Ralph Bednarz retired from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in 2011 after a 35-year career in environmental protection and water resources management in Michigan. Three months after retiring, Ralph came back to the DEQ Water Resources Division as a U.S. EPA Senior Environmental Employment Program specialist to coordinate the implementation of the 2012 National Lakes Assessment (NLA) in Michigan. He also served as a national trainer for the 2012 NLA.
Ralph managed the DEQ’s inland lakes water quality monitoring programs, including the Lake Water Quality Assessment (LWQA) monitoring program and the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP). He was responsible for the implementation of the 2007 and 2012 NLA in Michigan. He coordinated the development and implementation of the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) volunteer water monitoring network.
Ralph currently stays involved with protective lakes management programs in Michigan through the Michigan Inland Lakes Partnership, Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership and McNALMS. Ralph is also working to protect Michigan’s inland lakes in the Traverse City area, one lake one shoreline at a time, by assisting and educating local units of government and lake associations on protective inland lakes management.
Ralph has a BS in Biology/Chemistry from the University of Illinois and an MS in Limnology from Michigan State University.
