UT Lake Erie Center invites volunteers to help keep Maumee Bay State Park beach barefoot friendly

May 31, 2016 | Events, News, UToday
By Christine Billau



The somewhat ticklish, exfoliating feel of toes in the sand is one of the joys of a Great Lakes summer escape.

To preserve the beauty and health of a northwest Ohio shoreline frequently visited by families, The University of Toledo Lake Erie Center is inviting the public to help pick up litter on Maumee Bay State Park’s public beach Friday, June 3, at 4 p.m. in Oregon.

web beach shot by ChrissyThe cleanup is in partnership with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, which holds more than a dozen Adopt-a-Beach events throughout the region each year sponsored by Barefoot Wine and Bubbly.

Last year, nearly 15,000 Adopt-a-Beach volunteers — enough to fill 207 school buses — removed 37,581 pounds of trash at 348 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin.

“It’s important that people throughout our entire community take care of our Lake Erie beaches,” said Rachel Lohner, education program manager at the UT Lake Erie Center. “Keeping them tidy will help inspire a new generation of Great Lakes lovers with a lifelong respect for their value to our ecosystem and economy.”

For more information or to register online, visit greatlakesadopt.org.