KEWEENAW COUNTY – The The Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition (KORC) is conducting its seventh annual Keweenaw Clean-Up on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Individuals, groups and organizations are invited to the event.

Bryce Holden, KORC marketing and Outreach Manager said as in the previous years, the cleanup will focus on trails, parks, roadsides and beaches.

Volunteers are requested to check in at the KORC tent in Copper Harbor at 9 a.m. for location suggestions, if one is needed.

“Volunteers can start at their preferred location anywhere in the county,” Holden said, “or check in at the KORC tent in Copper Harbor and we’ll have suggested locations to clean.”

However, said Holden, KORC organizers are still working on the list, so they unfortunately do not have specific locations available yet, but for anyone seeking suggestions, he suggests focusing on trails, parks, roadsides and beaches.

The cleanup again includes glass and metals, along with anything else found on the ground.

“Pretty much any kind of trash,” Holden said. “We will have regular trash bags for “lighter” trash available, and old deer feed bags thatKORC member Calumet-Keweenaw Sportsman’s Club are donating to use for heavier things like glass and metal.”

Holden said many KORC groups often provide trailers to haul larger pieces of metal out of the woods from old “legacy” dumps.

“Last year they pulled out an entire car,” he said.

The annual cleanups have been successful. At the fifth annual cleanup in 2024, the event collected and disposed of more than 5,480 pounds of trash and debris. In October, KORC partnered with the Cliff View Bar, in Phoenix, to host a Fall Metal Drive, which produced some 6,800 pounds of metal pulled out of the woods around the county, which were disposed of or recycled.

Holden said this year’s event will take place rain or shine, adding: “Hopefully, no blizzard.”

After the cleanup, there will be a cook-out in the Community Park, in Copper Harbor, hosted by the Mariner North. Several organizations and businesses have donated door prizes to give away to volunteers as well, and names will be drawn at the cookout for those.