Courtesy photo Eric Peterson uses a rake to help clean up a local beach in Alpena.

ALPENA – MIShores,a local beach cleanup group, has experienced tremendous success this spring cleaning Starlite and Blair Beaches. On April 25, 2026 thirty volunteers raked both beaches and collected an estimated 15,000 pounds of debris. On May 11 and 12, five volunteers removed an additional 18,000 pounds of bark and storm water run-off from the Blair Street Park area and Starlite Beach. Weather permitting, the group will be cleaning Mich-e-ke-wis Beach on Monday 10 a.m.

The public is welcome to join us. Bring a flat shovel and or a garden rake. No spades, no leaf rakes. Mich-e-ke-wis has been encrusted with huge amounts of stormwater runoff this spring. Perhaps as much as 200,000 pounds in its wet condition. Some of this has sludge washed back out into the lake with the strong east winds of late. As of May 14, approximately 100,000 pounds of sludge was still on the Mich-e-ke-wis beach shoreline.

Wave action and undertow cleanses the beach with easterly winds, then re-deposits the debris on the beaches with westerly winds. The goal to capture the debris when it is on the beach following periods of westerly winds. Every shovel full removed is one shovel full that will not return when the wind changes directions.

Community support for this project is growing exponentially. In recent weeks members of the community have offered their equipment for our use. This equipment includes a truck, 3 additional dump trailers, 2 tractors, 1 skid steers, and 1 surf rake. If an individual or group would like to volunteer please send email contact info to info@mishores.org.

FAQ. What do you do with this debris? The material that we remove from the beaches is transported to the City compost pile at the Alpena Department of Public Works.