Volunteers needed for local beach clean-up

Sleeper State Park will be the focus of a local Adopt-a-Beach event on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will clean up about a half a mile of beach, according to local coordinator Jana Freeman.

Supplies, such as gloves and bags, will be on hand for volunteers, who will gather at the Sleeper State Park Day Use Area Pavilion. To join the effort, call Jana or Danielle at (989) 856-4411. The park is a member of the Adopt-a- Beach Alliance.

Hoping to build on last year’s record-breaking participation in the annual, international September Adopt-a-Beach cleanup, Community Organizers seek new as well as returning volunteers for this year’s event.

The event’s aim is to again clear tens of thousands of pounds of trash from Great Lakes shorelines. Last year, over 6,000 volunteers in three removed nearly 25,000 pounds of trash.

“The September Adopta Beach event is the perfect outlet for people who want to do something to help our Great Lakes,” said Adopt-a- Beach National Acting Manager Jamie Cross. “The benefits go beyond removing litter the day of the event. It’s a fun way to get together with others who love the lakes, and it’s a learning experience for all who participate.”

Last year, over 6,000 volunteers in three Great Lakes states took part in the one-day event and removed nearly 25,000 pounds of trash from 185 locations in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The event is open to families, individuals, businesses, schools and community groups.

Volunteers enter their findings into a regional database to help identify prevalent sources of litter. The information is used to encourage behavioral changes to reduce litter, which is unsightly, and is dangerous. For example, small children might play with cigarette butts, fish might consume small pieces of plastic, and birds might become entangled in fishing line and balloon strings.

The Michigan event is supported by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Coastal Management Program, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Johnson Controls Care & Share Program, the Frederick S. Upton Foundation and the Consumers Energy Foundation.

The cleanup is part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day, the world’s largest shoreline cleanup, with events in over 100 countries.