Biography
I grew up in Grand Rapids, attended Calvin, and then went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for an M.S. in Environmental Studies. Later I completed a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan. In between graduate degrees, my wife Teri and I lived in Tanzania for two years doing community development work. I have been a faculty member at Calvin since 1997, teaching courses and doing research in the areas of botany, restoration ecology, and plant evolution. Teri and I have been blessed with three children who give us great joy: Micah (married to Eryn), Rachel, and Ana Li. As a family we still enjoy outdoor activities together, some of which have occurred in Colorado, California, Honduras, Spain, and Michigan. I also enjoy gardening, cooking, and doing art.
Education
- Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan (1997)
- M.S. in Environmental Science, University of Wisconsin (1989)
- B.S. in Biology and Chemistry, Calvin College (1985)
Professional Experience
- Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, Professor (2010)
- Creation Care Studies Program, Belize and New Zealand, Professor (2005, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2023)
- Au Sable Institute, Professor (summers, 2004–2026)
- Calvin University, Professor of Biology (1997–present)
- Ann Arbor Parks, Natural Areas Protection Department, Field Botanist (1992–1997)
- Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, Community Development Worker (1990–1992)
- Calvin College, Biology Instructor (1989–1990)
Academic Interests
I am interested in documenting the impacts that human beings have had on the land and developing strategies to remediate those impacts. I find it fascinating that the West Michigan landscape was able to support large numbers of Homo sapiens for millennia before European colonists arrived, after which the health of the land and its surface waters steadily declined. To develop more sustainable, creation-enhancing behaviors in the face of global climate change and species loss, much has to change, including answers to many basic questions: What is our purpose in life? What are acceptable ways of living in God’s world? What can we do to mend the brokenness we have caused? I deeply believe we are capable of change and of learning how to live in ways that more carefully fit into God’s amazing creation of diversity and beauty.
Research
During my time at Calvin, I have been involved in conducting botanical inventories of remnant natural areas in the West Michigan region, some of which we can compare with historical accounts to get a good idea of what has been lost and what is still present that is worth preserving. In partnership with Dr. Garrett Crow (University of New Hampshire) and Dr. Peter Quakenbush (Grand Valley State University), we have engaged undergraduate students in this work and generated numerous publications and technical reports. One example is the Emma Cole Project, an effort to revisit and assess all the locations described by Emma Cole in her 1901 publication Flora of Grand Rapids.
I also love working on ways to use native plants and restored habitats to improve the water quality of Plaster Creek, the stream that drains the watershed in which Calvin University and my own home exist. Plaster Creek was known as the most contaminated urban waterway in West Michigan, so in 2009, Dr. Gail Heffner and I began Plaster Creek Stewards with the goal of helping the creek lose that designation. Each year our staff grows over 100,000 native plants representing more than 400 species, installing them into rain gardens, bioswales, and floodplain restoration projects. In addition, we have been monitoring stream indicators such as bacterial concentrations, water chemistry, aquatic biodiversity, salt, and sediment loads. A recent project has been to quantify the relative ability of different native plants (trees and perennials) to transpire stormwater runoff. We have also assessed urban rain gardens for insect diversity and abundance and have been monitoring soil chemistry in gardens that receive high volumes of stormwater runoff. In 2024, Gail Heffner and I co-authored Reconciliation in a Michigan Watershed, a book detailing the work of Plaster Creek Stewards and our approach of reconciliation ecology.
As I get older, I also find myself drawn to writing more perspectival, reflective papers. One recent example is a co-authored paper published in 2026 that describes the reciprocal insights gained when considering ecological interactions that occur on microbiological and a macrobiological scales. I also have a book chapter coming out in early 2027 that explores the virtues that are best cultivated through place-based educational experiences, and I am currently co-writing a paper with an environmental historian about ways to encourage motivation in young people today despite the very real challenges they face of climate anxiety and ecological grief.
Select Publications
DP Warners, JT Wertz. 2026. Synergies of micro-ecology and macro-ecology elicit insights for creation care. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 78(2): 1–15.
CP Baumeister, DP Warners, GE Crow, EP Taylor. 2024 [publ. 2026]. Ken-O-Sha Park: an ecologically and historically important urban forest in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Rhodora 126: 303–333.
GG Heffner, DP Warners. 2024. Reconciliation in a Michigan Watershed: Restoring Ken-O-Sha. Michigan State University Press.
HR Weesies, GE Crow, DP Warners. 2023. Botanical assessments of remnant floodplain habitats along Plaster Creek, Kent County, Michigan: assessing changes since the 1890s. The Great Lakes Botanist 62: 55–102.
