ALPENA — A group of dedicated volunteers, led by Jeff Welch and Eric Peterson, have completed this summer’s beach cleanup at Starlite Beach all the way to the Blair Street Pier.

In total, the group has contributed 108 volunteer hours, collecting and removing 43,000 pounds of debris, Welch said.

“We have eliminated most of the ‘black tide,’ the black bark left over from the lumbering era,” Welch said.

They will resume efforts on April 1, 2025.

“Next year, we will continue on the beaches, but will add the cleaning of the sugar sand to our list,” Welch added. “The sugar sand is approximately 20% covered with dime-sized black bark … This sand will need to be sifted to get the debris out of it.”