolution and involvement, showcasing creativity and leadership in environmental conservation efforts. As a new board member of the statewide Prairie State Conservation Coalition, I am connected with broader policy and legislative issues and look forward to advocating for continued and increased habitat and biodiversity awareness and support in Southern Illinois, a region I've called home for the past 15 years.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Community Engagement & Conservation Specialist
The Nature Conservancy
03.2024 - 08.2025
- Assisted multistate protection staff with land acquisitions in Southern Illinois, focusing primarily on Dogtooth Bend, by completing on-the-ground site visits and the Environmental Assessments for legal purposes.
- Completed annual legal compliance monitoring protocols on TNC's Southern Illinois fee properties.
- Increased community engagement efforts in Southern Illinois by creatively collaborating with conservation partners, community groups, and the general public for various events and endeavors to support and promote good conservation.
- Joined the Illinois statewide Prairie State Conservation Coalition's Board of Directors in January 2025 to represent and advocate for the Southern Illinois region and stay involved with larger community initiatives and conservation goals.
- Joined Keep Carbondale Beautiful board to advocate for and assist with native restoration in community and public spaces around Carbondale, IL.
- Developed outreach methods and tactics to form new, but also maintain, existing relationships with community groups, conservation professionals, and the public by networking and gaining their support and involvement in TNC's and INPC's statewide Volunteer Stewardship Network.
- Participated as an active member of TNC's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice committee in our statewide group to represent Southern Illinois involvement and ensure appropriate and meaningful inclusion of DEIJ efforts in our work flows and lives.
- Assisted Southern Illinois program staff with priority prescribed fire and stewardship work in and around the Shawnee National Forest for an array of conservation partners.
- Maintained long-time positive relationships, and supported statewide TNC staff in our various focus areas, from weekly educational marketing work, donor relation events and insights, government relation input and advice, conservation staff resource sharing, and much more.
Stewardship Coordinator
The Nature Conservancy
09.2020 - 03.2024
- Took responsibility and led special projects as they came up, like supervising a new Women in Fire partnership and collaboration between TNC and the USFS in Region 9.
- Began completing the annual legal compliance monitoring for our Southern Illinois fee properties and improved efficiency by utilizing offline GIS field apps.
- Continued to compile and organize the bulk of our treatment data in ArcGIS Online and produce program report deliverables to the United States Forest Service and TNC.
- Collaborated, assisted, and supported TNC statewide colleagues with special projects and events, such as in-person donor tours, marketing stories and features, government relations events and requests, and operations staff by planning and leading our 2018 all-staff retreat in Southern Illinois, and much more.
- Joined the Shawnee Resource Conservation & Development, Inc as an active council member to collaborate with local conservation partners on various initiatives and goals.
- Began involvement with a statewide DEIJ committee working creatively on ways to incorporate and involve DEIJ into staff workflows and lives.
- Assisted protection staff statewide with Southern Illinois land acquisition projects, specifically in the Hutchins Creek watershed and the large Dogtooth Bend focus area.
- Increased awareness and visibility of our program work by collaborating with marketing staff on weekly 'Southern Illinois Saturday Spotlight' social media posts, promoted through our multiple online social media outlets.
- I continued my pathway to becoming a certified RXB2 Burn Boss for the Nature Conservancy by attending wildland fire trainings and events throughout the country and world like a Belize wildfire suppression workshop in early 2023.
Wilderness Area Inventory Lead
Friends of the Shawnee National Forest
06.2020 - 09.2020
- Inventoried Burden Falls and Bay Creek Wilderness Areas for nonnative invasive species.
- Navigated and hiked every trail, drainage, and perimeter roadway of both wilderness areas during the summer of 2020.
- Designed and created a geodatabase to use for the project in ArcMap and utilized ESRI's Collector App for offline spatial data collection.
- Botanized and dropped spatial points and streamed tracking data to ensure and showcase completion of project area.
- Worked remotely, navigated rough terrain, and completed tasks in a timely manner for the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest.
- Project data allowed the USFS to prioritize NNIS treatments in these two wilderness areas for years to come.
Wilderness Area Inventory Technician
National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance
05.2017 - 08.2017
- Inventoried Bald Knob & Clear Springs Wilderness Areas for nonnative invasive plant species for the Shawnee National Forest.
- Hiked every drainage, trail, and perimeter of both wilderness areas and collected spatial information on nonnative invasive species infestations and density levels.
- Compiled data into ArcGIS online and Survey123 reports and shared with GIS staff with the USFS.
- Worked in and navigated through remote areas and rugged terrain in the summer heat.
Invasive Species Strike Team Leader
The Nature Conservancy
06.2016 - 09.2020
- Supervised, supported, and mentored Southern Illinois program staff as our program grew from 2 to 6 members.
- Continued to implement priority fire and stewardship work for conservation partners throughout the Southern Illinois region, like the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the United States Forest Service.
- Pioneered a data collection method for program staff using ESRI's then Collector App for offline spatial data management during treatments.
Invasive Species Strike Team Member
The Nature Conservancy
01.2014 - 06.2016
- One of a two person team that aided conservation partners in the management of nonnative invasive plant species via chemical and mechanical control methods on high-quality natural areas in Southern Illinois.
- Installed fireline and implemented prescribed burns on management units for an array of partners, including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Heritage and Forestry, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Southern Illinois Prescribed Burn Association.
- Produced high-quality detailed reports for grant and program deliverables.
- Inventoried Garden of the Gods and Panther Den Wilderness Areas in the Shawnee National Forest for nonnative invasive species by walking every drainage, trail, and boundary using offline spatial field apps and sharing data in ArcGIS Online for the Forest Service.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Forestry Natural Resource Management
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL05.2014
Skills
- Natural resource management
- ArcGIS & database management
- Plant identification & treatment monitoring
- Event planning & coordinating
- Board & committee experience
- Energy, passion, & creativity
- Social media and design
- Presentations, organization, reporting
- Marketing, outreach, & networking
- Community building and educating
- Land acquisition & legal compliance monitoring
- Prescribed fire & extensive stewardship experience
Certifications and Licenses
- Illinois Pesticide Applicator Certified General Standards & Right of Way 2025
- National Wildfire Coordinating Group Single Resource Boss - Firing Boss Qualified and Engine Boss Trainee
- National Wildfire Coordinating Group Firefighter Type 1 & Incident Commander Type 5 Qualified
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources Certified Prescribed Burn Manager since 2017
Timeline
Community Engagement & Conservation Specialist
The Nature Conservancy
03.2024 - 08.2025
Stewardship Coordinator
The Nature Conservancy
09.2020 - 03.2024
Wilderness Area Inventory Lead
Friends of the Shawnee National Forest
06.2020 - 09.2020
Wilderness Area Inventory Technician
National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance
05.2017 - 08.2017
Invasive Species Strike Team Leader
The Nature Conservancy
06.2016 - 09.2020
Invasive Species Strike Team Member
The Nature Conservancy
01.2014 - 06.2016
Bachelor of Science - Forestry Natural Resource Management
Southern Illinois University