GE Crow, DP Warners, HR Weesies, JD Walt, CR Koehn, ZE Hartwig. 2022. Botanical assessments of high-quality southern shrub-carr and southern hardwood wetlands in the undeveloped Lowell Regional Greenspace, Kent County, Michigan. The Great Lakes Botanist 61: 2–34.
DP Warners, GE Crow, JD Walt, CR Lindemulder, ZE Hartwig, D Clum. 2021. Botanical assessment of high-quality woodland parcels in the undeveloped Lowell Regional Greenspace, Kent County, Michigan. The Great Lakes Botanist 60:110-148.
A Singh, J Walt, P Jonker, R Warners, DP Warners. 2021. Relative success of native species planted into urban curb-cut rain gardens. Ecological Restoration 39(4): 217–222.
D Jolman, J Van Donselaar, DP Warners, GE Crow. 2019. Bog vegetation in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area: a comparative study across sites and over time – 1901 to 2017. The Great Lakes Botanist 58:123-145.
DP Warners, MK Heun (editors). 2019. Beyond Stewardship: New Approaches to Creation Care. Calvin Press.
Teaching
In my classes, I strive to create safe environments where students feel free to ask questions and explore new ideas. I want my students to emerge after a semester in one of my classes with a deeper appreciation for how beautiful and precious this world is. I hope to deepen their reverence for the world and help them better understand ways that they can contribute to its recovery. I do this by telling lots of stories, getting students outdoors, bringing examples into class, encouraging reflection, and by challenging the students to work hard. I frequently find myself reminding students that learning is a privilege and an opportunity that carries with it new responsibilities. When one of my classes goes well, I’d like to think students would say that it was hard…and that they enjoyed it.
Professional Associations
- American Scientific Affiliation
- Society for Ecological Restoration
- Michigan Botanical Society
Awards
- 2026, Calvin University Faculty Research Award
- 2024, Michigan Sustainable Business of the Year (to Plaster Creek Stewards)
- 2023, Calvin University Community Based Teaching Award
- 2022, Isobel Dickinson Award for best Great Lakes Botanist student co-authored paper
- 2020, Michigan Botanical Club Special Recognition Award
- 2020, Isobel Dickinson Award for best Great Lakes Botanist student co-authored paper
- 2019, Urban Waters Learning Network and USEPA Signature Award (to Plaster Creek Stewards)
- 2019, Calvin University From Every Nation Award for Excellence in Teaching
- 2016, Mary Jane Dockery Outstanding Conservation Organization (to Plaster Creek Stewards)
- 2015, Isobel Dickinson Award for best Great Lakes Botanist student co-authored paper
- 2015, Izaak Walton League Outstanding Conservation Organization (to Plaster Creek Stewards)
- 2014, United Nations University Outstanding Flagship Project Award (to Plaster Creek Stewards)
- 2012, Calvin College Faculty Collaborative Change Award
- 2009, Calvin College Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching
- 2007, Calvin College Community Partnership Award
- 2006, Calvin College Professor of the Year
Recent Grants
- 2026, EPA Great Lakes Thriving Communities Grant (to Plaster Creek Stewards)
- 2026, EGLE Watershed Grant (for community education to Plaster Creek Stewards)
- 2026, Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc (Plaster Creek Stewards Green Team Project)
- 2026, Bosch Community Foundation (Plaster Creek Stewards Green Team Project)
- 2026, Kent County Parks (to Emma Cole Project)
- 2026, Friends of Grant Rapids Parks (to Emma Cole Project)
- 2026, Michigan Space Grant (videography project with Andrew Slagter)
- 2025, Michigan Sea Grant (Emma Cole Project)
- 2025, Michigan Sea Grant (Plaster Creek Stewards Litter Boom Assessment Project)
- 2025, Michigan Sea Grant (Plaster Creek Stewards Biodiversity Inventory Project)
- 2025, USDA through Friends of Grand Rapids Parks (Emma Cole Project)
- 2024, EGLE Watershed Grant (Salt QAPP and GreenER adult leadership development)
- 2024, Michigan Space Grant Awards (with students Maggie Styf and Cherith Pickett)
- 2023, National Fish and Wildlife Federation Sustain Our Great Lakes Initiative (Plaster Creek Stewards)
- 2023, Hanes Foundation Grant (Emma Cole Project)
- 2023, Michigan Botanical Foundation Grant (Emma Cole Project)
- 2023, River Network Grant for Climate Resilience Community Leadership Development
- 2023, Michigan Sea Grant Award (with student Delaney Sall)
- 2023, Michigan Space Grant Awards (with students Naomi Dykstra, Jia Luchs, and Rine Wakeman)
