History
In 2010 the Muskegon Environmental Research & Education Society (MERES) created the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame as a way to honor those people and organizations that had been long time supporters of the environment.
There were four categories in 2010: Non-profit Organizations, Colleges and Schools, Environmental Projects and Individual. In 2012 the first groups were inducted into the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame. In 2013 a Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame advisory committee was formed to assist in the nominations. The first members were:
Tom Bailey of the Little Traverse Conservancy
Bill Krepps, former President of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs
Tom Coon, Executive Director of the Extension Service of MSU
Dr. Rick Rediske, a professor at Grand Valley State University
Kathy Evans with West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Council
In 2014 Tom Coons was replaced by Mindy Koch, retired DNR
In 2015, the categories were expanded to include Business/Industry and a Legacy Circle to honor those people that had contributed to the environment, but were no longer with us.
In past years, the induction ceremony was held at the Loosemore Auditorium at the Rich DeVos Center on the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University. Speakers included:
2012 Jeff Alexander, author
2013 Dr. Alan Steinman, Director of Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute.
2014 Dave Dempsey, author and environmental policy adviser.
2015 Bill Rustem, Retired Director of Strategy for Gov. Rick Snyder
2016 Tom Bailey, Executive Director of the Little Traverse Conservancy
2017 John Cherry, former Lt. Governor of Michigan
2018 Helen Taylor, State Director Michigan Nature Conservancy
2019 Jon. W. Allan, Director of the Office of the Great Lakes (retired)
2020 Cancelled due to COVID
2021 Dr. Sherri (aka Sam) Mason
Due to Covid the 2020 and 2021 classes were inducted together.
2021 Inductees
Individuals: Steve Stewart, April Scholtz, John Scholtz
Legacy Circle: Huldah Neal
Environmental Project: Tracks Magazine
2020 Inductees
Individuals: Gregory Eagle, Gail Gruenwald, Kathryn Savoie
Legacy Circle: Jim Sygo, Bill White, Tom Anderson
Non-Profits: West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
2019 Inductees
Legacy Circle: Patricia Birkholz
Patricia Birkholz left years of legacy on major policy issues. She served in the House from 1997-2002, where she became the first woman Speaker Pro-Tempore and from 2003-2010 she served in the Senate. In her role as Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee she left her mark on such State policies as The Recreational Passport Bill of 2010, The Great Lakes Compact of 2008, the requirement that utilities produce 10% of their energy from renewable resources by 2015, and the wetlands protection law. She became a go-to person in the House on natural resources and the environment. After she was term limited out of the Senate, Governor Snyder named her Director of the Office of the Great Lakes, and then after two years, she went to work for the Michigan League of Conservative Voters
Legacy Circle: Mark Erickson
Mark was a part of the effort to clean up and de-list the Lower Menominee River Area of Concern (AOC) almost from the start. He was involved in the first major remediation project within the AOC. He remained involved in post-project monitoring for more than 20 years. As the effort to revive the delisting of the Lower Menominee River AOC grew and strengthened, Mark again assumed a leadership role as the Michigan co-chair of the AOC Citizens Advisory Committee. Mark’s greatest strength was his realization that a smile and a kind word could accomplish more than most other talents. Anyone was welcome and their input was valued as long as Mark was in charge. His passion for the community, the lake, and the Menominee River knew no bounds. As all the heavy lifting was completed and the finish line was in sight, Mark passed away in December 2017.
Non-profit: Michigan Resources Stewards
The Michigan Resources Stewards was founded in 1997 by recently retired DNR and DEQ personnel who wanted to provide a science based voice for conservation and environmental issues. For 20 years the MRS have served on a wide variety of committees, boards, legislative hearings, and public meetings. The members have written a number of white papers on topics ranging from the value of public lands to fish and wildlife scientific issues to oil and gas matters. The MRS have been an active organization and have had a major impact on major conservation and environmental issues. The organization continues to perform a valuable public service to this day.
Individual: Chris Case
From Michigan’s parks and forest to Washington D.C.’s Water Authority, Chris is an environment pioneer whose life work is a model for sustainable product uses. Chris is the retired Facilities Manager for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising. Chris’s decade long efforts focused national environmental attention on Michigan, and under his leadership several awards were won by the Picture Rocks National Lakeshore park, including the 2001 National Park Service Director’s Award for Excellence in Resources. During his tenure at Pictured Rocks, Case implemented a multi- faceted Environmental Leadership Program. It had six components, photovoltaics, green purchasing, recycling, reduced toxins, bio-fluids substation and environmental practices. He is a trailblazer in the use of biobased products, setting an important precedent on the benefits of biobased products, now called for by Michigan’s H.R. 4850. In 2016 Governor Snyder signed a bill that requires the state to give preference to biobased products whose content was sourced in Michigan. Chris led the transition to biodiesel fuel and biobased products reducing the use of petroleum based products substituting fuels and lubricants. He helped demonstrate to others the “do-ability” of program implementation by sharing examples and describing various ways to institute a program.
Individual: Ken Freestone
Ken has dedicated his life to protecting and serving the environment. He has served and lead the way in West Michigan for clean water, and better recycling while at the Institute of Water Research/Michigan State University. Ken is a master composter and developed natural landscape. He helped the Macatawa Greenway project get off the ground and started a non-profit to help educate West Michigan on sustainable resources called greenmichigan.org. Ken is the most innovative and passionate person when it comes to the environment to which he has dedicated his life.
