Help needed for Kearsley Creek Cleanup

Brandon Twp.- Tires, a leather jacket,
plastics and other assorted trash were
found in the Kearsley Creek during a
minor cleanup near the middle school two
years ago.
Dave Green is interested to see what
will be found next month when a more
intensive cleanup is planned, with assistance
sought from the community.
‘We’re looking for kids and parents,
all are welcome,? said Green, a middle
school teacher and Brandon Youth Conservation
Council sponsor. ‘The last time
a creek cleanup of this magnitude was
done was about eight years ago, with
mostly adults.?
The Brandon Youth Conservation
Council, a 4-H Club comprised mostly of
teenagers interested in local environmental
advocacy, has organized the Kearsley
Creek Cleanup, planned for 9:30 a.m.-
12:30 p.m., May 8 with the help of the Flint
River Watershed Coalition. The cleanup
will involve three different sites along the
waterway, mostly on school property?
near the Brandon Fletcher Intermediate
School, 300 South St., the Brandon Middle
School, 609 S. Ortonville Road, and Brandon
High School, 1025 S. Ortonville Road.
‘We think it’s a great thing for the community,?
said Heidi Fluck, BYCC president.
‘A whole bunch of citizens can get
together and do something that hasn’t
been done in a long time that’s good for
the creek and good for Ortonville.?
Volunteers will collect trash along the
shoreline and some adult volunteers will
wade in to the creek to remove debris.
Students will not be put in the water for
safety and liability reasons, Green said.
Following the cleanup, at 12:45 p.m.,
a lunch is planned for all volunteers in
the middle school cafeteria. Lunch and
t-shirts are being provided through the
Toyota H2O grant, a partnership between
Toyota and 4-H.
Fluck requests that volunteers register
for the cleanup by April 21 so the
group knows how much food and what
t-shirt sizes are needed.
‘We’re hoping for around one hundred
people,? she said. ‘We welcome
anyone who is interested in getting involved
in helping the environment in our
community.?
To sign-up, visit http://tiny.cc/
kerslycleanup or contact Dave Green at
Brandon Middle School, 248-627-627-
1830, ext. 1325.