Zachary Branigan is the Executive Director of the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy. Passionate about the outdoors, Zachary grew up in the Saginaw Bay Watershed, and is an experienced mountain biker, fly fisherman, trail runner, camper, birder and naturalist. 

A graduate of Aquinas College (Bachelor of Arts, art and business, 1999) and the University of Michigan (Master of Urban Planning, 2001), Zachary's unique background in community development, management, and fine art have allowed him to approach conservation in a new way, with a heavy emphasis on establishing community relevance, telling the story of conservation in innovative and impactful ways, and finding meaningful ways the charitable mission of his organization can play a role in improving the quality of life in the communities it serves. 

Zachary’s past experiences as a community planner in large, suburban Michigan communities like Troy, in rural communities like Ann Arbor Township, and urban communities including Flint and Detroit, provide him with a broad foundation of experience in working with diverse constituencies to build consensus and motivate people towards common goals, and especially toward conservation in populated areas.

Zachary has been a speaker at many community planning and conservation conferences, festivals, and events, and has been featured in and published by national magazines within the conservation industry.

Zachary’s recent efforts have focused on his passion for community engagement and promoting active outdoor lifestyles to endear the community to the environmental cause. A father and husband himself, Zachary enjoys dreaming up exciting outdoor vacations with his wife and son, to places like northern Alberta in the middle of winter. 

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