He and several other divers took to the Lake Huron waters, in search of debris, while others picked up litter along the shoreline. About 20 people participated in the event, organized by Great Lakes Great Responsibility, in partnership with Great Lakes Divers and Mott Underwater.

“It was both an onshore and underwater cleanup,” said Meag Schwartz, who started the nonprofit Great Lakes Great Responsibility. “We had a light blanket of snow on Saturday morning, so it was harder for folks to look for the smaller pieces of trash, but the bigger pieces did stand out.”

She said water visibility was low, but in total, the event yielded about 100 pieces of trash, which will go toward the running tally in the #GreatLakes1MillionChallenge, which Schwartz started in November 2020. To date, 186,189 pieces of trash have been picked up in the Great Lakes Basin, which includes more than just the shoreline.

“Great Lakes 1 Million Challenge is our effort, Great Lakes Great Responsibility’s effort, to pick up one million pieces of trash in the Great Lakes Basin, which includes all of Michigan,” Schwartz explained. “We have an awesome network of volunteers in all eight Great Lakes states and Ontario, so it’s more than just Michigan … And anybody can participate. We’re all part of the greater Great Lakes watershed. Even inland cleanup can contribute to preventing marine debris.”

Courtesy Photo Santa joined other divers for the Santa Splash to Pick Up Trash on Saturday.

To participate, all you have to do is pick up trash in your neighborhood, keep track of how much you get, and log it into the total on the Great Lakes Great Responsibility website, greatlakeslove.org.

The Santa Splash was a festive conclusion to the cleanup season.

“We had cookies, cocoa, and some prizes for best-dressed,” Schwartz added. “But really, it’s all to help raise awareness for debris prevention in the Great Lakes, and put the lake to rest before wintertime comes.”

The next cleanup will be held when the snow melts in the spring, she said.

“There’s likely to be an accumulation of litter over the wintertime,” Schwartz said. “We’ll have a larger cleanup whenever the snow melts.”