Join the Grand Traverse Humanists as we welcome David Milarch, founder of the Champion Tree Project and the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive. David and his two sons, Jared and Jake, have been working for years to preserve the genetics of old-growth forests for future generations. Together, they’ve traveled the globe to collect cuttings from ancient trees and cloned them to save their genetics, eventually planting them back in the wild.

David has received numerous awards for his efforts, including the Detroit News Michiganian of the Year and the Garden Clubs of America Distinguished Service Award, and his work is the subject of a book by New York Times science writer Jim Robbins (The Man Who Planted Trees: A Story of Lost Groves, the Science of Trees, and a Plan to Save the Planet.) David was also the most recent keynote speaker of the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council’s Environmentalist of the Year Celebration and previously won their highest honor, the Clarence Kroupa Award, for those who have shown a lifetime of achievement and commitment to the cause of environmental protection in northern Michigan.