Get to know the Detroit River-Western Lake Erie CWMA Chair, Coordinator, and Strike Team field crew working together to stop the spread and establishment of terrestrial and aquatic invasive species in Monroe and Wayne counties.
Jessie Fletcher
Wildlife Biologist, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, USFWS
Jessie serves as the wildlife biologist at Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and chair for the Detroit River-Western Lake Erie Cooperative Weed Management Area. She is a native Michigander with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan and a Master’s of Science in Fish & Wildlife Biology and Management from State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Previously, Jessie was a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Directorate Fellow at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northern Minnesota and a biological technician at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge in southern Indiana.
Alexa Blankenship
Media Support Technician
Alexa previously worked for DR-WLE CWMA from June 2018 to May 2023, before accepting a biological technician position with partner Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. She continues to work in invasive species there, and runs the DR-WLE CWMA website and Facebook page in a small capacity while the CWMA looks for a coordinator.
Alexa loves working in the forest and wetlands, and is most happy to see arrowhead, teal, and marsh wrens in ecosystems she helped restore.
Detroit River-Western Lake Erie Cooperative Weed Management Area
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
5437 West Jefferson Ave
Trenton MI, 48183
Detroit River-Western Lake Erie Cooperative Weed Management Area (DR-WLE CWMA) 