About Us - Wolverine CAG

About Wolverine CAG

The Community Advisory Group (CAG) is made up of volunteer community members affected by and concerned about the Wolverine World Wide (WWW) contamination in northern Kent County.

The purpose of the CAG is to provide a communication and education link between the community and all organizations involved in the clean-up.

Our Mission

According to its charter, the CAG’s mission is to:

1) ensure that the response activities at the Wolverine World Wide sites protect and sustainably restore the environment for human health, fish, wildlife, and recreation, through community participation; and 2) that important community concerns are articulated, understood, and considered during any related investigation and response action.

Read the Wolverine CAG Draft Charter.

Read the EPA’s Description of a CAG.

Find out when the next meeting is by visiting the calendar.

Facilitation

The CAG was formed in June 2019 and has approximately 20 members.
The CAG is organized and facilitated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is not affiliated with the WWW company.

Meetings

The EPA and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regularly attend meetings and cooperate extensively.
CAG Meetings occur monthly and are open to the public.
The CAG maintains a calendar and Facebook page with current information.

CAG Member Bios

Brenda Harris, Belmont, MI

Comming Soon

Carol Butts

CJ Biggs, Grand Rapids, MI

Comming Soon

Dean Huizenga, Rockford, MI

Comming Soon

Elaine Sterrett Isely, Grand Rapids, MI

Elaine Isely is the Director of Water Programs at the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, and it is in that role that she has served as advisor to the Concerned Citizens for Responsible Remediation in Rockford since 2012. Elaine has more than 20 years of experience in law, environmental policy, research, outreach, and public speaking. She holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland, a J.D. from Wayne State University, and an M.S. in Biology/Natural Resources Management from Grand Valley State University. She is appointed to the Michigan State Waterways Commission, the City of Grand Rapids’ Stormwater Oversight Commission, and the Michigan State Waterways Commission; and she has published several academic and technical papers on environmental and collaborative management topics. Elaine also serves as an advisor to Grand Valley State University Natural Resources Management Department and to the Michigan Water School led by Michigan State Extension and Michigan Sea Grant. She is an advocate for the collaborative management of our water resources and for equitable access to clean water for all.

Gail Mancewicz, Rockford, MI

I became a member of Concerned Citizens for Responsible Remediation (CCRR) in 2010 when I lived across the street from the former Wolverine World Wide (WWW) tannery. As I worked with the group, I became increasingly concerned about potential releases of contaminants to the air, to surface water, and to groundwater. Fueled by this concern, I joined with others to request an investigation of the Site, post-demolition, by means of Citizen Preliminary Assessment Petition. I am one of 25 citizens who signed this document. I also worked to address the contamination issues from another angle—by running for Rockford City Council and subsequently being elected to this position in November 2012. As a city council member, I worked to establish an environmental a conflict resolution group involving the city of Rockford, WWW, the DEQ and CCRR. The West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) was supportive of efforts to develop such a group, or even a CAG, if that better served the purposes of all the stakeholders. In the end, for multiple reasons, a CAG was never formed. As a member of the council, I grew more interested in law, so when I completed my city council term in 2016, I enrolled in Cooley Law School where I will complete my studies in December 2019. My hopes for the Wolverine CAG are this: that we will engage in a healthy, honest, and productive dialogue with all of the stakeholders, and that we will take action to ensure the best possible outcomes for all of those affected by the contamination issues related to the former tannery Site and the House St. dumpsite. These actions need to protect for the present and for future generations to come. The stakes here are profound.

Ian Abbott, Grand Rapids, MI

Comming Soon

Jonathan Miner, Rockford, MI

Jonathan Miner is a retired mechanical engineer who worked in the consumer appliance industry for Bissell and Black & Decker. A native of Maryland, Jon has lived in the City of Rockford since 1991 with his wife, Mindy, and raised two daughters there. He is an environmentalist who volunteers for non-profit organizations to combat climate change and other human-caused environmental problems. Jon lives in a zero-carbon home adjacent to the Rogue River and enjoys playing guitar, hiking, biking, and exercise. Jon has been on the Rockford Planning Commission since 2008 and wants to fully understand the facts about the Wolverine Worldwide contamination and help guide effective environmental remediation, public health assessment and communication.

