Volunteers clean-up Sheboygan's Deland Beach, Kohler Memorial Drive
Items most commonly found during clean-ups include cigarette butts, food wrappers, soda cans, beer bottles and plastic bags
SHEBOYGAN — Local residents were busy Saturday morning working to tidy up Sheboygan’s lakefront and Kohler Memorial Drive.
Over 50 volunteers worked to clean-up Deland Beach on Broughton Drive. The beach clean-up is organized annually by the Friends of Peace Park Sheboygan and the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership (LNRP), but this year it is in collaboration with 3 Sheeps Brewery and Miesfeld’s. The group of volunteers endured winds off Lake Michigan, with a reported wind chill of 29 degrees.
While volunteers did the dirty work, the city’s Department of Public Works assisted with hauling away the trash. Historically, as much as 15 pounds of trash has been collected from the beach during the annual spring clean-up. During the summer months, DPW uses a tractor to regularly clean the Deland, South Side Municipal, King Park and South Shore beaches.
After the clean-up, volunteers were invited to 3 Sheeps Brewing on North Avenue for a complimentary beer and bratwurst.
The event is a part of a larger Great Lakes Beach Clean-Up initiative led through the Alliance for the Great Lakes according to Patricia Scuglik, Director of Partnerships at LNRP. The non-profit organization was founded in 2003 and is a regional advocate that works on land conservation projects and protecting natural resources. Former Sheboygan Mayor Mike Vandersteen serves as President of LNRP.
Next Saturday, volunteers will plant trees at schools on the city's north side. It is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the LNRP and the Sheboygan Rotary Club. Working with the Sheboygan Area School District in a first-of-its kind collaboration in the State of Wisconsin, 40 large trees will be planted at North High School and Pigeon River Elementary School.
About two miles west of Deland Beach, 20 volunteers from the Sheboygan Jaycees were picking up litter along Kohler Memorial Drive on the city's northwest side. The City of Sheboygan launched the Adopt-A-Street program in 1996 and the Jaycees were one of 14 groups that adopted a street that year. The program is modeled after the state’s Adopt-A-Highway program. The city also has an Adopt-A-Park program.
Items most commonly found during clean-ups include cigarette butts, fast-food wrappers, soda cans, beer bottles and plastic shopping bags.
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