Community Corner

Waterfront Committee Celebrates Environmental Efforts, Plans for 2012

The St. Clair Shores Waterfront Environmental Committee held their annual meeting Thursday to discuss issues affecting the lake, volunteer efforts and award scholarships.

A cross-section of concerned residents, business owners and elected officials filled City Council chambers in on Thursday to celebrate the accomplishments of the St. Clair Shores Waterfront Environmental Committee and plan for the coming year.

Hundreds of volunteers—from school children to retirees—participated in a variety of projects in 2011 including , recycling fishing line and stenciling storm drains.

One of the largest events organized by the committee was the , which attracted an estimated 450 volunteers who removed 29.83 tons of trash and debris from beaches, parks and shoreline areas.

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"We were lucky to have all this support," said Kevin Hertel, member of the committee. "We all put on our gloves, worked hard and cleaned up Lake St. Clair."

In addition to discussing the efforts of volunteers and members of the committee during the past year, MDEQ aquatic biologist Kevin Goodwin provided an update on the "" which formed along the seawalls north of .

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After samples were analyzed, the MDEQ determined that it was algae. Similar "balls" of algae have been found around the Great Lakes.

"There are big things going on that we don't fully understand," Goodwin said.

He added that scientists from Michigan State University are testing E. coli samples from the beach area of Memorial Park to determine if the bacteria is human-based, or animal-based. Goodwin said a report on the findings should be completed by the end of the month.

Other accomplishments and events planned by the Waterfront Environmental Committee:

  • Recycling monofilaments fishing line in bins at the foot of 9 Mile, Blossom Heath Pier and Veterans Memorial Park. 
  • Students from will be stenciling storm drains, and administrators  proposed a competition between the three districts to see who could stencil the most drains in the city.
  • Jefferson Middle School also is planning on creating a giving garden that will provide food for the community.
  • The 17th annual Nautical Coast Clean-up will be held May 20.
  • Tom Cleaver, president of the We Are Here Foundation, presented student scholarships to:
  • Katarina Goitz from University Liggett
  • Dominic Tavalieri from De La Salle
  • Alex Lettner from Lake Shore High School
  • Students from the Harper Woods Middle School Future Think class delivered a presentation about a monitoring buoy they created that tested water quality along the lake and the Milk River. Findings from the buoy are expected to be released later this month.


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