A park cleanup of the Huntington Reservation and beach in celebration of Earth Day. The weather was sunny and 80 degrees with a nice breeze at the shore. The park was busy and everyone was in great spirits.
Organized by Northeast Ohio Sierra Club in partnership with Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, BayArts, and Bay Village Green Team. Hosted by Cleveland Metroparks at Huntington Reservation, and Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. Coffee and treats were donated by Mojo Coffee and More.
I thought the event went very well. It was the first cleanup Sierra Club has organized in Northeast Ohio since about 2018, and the first largely organized by volunteers since our Edgewater “Trash and Pancakes” events more than a decade ago. I must give special credit to Emily Obringer who handled the paper work, publication, and online registration. Also a special thanks to Chad Heck for his extra efforts to help us with our remote support table at the beach parking lot as well as our registration located at the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center.
We registered 103 people on our campfire event page and an additional 12 at the event. The total attendance was 85 people including our event volunteers. There were 10 attendees helping with event organizing by working at registration, supplies, collecting and tallying bags, and directing participants. We collected 60 bags or buckets of trash and one tire.
I had many positive comments and everyone I spoke with were smiling. The common complaint was that there was not much trash to pick up. I am sure this is music to Chad’s ears. Certainly, Chad deserves high praise for the great job he and his staff is doing at making this park a great experience for all. I know some people put in extra effort to find trash in hillsides and vegetation. I also heard that it was a rewarding experience when park visitors thanked them for their efforts. A group of teens even brought a tire they found on the beach all the way to the registration site with great pride and enthusiasm (pictured). Thanks to Solon High School for your participation.
If there is a better way to celebrate Earth Day I can’t imagine what it would be!
Steve McPhee
NEO Sierra Club