John Morgan, Hudsonville, MI

John Morgan graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Social Work, where he worked in the juvenile court system and volunteered for Big Brothers and Sisters and other social programs. Later, John obtained a degree in Environmental Geology, where he worked on many local West Michigan projects: The development of Millennium Park, The Heartside District, and The Kroc Center, to name a few. He also worked with many national companies, including Pfizer, Kellogg, and BP, in addition to contract work with the EPA and NASA. John has resided in Hudsonville/Jenison for the last ten years with his wife Starr and their three boys. Currently, John enjoys photography, writing, community volunteering, and most things outdoors!

Lance Climie, Emeritus, Plainfield Township, MI

My family has been part of Plainfield Township since 1870. We have been fighting ground water pollution since the 1960s. Our family farm (Braman Orchards) was located adjacent to the Bell Landfill (a longtime Superfund site) and was the target of eminent domain proceedings to expand the landfill. I have been fishing the Rogue River since the 1960s and have been an environmental activist since that time. I have witnessed, first hand, the destruction of the Rogue River and the long-term rehabilitation that has occurred. Our family history resides in Plainfield Township and the resolution of this problem is a requirement for the long-term health of the community.

Michael Shibler, Rockford, MI

Dr. Michael Shibler has been the superintendent of Rockford Public Schools since 1989. He is active in several community and professional organizations, is known for his advocacy of public education, and is recognized for his efforts to work collaboratively with legislators. Dr. Shibler is often sought out by the media on a range of topics impacting schools. Dr. Shibler looks forward to working with the CAG and state and federal organizations to identify priorities and make recommendations to ensure safe water in the Rockford community. Dr. Shibler and his wife Connie live and raised their family in Belmont.

Nancy Martinez, Wyoming, MI;

Comming Soon

Rick Rediske, Muskegon, MI

Dr. Rediske is a Professor of Water Resources at the Annis Water Resources Institute and a faculty member in the MS Biology program at Grand Valley State University. He has 15 years’ experience in environmental consulting and 25 years in academic research studying contaminant fate and transport. Dr. Rediske was a Planning Commissioner for Allendale Township for 15 years and served as Chair for 8 years. In addition, he was a member of both the Muskegon Lake and White Lake Public Advisory Councils and served as Chair of the Muskegon Lake PAC for 2 years. Dr. Rediske was part of the Concerned Citizens for Responsible Remediation (CCRR) and has been involved with assessing contaminate releases from the Wolverine Worldwide Tannery and related properties since 2012. These sites pose a serious environmental and human health hazard to both the Rockford area and the Rogue River watershed and he is committed to use his background and experience to help resolve the contamination issues and restore the sites.

Rick Solle, Plainfield Township, MI

Rick Solle is currently the Director of Public Services for Plainfield Township. Part of his duties include managing the Plainfield Township water system, which serves the area south and west of the City of Rockford. Rick has lived in the Rockford area for about 15 years and is interested in being a part of the solution to the contamination issues in the area.

Sandy Wynn-Stelt, Belmont, MI

Sandy Wynn Stelt is a master’s Level Psychologist and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst that lives in Belmont Michigan. She lives near the House St. dump site and learned in 2017 that the groundwater in her area has been contaminated with PFAS She has spoken with several state and local legislators, the Michigan Attorney General and has testified in Washington at Congressional hearings on PFAS contamination. She currently participates in the local Wolverine Community Advisory Committee where she is on the leadership team, as well as on the MPART (Michigan PFAS Action Response Team) and the National PFAS Contamination Coalition. She is the co-chair of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network.

Tammy Bergstrom, Rockford, MI

Tamara (Tammy) Bergstrom is a Rockford resident and currently serves on the Rockford City Council. She and her husband, Herb, have lived in the City of Rockford for more than 35 years and their children attended Rockford Public Schools and Our Lady of Consolation grade school. Tammy formerly worked as a reporter for a variety of newspapers, covering Rockford and other northern Kent County municipalities. She currently serves as the marketing manager for a large regional law firm.

