Pete Jackson, board member of Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and their Stewardship Coordinator, presents a broad swath of information about oaks, a common species in our region, their ecological importance, historic abundance, the loss of oaks, their current problems, oak conservation, and how to help oaks.

He organizes workdays with volunteers to remove invasive species, conducts prescribed burns and performs other tasks crucial to help the ecosystems thrive.

Pete also worked as a biologist at the U.S. EPA and prior to that he worked at the IL DNR where he was a program coordinator. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology, and he completed a vegetation study of Middlefork Savanna in Lake County as his research thesis.