Wayne Groesbeck
Vice Chair
Muskegon River Watershed Assembly
Greg Mund, the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly’s third chairperson, recently passed away with pancreatic cancer. Greg had an expansive personality, and those of us who knew him will never forget him.
Greg was a professional. He worked for many years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, helping farmers safeguard their soil, water, and woodland.
Greg was a volunteer. Committed to the principles of his job, Greg freely shared his expertise with both the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership and the and the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly. His experience with government procedures and funding helped both groups build credibility.
Greg liked orderliness. He reviewed folders of scientific studies performed over the years in the greater Muskegon watershed and organized them into digital data repositories for both the MLWP and MRWA. He also kept close control of MRWA’s budget.
Greg was a mentor. It was difficult to spend time in the field with him without learning something about the land and what it could support (disregarding those occasions when he would concoct some unlikely theory just to see if he could make you believe it).
Greg’s favorite sport was disputation. He would take a contrarian position and pursue it to conclusion. Agreement could usually be achieved across a pitcher of Guinness.
I think in the final analysis, Greg was a farmer. His broadest, silliest grin was reserved for farmers’ markets, where he would both offer his superlative asparagus and other organic produce, and promote the way it had been grown. MRWA will always be grateful for Greg’s contribution.
Also contributing to this article:
Gale Nobes
Kathy Evans
Cindy Fitzwilliams-Heck