OTW is cleaning up Sault Ste Marie

lschultz • June 16, 2020

On the Water has a packed 2020 field season! We did not have any events in April, May, and Junedue to COVID-19, but we are back for the rest of summer and fall for a variety of events all around the state of Michigan! During this current time please remember to remain safe, practice good hygiene and social distancing.

Following our 2020 field season kick off on July 11 at Bay City State Park. We will be cleaning up Ashmun Creek in Sault Ste Marie! OTW is partnering up with The Center for Freshwater Research and Education! On July 18 2020 starting at 9 am we will meet in tentatively in the Walmart parking lot and proceed to the worksite. A logistics email will be sent out a few days prior to registering for the event with more day-of details.

REGISTER HERE!

Ashmun Creek is located in Sault Ste Marie Michigan in the Eastern Upper Peninsula it is the oldest city in Michigan, and among the oldestcities in the United States. The town has a lot of natural history and resources dating back decades, and lots of litter to go with it.

The average United States resident creates over 4 pounds of trash per day and up to 56 tons of trash per year. That means Americans make up roughly 5% of the world’s population but generate nearly 40% of the world’s total waste. When it comes to our watershed trash is not only unsightly it harms the local plants, animals, humans, and economy.

That’s why MUCC’s On the Water program which is funded through Consumers Energy has teamed up with The Freshwater Stewardship Corps through the Center for Freshwater Research and Education at Lake Superior State University to help clean up the litter that has been discarded in Ashmun Creek. This creek is a small but might creek located near downtown Sault Ste Marie, Soo Locks, and the St. Marys River.

Lunch will be provided by MUCC at noon, and volunteers will receive a reusable water bottle and stickers to take home at the end of the event! Personal protective gear (such as gloves), buckets, trash bags, sunscreen, bug spray, trash grabbers and waders will be provided on a first-come-first-serve basis. There will be a water station, so please remember to bring your own reusable water bottle!

Volunteers are encouraged to abide by the current guidelines established by the CDC and the State of Michigan when it comes to addressing COVID-19. Please remember to remain safe, practice good hygiene and social distancing.

OTW is an amazing way to get outdoors and make a difference in local watersheds in the state of Michigan. If you would like to attend any of these events, please register online prior to the event and you will receive a free reusable water bottle and lunch! All are welcome to join us for a great day of volunteering before the snow begins to fall.

REGISTER HERE!

MUCC’s On the Water’s funding from Consumers Energy’s Planet grant comes to an end this September. If you like what OTW is creating and want this is program continue please let us know! OTW would love to continue to connect and form partnerships and improve watersheds around the state of Michigan, but we can’t do this without your support.

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