Individual: Royce Ragland
Royce Ragland is a founding member of an ambitious and active community effort formed in 2009, Green ER. Her visionary and positive approach to connecting others to the environment and engaging citizens to become stewards of the land and water has helped GreenER grow into a regional asset. Royce has inspired people of all ages from around the region to act as stewards of the land locally and globally. Royce possesses abundant energy and passion for the ecological health of her community and the larger Great Lakes system. Her dedication to showing others how to live as stewards of our natural resources while staying connected as a community has been very successful. In addition to speaking engagements, she has had movie showings, book readings, and a local community almanac in the local Newspaper. She and her community worked with local schools to lead hikes, conduct restoration projects and develop organic food plots at local schools.
Some of the support for the 2019 Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame was provided by the following:
DTE Foundation, Nichols Paper, Ron & Joan Brown, Muskegon Conservation Club, Great Lakes Dock & Materials, Meijer Incorporated
2018 Hall of fame Inductees with awards l-r: Jim Johnson (GRLA), TRAVIS Williams (PROJECT Clarity) Glenn Chown ( Grand Traverse Reg. Land Conservancy) Helen Taylor, Mrs. Vern Ehlers. Bill Murphy, Bob Garner
2018 Inductees
Individuals: Bill Murphy, Bob Garner, Helen Taylor
Legacy Circle: Vern Ehlers
Non-Profit Organization: Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
Projects: Project Clarity
Schools/Colleges: Great Lakes LeadershipAcademy
L-R Mindy Koch for “Pete” Petoskey, Mike Moore for Marcus Schaaf family, Tanya Cabala,Elisabeth Brown , for Freeman Elementary School, Guy Williams for Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice,
2017 Inductees
Individuals: Jack Bails, Tanya Cabala, Merrill "Pete " Petoskey
Legacy Circle: Marcus Schaaf
Non-profit Organization: Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice
Sunrise Youth Award: Students of Freeman Elemetary in Flint
The induction ceremony was held May 19, 2017 in Grand Rapids, MI.
2016 Inductees
On April 7, we inducted 10 people and organizations into the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame. We gathered at the Loosemore Auditorium on the downtown campus of Grand Valley State University. They were:
Paul Zugger, a retired environmental professional, having served 31 years with the Michigan DNR . Since retiring, he has volunteered with Engineers without Borders.
John Woollam has been a philanthropic person whose mentoring and partnership has protected thousands of acres of land for future generations.
Robert Tallman has a passion for educating students in the environment and always has time for anyone exploring our world.
Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute
This won in the Education/School category. The Institute has sent students into careers with the environment, encouraged students in middle and high school to look at the environment through the study of water and done research on water throughout Michigan.
The Legacy Circle saw Four Inductees
Edith Munger In 1908, she took the first aggressive action to protect birds. She was instrumental in a contest that named the robin the state bird.
Margaret Drake Elliott was one of the first woman outdoor writers. She had a regular column in the Muskegon Chronicle and was inducted into the Michigan Woman’s Hall of Fame.
Ralph MacMullan became Conservation Director for the State in 1964. He was behind the fight to stop the spraying of DDT and other hard pesticides, in opposition to the Apartment of Agriculture.
Harold Stokes was an environmental activist on several campaigns. Active into his 80's, he served in various leadership roles.
In the Non-Profit Organization was the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. WMEAC has been an environmental advocacy since 1968.
In the Environmental Projects category was the White Lake Restoration. White Lake had been polluted by tannery discharge and chemical plants. It took many years of sediment removal and other actions, but the Public Advisory Council finally got White Lake delisted as an Area of Concern.
(L to R) Stephanie Kozich, Patricia McNinch, Pat Whalen
(Accepted for P.J. Hoffmaster and Genevieve Gillette), Kathy Evans, John WolfE, son of Dr. Willard Wolfe
2015 Inductees
On May 20th, we inducted 7 people and organizations into the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame. We gathered at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids. They were:
(Click on the name for more information)
Sand Point Brownfield Remediation
P.J. Hoffmaster
2014 Hall of Fame Class
2014 Inductees
The Muskegon Environmental Research & Education Society is pleased to announce that the third annual class was inducted into the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids.
John Vucetich, Don Inman, Anne Vaara, Susan Kelsey, Patricia McNinch, Cindy Wilson, Kim Morden, Dave Washington, Norm Spring, Dave Dempsey, Joan Wolfe.
2013 Inductees
Pictured (From Left to Right): Bill Milliken Jr. accepting for former governor William Milliken, Howard Tanner, Fred Wilder, Brad Jensen accepting for Huron Pines, & Dr. Tom Coon accepting for Michigan State University Extension.
2012 Inductees
Pictured (front row left-right): Theresa Bernhardt; Mary Goodwillie Nelson, daughter of Peter Wege; Terry McCarthy, Wege Foundation; Gloria Miller; and Carol Rose who accepted the award for Robert Slingerland.
(Back row left to right): Greg Moss, Ruddiman Creek Task Force; Superintendent Gene Pierce, Tuscola Intermediate School District; Tom Bailey; and Paul Steen, Huron River Watershed Council.