2019 Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

Five people and one organization have been inducted into the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame. 

The Individual inductees are: Ken Freestone, a champion for the environment and clean water; Royce Ragland, a founding member of Green ER; and Chris Case, the former facilities manager of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which won multiple excellence in resource awards under his leadership.

The organization inductee is The Michigan Resources Stewards, a nonprofit focused on conservation and environmental issues, which was founded in 1997 by retired Department of Natural Resources and Department of Environmental Equality members.

Two inductees into the Legacy Circle are Patty Birkholz and Mark Erickson. Birkholz has spent 14 years in the Legislature, leaving a legacy of major policy changes, particularly in the area of the environment. Erickson was a part of the effort to clean up the Lower Menominee River Area of Concern.

The Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame began in 2010 when the Muskegon Environmental Research & Education Society wanted to celebrate the efforts of environmentalists across the state. The 2019 ceremony will take place on May 15 at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids.

For more information about the inductees and the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame, visit muskegonlakenaturepreserve.org/hall-of-fame. 

Photo of the 2018 inductees courtesy of the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve.