Posted on September 21, 2020
Volunteers team up to tidy the Lake Superior shoreline.
MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – You know the lyrics “clean up, clean up. everybody everywhere?” That is exactly what happened today at Marquette’s Clark Lambros Beach Park, as volunteers of all ages came together to pick up litter and plant beach grass along Lake Superior.
Great lakes Conservation Corps’s project manager, Tyler Penrod, was pleased with the people who helped tidy up the lake shore.
“It means a lot to me to see people come out and spend their lunch break or even a couple hours of their day to make Marquette’s beaches prettier and more resilient to our weather here,” Penrod said.
One of the event’s hosts was Superior Watershed Partnership, an award winning nonprofit organization that aims to prevent pollution and protect the environment through science-based programs.
While volunteers cleaned the beaches, Penrod explained how vital it was to plant new grass on the shoreline.
“Living on Lake Superior,” he stated, “we have very strong winds and strong storms that can cause erosion to our beaches. To prevent that loss, we come out and plant beach grass.”
Trash bags and gloves were provided to all of those who participated in the restoration effort. One volunteer, Jane A. Ryan, was proud of her local community members stepping up and getting the job done.
“I have lived here for 50 years now,” she said. “I have just been so impressed by how the local people value their community and put their time in to help keep it good.”
Ryan also says she would not turn down this opportunity for anything else.
“It feels right,” she continued. “I would not choose to do anything different if I had this option.”
With the litter picked up and the grass freshly planted, the beaches along Lake Superior are expected to look like brand new in the months to come.
Source: uppermichiganssource
