Laura Rigan
Farmland Protection Specialist for Grand Traverse Regional Land ConservancyBiography
Laura is the Farmland Protection Specialist at the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy where she develops and implements GTRLC’s farmland protection programs, both internal programs and as a contractor to units of government. This includes coordinating the efforts of landowners, units of government, public and private funders, contractors and/or consultants in order to implement programs and close transactions. Before she joined GTRLC, Laura was a Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) Technician serving northwest Michigan. Laura holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University and studied Applied Conservation Strategies at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation in Front Royal, VA.Laura grew up working on family cherry farms in northwest Michigan and is now an owner of a family-run wine grape operation. Laura enjoys hiking and being out on the water with her husband, son and chocolate lab, Odin.