News Release

WARSAW — The southern Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management group hired Dugan Julian as the new regional specialist for Northeast Indiana.

Dugan Julian

He began work on Aug. 10, for the state-wide Indiana Invasives initiative project. The counties his position will cover include Kosciusko, Elkhart, Wabash, Miami, Huntington, Whitley, Wells, Adams, Noble, Lagrange, Steuben, Dekalb and Allen counties.

Julian has a degree in environmental studies from Grace College and Theological Seminary. His past positions include serving in the United States Marine Corps, working as an environmental restoration specialist with Cardno/JF New and as the events coordinator with the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams. Specific experiences include identifying and controlling invasive species, restoring native plants, event organization and working with volunteers.

“I am extremely excited to become a part of the Indiana Invasives Initiative. As a lifelong resident of Northeast Indiana, I love this region and its people, and I feel honored to be able to work with both,” said Julian.

Will Drews, chair of the SICIM group, which sponsors the state-wide Indiana Invasives Initiative, is pleased to have Julian on board. He is one of six regional specialists now on board around the state.

Drews notes, “We were all impressed with Dugan’s leadership abilities and the confidence and out-of-the-box thinking he demonstrated in his interview. The board members found his creativity and energy refreshing and feel he will be a real asset to getting local groups galvanized.”

Drews said Julian will be the first regional specialist focused on Northeast Indiana, so this will be a great opportunity for existing Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas in this part of the state. Julian may be able to help them generate more members and partners. Nor new CISMAs, he can assist them in getting interested people together and generate awareness of the need for action and invasive management at the local level.

Drews summarizes, “We think there’s a lot of untapped potential in Northeast Indiana and Julian is the person to work with those CISMAs to ensure their success.”

Julian can be reached at [email protected] or call (574) 527-0781.