The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
LET’S GET PICKY
Volunteers clean up Lakeview beach to honor family place for Earth Day
Folks of all ages came to Lakeview Beach early this year on April 21 to give a helping hand at the Lorain County Metro Parks’ Earth Day Park & Beach Clean Up.
Many people in the community got their hands dirty — with temperatures in the highforties — to pick up trash that made its way to the beach at 1800 W Erie Ave. in Lorain.
Gloves and garbage bags were provided by staff of Lakeview Park for any volunteers in the clean-up for Earth Day, which is today.
According to George Coon, a seasonal maintenance worker at Lakeview Park, the clean-up is an annual event that has been going on in the seven years he’s been with the park.
“It makes me feel good knowing that they do this every year...”
— Melissa Counts from Elyria
Coon said there is always debris making its way to the beach and normally the park staff keeps up with the cleanliness of it all year around. However, he said the metro parks wanted to provide an activity for youngsters and their family to get out of the house and to kick-off spring.
During the Earth Day Park & Beach Clean Up, he said the park encourages kids to pick up bottles and cans, nothing too big.
Many Metro Parks sites are in need of more volunteers during the fall and winter season due to some staff who leave town for school, he added.
However, the Earth Day event is one that brings extra help before the park’s busy season, said Elizabeth Fernandez, program coordinator of all Metro Parks sites.
“We couldn’t do (all the cleaning) without the help of all volunteers at any of the parks in Lorain County,” Fernandez said. “The busy season is coming very quickly here for Lakeview Park, so, it’s a good way to get people involved from the community at the beach their going to be able to use.”
Both staff members said the park is busy year round with events, but it sees larger and continuous crowds through events that are held during the summer.
Each agreed that the park is very special to the city of Lorain and visitors in surrounding communities.
Melissa Counts from Elyria said she was looking to help out at events for Earth Day.
Counts said she brought her children Caleb, 6, and Liam, 4, to the event she thought would be a good annual volunteer opportunity.
The clean-up makes Counts feel like the beach she attends with her children every summer is one that is safer for them.
“It makes me feel good knowing that they do this every year, because I definitely feel that it’s more of a cleaner beach to go to,” she said.
Lorain citizens Mariah Pacheco, 18, and Emiliano Moreno, 16, were encouraged to help clean up the beach for Earth Day by Emiliano’s teachers, he said.
They both said they wanted something to participate in for Earth Day and help in any way they can.
“In the summer a lot of kids come and (the trash on the beach) could be dangerous for those kids,” Emiliano said.
Pacheco and Emiliano said they found and collected plastic cups, other plastic materials and much fish that have washed up on the beach.
“This feels great and shows that people care,” Emiliano expressed on the Earth Day event at Lakeview Park. “It’s good for the environment and the kids.”
Other Lorain County Metro Park events for Earth Day were held on April 21 at other park locations.
There will be an Earth Day Hike from 2-3:30 p.m. on April 22 at the Miller Nature Preserve, 2739 Center Road in Avon.