Meet Tanner Bouchard, INHF's first Lakes Area Land Stewardship Director

Growing up in Treynor, IA, Tanner enjoyed hunting, fishing and spotting Iowa’s wildlife in their own habitats — hobbies he still enjoys today along with spending dedicated time with his family.

Tanner took his love of wildlife to Iowa State University, earning his degree in Animal Ecology. After college, Tanner built a career in Iowa’s great outdoors working as a water patrol officer on Lake Okoboji and spending the last six years with Dickinson County Conservation. Now, Tanner says he’s excited to bring his experiences and knowledge to INHF.

“I'm very excited to be working alongside likeminded people that care about land stewardship, not just because it's their job, but because it is what they love to do. I feel like that creates an environment where people are continuing to learn about stewardship practices and aren't afraid to share lessons and practices with each other.”

Tanner’s work will focus in and around Iowa’s Great Lakes, an area of the state with a long history of INHF protection and restoration projects. Within his 17-county region, Tanner will lead restoration and stewardship efforts on INHF-owned land and partner sites, assist with easement inquiries and monitoring, and enhance INHF’s community presence.

Tanner can be reached at tbouchard@inhf.org with questions about land stewardship and INHF’s work in northwest Iowa.