Volunteers cleared 107,000 lbs
A small volunteer group in Michigan has removed 107,000 pounds of debris from Blair Street, Starlite, and Mich‑e‑ke‑wis beaches over the past two seasons as part of an Earth Day‑adjacent effort. (The Alpena News reported the cumulative weight and the specific beaches cleaned). (thealpenanews.com)
A volunteer group in Alpena, Michigan, says it has hauled 107,000 pounds of debris off three Lake Huron beaches in two seasons. (thealpenanews.com) Jeff Welch wrote in The Alpena News on April 11 that the work focused on Blair Street, Starlite, and Mich-e-ke-wis beaches. He said volunteers removed “lumbering-era bark” and storm-water runoff sludge from those sites. (thealpenanews.com) The total combines 50,000 pounds removed in 2024 and more than 57,000 pounds removed in 2025, according to earlier reporting by The Alpena News. Welch told the paper the 2025 work was concentrated at Blair Street Park because the debris volume there was so high. (thealpenanews.com) Welch said the Blair Street material included sludge, bark, and other pollutants, and that volunteers logged 120 hours there in 2025. He told The Alpena News the first major cleanup on June 15 removed 15,000 pounds after what he called an “initial storm-water purge.” (thealpenanews.com) The cleanup effort is now moving into the 2026 season under the name MIShores. Welch said the group’s first major project this year will be an Earth Day cleanup on Saturday, April 25, starting at 10 a.m. at Starlite Beach. (thealpenanews.com) From Starlite, volunteers are expected to split into three teams to work Blair, Starlite, and Mich-e-ke-wis beaches over about three hours. Welch said the group is seeking at least 200 volunteers and asked participants to bring flat shovels or garden rakes. (thealpenanews.com) The beaches are public-facing parts of Alpena’s shoreline. The City of Alpena says Starlite Beach, on State Avenue along Lake Huron, includes a beach, picnic area, pavilion, restrooms, parking, and a splash park. (alpena.mi.us) The Alpena cleanup also fits into a wider Great Lakes volunteer model. The Alliance for the Great Lakes says its Adopt-a-Beach program has volunteers remove tens of thousands of pounds of litter each year and collect data that scientists and policymakers use to track pollution sources. (greatlakes.org) Welch told The Alpena News he wants more volunteers and more public attention on how trash reaches Lake Huron. After two seasons and 107,000 pounds removed, the next test is whether MIShores can turn one April cleanup into a larger standing crew. (thealpenanews.com)
