Two years ago, our small group of volunteers started cleaning city beaches. Specifically we removed lumbering-era bark, and storm-water runoff sludge, from Blair Street, Starlite, and Mich-e-ke-wis beaches.

During these two seasons, volunteers removed 107,000 pounds of debris from these beaches. The Alpena News did a great job bringing the news of these cleanup efforts to your attention. As we prepare for the 2026 season, our group has adopted the name MIShores. MIShores has strong leadership with exciting plans for future area projects.

MIShores first major effort for this season will be to participate in Earth Day, Saturday, April 25. We will meet at Starlite Beach at 10 a.m. and then break up into three groups to clean up Blair, Starlite, and Mich-e-ke-wis beaches. The cleanup should last approximately 3 hours. Please bring a flat shovel and/or a garden rake with you.

Please put your name and phone number on your garden tools. You may also wish to bring a water bottle.

Church groups, service organizations, school groups, and individuals are all encouraged to participate. We need your help. We are looking for at least 200 volunteers for this project. If you would like to help, but are unable to lift and rake, we have a job for you. If you yearn to make a difference in your community please join our group and help us celebrate Earth Day.

Please contact us by email at info@mishores.org if you or your group will be attending. If you are unable to attend, please let us know that you would like to be included on our mailing list for future projects. For more information contact us at info@mishores.org.

“Earth Day, Every Day!”

Jeff Welch

Alpena