Battling Litter with Adopt-a-Beach event in Port Huron

Port Huron is home to two large public beaches and several public access beaches. The largest strip of sand is at Lakeside Park and Beach used for lounging, playing, and swimming. Littering is a problem at the park, with most of it being plastic. 

To combat this problem, a Program Assistant from Friends of the St. Clair River (FSCR), Skyler Principe, is hosting an event, Adopt-a-Beach, with help from Sheri Faust, Executive Director of FSCR in partnership with Alliance for the Great Lakes and the City of Port Huron. Adopt-a-Beach will utilize volunteers to clean up the beach from any trash. 

“You don’t realize how small pieces of litter add up to so many bags of trash,” Faust says.

Adopt-a-Beach is happening at Lakeside Beach, 3670 Gratiot Avenue in Port Huron on Saturday, September 21 from 10 am to 12 pm. The cost is free and gloves, clipboards, grabber tools, and bags are provided.
Skyler Principe (left) and Sheri Faust.
For more than 30 years, Adopt-a-Beach volunteers have worked to keep Great Lakes shorelines healthy, safe, and beautiful. Every year, thousands of volunteers remove tens of thousands of pounds of litter on all five Great Lakes and in each of the eight Great Lake states.

“We got involved because there were no other events like this being offered in the Blue Water Area, so we wanted to start it,” Principe says.

Alliance for the Great Lakes is a Chicago-based environmental nonprofit and has collected data from more than 14,000 beach cleanups over the last 20 years across all the Great Lakes. Each piece of litter is categorized and 86% of the litter picked up was composed partially or entirely of plastic. 

Plastic breaks down into tiny pieces called microplastics. Microplastic exposure has been linked to cardiovascular issues, reproductive issues, and other health effects, and scientists are still trying to understand the long-term effects. 

Principe hopes his event will help alleviate exposure in Port Huron residents. 

“I have been helping with trash cleanups since 2022, and I know it feels like such an accomplishment to have a large bag of trash you picked up knowing that’s one bag full of trash that won’t enter our waterways,” he states.

Principe chose Lakeside Beach as it is the largest beach in Port Huron with over 1050 feet of shoreline and many amenities such as a playground and picnic tables. The park is also visited by many residents throughout the metro Detroit area. 
Skyler Principe (left) and Khloe Faust picking up litter at Lakeside Beach.
“We know Lakeside Beach is a popular and well-loved destination in the summer, so it is likely to be a hot spot for litter to accumulate,” he says. “We know the beach is a jewel for the city and we wanted to be part of keeping it a healthy, safe place to enjoy the Lake Huron shoreline.”

He hopes the event will create awareness about the importance of keeping local waterways free from trash and that residents will become stewards of the environment. 

“Our volunteers will be helping us leave the beach in better condition than we found it,” he adds. “Cleanups are instant gratification events, as you can see the result of your efforts immediately, and it puts volunteers on the front lines of keeping litter out of Lake Huron.”

As this is the first year for the event, there have been some challenges including recruitment of volunteers. To sign up, go to the Alliances website. There is also a Facebook event.

For questions, contact Skyler Principe for more information at (248) 759-8502 or skyler@scriver.org.