The UT Lake Erie Center is teaming up with Barefoot Wines and the Alliance for the Great Lakes tohost a public Adopt-a-Beach cleanup on Friday, June 28 at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, Ohio.

“Cleanup efforts like this are a great way to increase public awareness about the value of the Lake Erie ecosystem, and the importance of caring for it,” said Meredith Gray, UT communications and technology specialist.

The cleanup will take place 4-6 p.m. at the Lake Erie beach at Maumee Bay State Park, followed by a free celebration party inside the Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center until 8:30 p.m., featuring surf-inspired fare and Barefoot Wine (for volunteers 21 and older).

The Adopt-a-Beach program helps clean up Great Lakes beaches and shorelines with a special celebration recognizing volunteers’ efforts.

In 2012, more than 12,000 Adopt-a-Beach volunteers removed 42,351 pounds of trash at 327 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Gray encourages members of the University community to volunteer to assist the UT Lake Erie Center with its mission to engage the community in environmental education, sustainable living, and informed outreach awareness programs through the fun Adopt-a-Beach program.

For more information, visit www.greatlakes.org/adoptabeach or contact Gray directly at meredith.gray@utoledo.edu or 419.530.8361.

Tags: Lake Erie Center