Long-time community activist Bob Russell has died. He was a leading voice for environmental protection in the Grand Traverse region for more than three decades.
Russell and his wife Sally Van Vleck founded the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council to raise concerns during a time of booming growth in the 1980’s. He served for years on boards dealing with recycling and water protection in Grand Traverse County and he was instrumental in developing a state-of-the-art upgrade to Traverse City’s wastewater treatment plant.
Russell and Van Vleck also set up the non-profit Neahtawanta Research and Education Center, which sponsors numerous events related to peace and justice, including the annual Bioneers Conference.
The couple ran the historic Neahtawanta Inn on Old Mission Peninsula as a bed and breakfast.
In the last two years, Russell co-produced a series of shows investigating the concept of community resilience that air on Up North TV, the community access channel on Charter cable.
During that time he underwent treatment for cancer of the esophagus. Bob Russell died Friday morning.