Thomas Sapkowski

I am a 25 year Belmont resident and I represent the Packer/Packer Woods neighborhood residents. My wife Kim and I have raised two college-age children in the Rockford Public School system. Our family and neighbors are involved in numerous outdoor activities and possess a deep love of nature. Our highest concern is that of fairness, and we are working to see that those responsible for the contamination of our watershed are held to account and that every effort is made to correct this very serious problem. I have both a technical and business background with degrees from Ferris State University in Automotive Service Technology (1995) and Business Administration (2015).

Tobyn McNaughton, Belmont, MI

Tobyn has lived in Plainfield township her whole life, save 1 year that she was a 4th grade teacher in Kansas. She married her husband in 2014. She is a mother to 2 boys, one born in 2016 and the other in 2020. A majority of the time she worked as a teacher but now stays home with her children and 2 dogs. Tobyn loves staying at home in the house that was purchased in 2012 to start a life. However, her sanctuary was tarnished by the fact that 20 times the EPA limit of PFAS was found in the drinking well there in 2017. Since then, she has felt the need to take up a torch of advocacy work and spreading awareness of why and how PFAS is toxic. She has spoken to Representatives and Senators at both State and Federal levels. She has done a lot of work with the media and has attended conferences and panels regarding PFAS. She joined the CAG in February of 2022 to help her community and keep the work going to address this home-town as well as global issue.

Tom Konecsni, Rockford, MI

I got involved with the CCRR by default due to the fact that I was driving my kids to school when I noticed demolition activities occurring at the Wolverine Worldwide former plant. Though I had my own concerns regarding the demolition of the WWW tannery in 2010-2011, it was not until I attended the EPA Community Meeting on April 24, 2012, that these concerns all became shockingly real. Comments being made by the city government and other civic leaders – that Rockford is a ‘special’ community and able to navigate its own contamination issues – did not match up to the grave reality of the facts. When the public discussion turned to lead, and it seemed that even lead exposures were being downplayed, I launched up from my seat and told it how it was. “Hey, I’m Tom Konecsni and I’ve just moved from California and there are no safe levels of lead.” Shortly after this meeting, I met up with some of the members of the CCRR to discuss my concerns and to volunteer my time and abilities. Over the next seven years, I was able to contribute to the work in a variety of ways. I helped with sample collecting, attended core group meetings, located tannery workers for interviews, met with a representative from Senator Gary Peters’ office, and helped track down other possible areas of contamination. I found the work to be interesting and compelling, especially having elementary school-age children attending Valley View Elementary School and also with my home’s location now being impacted by the West Wolven Street plume. My work experience in the private sector as an Environmental Health and Safety Manager/Leader offers a unique skill set and perspective to my participation in the Wolverine CAG, and I look forward to having a substantive role in the on-going challenges of caring for the health and safety vitality of my community.

Membership

Thanks again for your interest in joining the Wolverine CAG.
Applicants are considered based on locale, occupation, affiliations, expertise, affect of contamination, and diversity of the membership.
Members are volunteers who represent themselves, not any organization.
Members are added each January, unless sudden vacancy warrants immediate action.
The Membership Committee will recommend suitable applicants, but all applications will be reviewed by the full CAG before voting.
All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the vote.
To apply, fill out the Membership Form (see below) as a pdf and email it to info@wolverinecag.org
Someone will contact you to confirm receipt of your application.

Before applying for membership, please read the CAG Charter, which includes:

Mission Statement
Member Service – representation, leadership, terms
Member Expectations – attendance, conduct, contribution
Operation – meetings, committees, process, support
Ground Rules – cooperation, behaviour
Established Committees – leadership, membership, communications, technical

Woverine Tannery PFAS Frequently Asked Questions

What is a CAG?

In short, a CAG (community advisory group) is a group of experts and local residents formed with the help of the EPA to facilitate communication between the EPA and communities affected by contamination and subsequent efforts.

