Another beach cleanup in the books!
There couldn’t have been a more gorgeous sunny Saturday to spend at Wisconsin Point for a FOLSR beach cleanup! 29 volunteers helped clean up the beaches and shorelines while collecting litter data for the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of Great Lakes health and surrounding communities and promotes engagement with these waterways.
Over the span of two hours, 297 lbs of trash were collected on the day of the cleanup by FOLSR volunteers. Though bigger items were collected, like palettes, an old sign, a concrete block, and bicycle, much of the trash were smaller pieces like plastics or cigarette butts.
Photo: FOLSR volunteer brings collected trash back to Lot #1 on Wisconsin Point to be counted. (credit: Will Mowchan)
The size or weight of a piece of trash does not always equate to its impact on local ecosystems. For example, just one cigarette butt can pollute 1,000 liters of freshwater. Additionally, small pieces of plastic can be ingested by wildlife, such as fish or birds, and harm them. Ultimately, small pieces of plastic were the most common piece of trash found on Wisconsin Point during the beach cleanup. With the incredibly valuable help from volunteers, many of these small pieces of trash (with BIG impacts) are now removed from Wisconsin Point.
Are you looking for ways to help the waterways in our communities? FOLSR hosts two beach cleanups per year, one in fall and one in spring, through the Adopt-A-Park program in the city of Superior. Our fall beach cleanup typically takes place in late September or early October, while the spring cleanup happens in May.
We would love to have you as a part of our volunteer team! You can get involved with opportunities like beach cleanups by visiting the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve website and filling out the online interest form. (folsr.org/volunteer)
Article by Callie Grones
Cover photo: Beach cleanup volunteers with the 297 lbs collected from Wisconsin Point (credit: Will Mowchan)