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Preserving Presque Isle

MooseWood Nature Center working to organize Black Rocks cleanups

Scuba divers are pictured during a recent underwater clean-up at Presque Isle Park’s Black Rocks area. The MooseWood Nature Center is working to organize cleanups of the land and water at Black Rocks this fall in an effort to keep the area litter-free. To learn more or get involved, call the nature center at 906-228-6250 or email Erik Johnson of the MooseWood Board of Directors at joerik@nmu.edu. (Photo courtesy of Erik Johnson)

MARQUETTE — Many area residents, students and tourists make a point to visit the popular Black Rocks area of Presque Isle Park to swim, walk or just enjoy the outdoors.

However, with many visitors, the area can be vulnerable to human impacts such as litter. In an effort to keep the Black Rocks area litter-free, the MooseWood Nature Center at Presque Isle Park is working to organize regular cleanups of the area’s lands and waters.

The underwater cleanup aspect of the project was inspired by the cleanup dive held near Mattson Lower Harbor Park in August, said Erik Johnson of the MooseWood Board of Directors.

While the Black Rocks area hasn’t been impacted by litter as much as Lower Harbor — where tires, old refrigerators and more were found during the cleanup dive — it’s still subject to smaller-scale litter that can be harmful to the environment and wildlife, he said.

“A lot of it is just making sure that bottles and cans are cleaned up,” Johnson said.

The project also aims to involve Northern Michigan University students, he said, as he’s working to start a dive club for NMU students and hopes to work with them to ensure the lake floor near Black Rocks is kept clean.

For student divers, participating in the cleanup can provide a good way to gain more diving experience while giving back to the community, Johnson said.

“It’s basically to get students that are at NMU involved in the community, involved at MooseWood and keep Black Rocks clean,” Johnson said.

Area residents are also welcome to participate, he said. However, volunteer divers from NMU or the community need to be scuba certified and bring their own equipment, he said. The required dive marker will be present during dives.

There are also opportunities for non-divers to get involved, Johnson said, as the project also entails cleaning up the land at the Black Rocks area.

Any litter or food found in the parking lot area will be picked up, Johnson said, as this is important for protecting the area’s wildlife.

“That’s another reason to clean up Black Rocks — look for all of that stuff that people are going to (leave because) think they’re helping the animals survive,” he said.

The project, which aims to keep Presque Isle clean through education and cooperation, is part of MooseWood’s proposed lease agreement revision with the city of Marquette, Johnson and Marquette City Manager Mike Angeli said.

“We are looking to include value-added tasks and responsibilities to the lease such as reporting people feeding wildlife, cleaning up specific areas such as Black Rocks, and leading the deer census,” Angeli said in an email.

Overall, the nature center wants to show appreciation to the community and city by helping to clean and protect the area, Johnson said.

“Because we always ask for donations, it’s nice to let people know that we actually donate out our time for other things that are needed,” Johnson said.

For those who would like to get involved, Johnson plans to hold the cleanups on weekends this fall, he said.

To learn more or volunteer for a cleanup, call the nature center at 906-228-6250 or email Johnson at joerik@nmu.edu.

MooseWood is also seeking volunteers for other projects, organizers said. Call the center or email moosewoodnc@gmail.com for more information on other volunteer opportunities.

The MooseWood Nature Center is an independent nonprofit located along Peter White Drive at Presque Isle Park that aims to “celebrate nature through education and action in the Upper Peninsula,” organizers said. To learn more about MooseWood Nature Center and upcoming events, visit moosewood.org.

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is cbrown@miningjournal.net.

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