WMEAC History

50 years of environmental action

There is a beauty in our dunelands, the banks of our rivers, the streams that run through our cities. But this beauty reveals its truest form in the people that are willing to protect it, using their energy and passion for creating change in our communities and ensuring stability in our natural resources. That passion has been seen for 50 years since WMEAC first organized to protect our rivers and streams from pesticides like DDT, and led the efforts to push for the Environmental Protection Act. It is seen today as we continue our work to protect our globally unique dunelands, as we use our communities’ hands to clean our rivers, and teach our young people about how to protect our water for the next 50 years.

Protecting our place is at once selfish and selfless, as we work to ensure our region is preserved for the future. The many hands. The many voices. The many miles of rivers, lakeshore, and duneland. These assets, together to create this place that we have chosen and have chosen to protect for many years to come.

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past wmeac executive directors

1968

joan wolfe

1971

shirley meadowcroft

1972

roger conner

1977

ken sikkema

1978

frank ruswick

1987

rick newberry

1992

sandra marlatt

1993

andrew davis

1994

tom leonard

2007

rachel hood

2016

bill wood

past wmeac locations

1968 - 1971

grand rapids tuberculosis society

1971 - 1976

822 Cherry St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506

1976 - ?

1325 Lake Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506

? - 2006

1432 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids, Mi 49506

2006 - present

1007 Lake Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506