Spectrum Health Grants Northern Lights Environment Award

Award honors Nancy Burmeister for work with preservation and protection of the environment

BIG RAPIDS, Mich., May 9, 2017 – To honor her efforts preserving and protecting the environment, Nancy Burmeister was awarded the 2017 Northern Lights Environment Award.

The Northern Lights awards are given by the Spectrum Health Foundation Big Rapids and Reed City Hospitals each year to recognize the contributions of outstanding individuals, groups or programs making a difference in our region.

Nancy Burmeister demonstrates her passion for the environment by advocacy of environmental issues in a variety of ways. She monitors the water quality of Townline Lake and Ryan Creek and volunteers countless hours for the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly (MRWA). As the secretary of the MRWA Board and member of its Education Committee, Nancy puts her knowledge and passion for the environment to work. She and her husband visited nearly every school in the watershed area to reach its teachers to promote MRWA’s watershed academy.

To complement MRWA’s education efforts, Nancy is certified in Aquatic WILD and Growing Up WILD. With those certifications, Nancy has been able to implement best practices in teaching about the environment while she has taught at numerous water fairs, teacher trainings, and community events.

Nancy also participated in an Earth Day event and writes Congress expressing her scientifically supported concerns about environmental issues. She and her husband are advocates of organic farming and have utilized solar panels and a wind generator to minimize their ecological footprint.

The 2017 Northern Lights Environment Award was presented to Nancy on April 27, 2017 at the Butterfly Flyways Conservation Night by Spectrum Health Foundation Director Sue Snavley and Julie Chamberlain of the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly.

Photo Attached: Nancy Burmeister receives the 2017 Northern Lights Environment Award. Pictured are Cindy Fitzwilliams-Heck, Nancy Burmeister and Julie Chamberlain with Sue Snavley in the back row.

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Danielle Wells
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