RAPID RIVER, Mich. (WZMQ) – In recognition of National Volunteer Week, April 21 – 27, the Hiawatha National Forest is encouraging Delta County residents to do their part for local forestlands.
Part of the U.S. Forest Service, the Hiawatha National Forest Headquarters is in charge of tending to its namesake.
“We are set out to care for the land and serve people,” said Hiawatha Volunteer Services and Partnerships Coordinator McKenzie Fox-Potter. “We do that by providing recreation sites, harvesting trees in a sustainable manner, maintaining our roads.”
This National Volunteer Week, the Hiawatha National Forest is empowering community members to get involved in the caretaking of public lands. Specifically, a sand pit about ten minutes east of Rapid River is in need of attention.
“It’s been historically used as a dump site and also a shooting range, so there’s a lot of trash out there that we’re going to try to clean up,” Fox-Potter explained.
Volunteers will be working at the site on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fox-Potter says trash cleanup is just one of many examples of volunteers’ dedication to keeping the Hiawatha National Forest beautiful and healthy.
“They provide thousands of hours each year to our forest in a lot of different ways—trail maintenance, creating wildlife habitat, wilderness monitoring,” she said. “They’re going out there to count how many people are out there. We have our adopt-a-road program. They contribute a lot to us and we’re really grateful for them, which is why we’re celebrating this week.”
Fox-Potter says volunteering is an essential part of preserving the forest, which is one of the Upper Peninsula’s greatest natural resources.
“We’re trying to maintain the forest for current and future generations,” she said.
Forest staff advise volunteers to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Trash pickers and personal protective equipment will be provided by forest staff.
Volunteers are encouraged to pre-register for Saturday’s cleanup by emailing mckenzie.fox-potter@usda.gov or calling (906) 428-5800.
If weather conditions are unfavorable, the cleanup will be rescheduled to Saturday, May 4. Follow the Hiawatha National Forest Facebook page for updates and for coordinates for the sand pit, which is located one mile north of US-2 on Forest Road 2235 in Rapid River.