From the EPA: A Community Advisory Group (CAG) is made up of representatives of diverse community interests. A CAG is designed to serve as the focal point for the exchange of information among the local community and EPA, the State regulatory agency, and other pertinent Federal agencies involved in cleanup of the Superfund site. Its purpose is to provide a public forum for community members to present and discuss their needs and concerns related to the Superfund decision-making process. A CAG can assist EPA in making better decisions on how to clean up a site. It offers EPA a unique opportunity to hear-and seriously consider-community preferences for site cleanup and remediation. However, the existence of a CAG does not eliminate the need for the Agency to keep the community informed about plans and decisions throughout the Superfund process.

Why was the Wolverine CAG formed?

The Wolverine CAG serves in this role for the ongoing cleanup of contamination stemming from Wolverine World Wide’s operations in the Rockford and Plainfield areas.

What did Wolverine do to contaminate the area?

Wolverine World Wide operated a tannery in downtown Rockford for decades. Operations at that site and waste dumping in the surrounding area contaminated soil and water with high levels of volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, metals, ammonia and cyanide. Surface water and groundwater (including residential wells) near the tannery and dump sites were contaminatedwith high levels of PFAS (up to 490,000 parts per trillion), according to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

Much of this contamination was uncovered by a group of citizens concerned over the tannery demolition in 2010-2011.

What is happening to clean up this contamination?

The House St. site is being equipped with an impermeable cap. Contamination around the Tannery site has been mapped and the shallow contaminated soil (contaminated soil at 3 or fewer feet from the surface) is being excavated and disposed of. Sections of the soil have been excavated down to a 16 foot depth due to lead and/or chromium contamination. These excavations are the final step in the EPA emergency response actions, which will be followed by a long term remediative process. The municipal water supply is run through granular activated carbon (GAC), filtering PFAS levels to trace amounts.

What are PFAS?

PFAS, poly-and perflouroalkyl substances, are a large group of manufactured chemicals used for their waterproofing, non-stick and firefighting abilities. From World War II to the present day, they’ve been manufactured and used in non-stick pans (e.g. Teflon), popular waterproof technology (e.g. Scotchgard, Gore-Tex) and firefighting foams used on military bases and airports, according to Grand Valley State University. In high concentrations, some PFAS have been connected to health problems for humans.

So, what are PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and all the others?

PFOA, PFOS, PFNA about 3,000 others are some of the specific chemicals that fit under the PFAS umbrellas.

Why are PFAS sometimes called forever chemicals?

PFAS are often called “forever chemicals” because they stay in the environment and bodies for years. Many PFAS will not break down in the environment or bodies, but collect in places in the body, causing problems. Because of this process, called bioaccumulation, PFAS concentrations are prone to increase in bodies over time, according to the US EPA.

How am I exposed to PFAS?

PFAS have dispersed throughout the environment and are found in nearly every human in the United States. People can be exposed to PFAS through products treated with PFAS, food grown in contaminated soil or irrigated with contaminated water, contaminated drinking water and other sources.

What health effects are associated with PFAS exposure?

According to a study of people exposed to PFOA in the Ohio River Valley, there is a probable link between PFOA exposure and high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer and pregnancy induced hypertension. The EPA reports there are less clear links between certain PFAS and negative effects on birth weight and immune systems.

Aren’t PFAS measured in parts per trillion? Will that small of an amount affect me?

It could. Grand Valley State lists several substances that have important and measurable effects at similar levels. Read about it here.

Should I install a filter in my home?

If your water is contaminated with PFAS, there are in-home filters that can help. EGLE says a filter must meet NSF P473 standards. Read more from EGLE’s in-home filtration fact sheet under “Certified Filtration Systems.”

Is PFAS in my food?

The Food and Drug Administration conducted a PFAS sampling study in 2019, which showed the the PFAS of most concern (PFOS and PFOA) were detected only in seafood, though other PFAS were identified in more foods. Seafood can have high levels of PFAS due to a process called bioaccumulation. Read more in Michigan’s PFAS Action Respsone Team’s (MPART) summary or in the FDA report itself.

How can PFAS be removed?

Unfortunately the most viable remediation strategy is to excavate the contaminated soil and take it elsewhere for incineration, or take it elsewhere to stabilize the contaminants with minerals, resins, or other amendments. There are other technologies in development, but they face significant challenges preventing them from being used on a wide scale. Read more about these technologies in the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council fact sheet.