For Friday, April 16, 2026 🌎

1 – Earth Day is next week, April 22. 

There a lots of opportunities to get involved. 

One is the annual Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz. It begins on Earth Day and ends four weeks later. 

A BioBlitz is an event to observe, identify, and record as many different, non-domesticated species as possible in a given area over a set period of time.  

Basically, you take an afternoon to explore and document wildlife in your area, pick a location to return to weekly, or set a goal to find something new every day. Things that are blooming, flying, hopping, or growing qualify.

Then you post the observations using the iNaturalist smartphone app. 

Educators, students, families, youth groups, and the general public are invited to participate in this community science effort. 

Visit www.inaturalist.org for more info. 

h/t Center for Great Lakes Literacy

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2 – You also can add an Adopt-a-Beach Spring Kickoff to the list of Earth Day opportunities. 

The Alliance for the Great Lakes helps organize these cleanup events. The season officially starts on Earth Day, April 22. 

The nonprofit says more than 250 cleanups have already been scheduled. That includes a private event, already full, set for late May at the Bay City State Park. 

You can sign up for notices of upcoming events or host your own cleanup. See Adopt.GreatLakes.org. 

Hundreds of thousands of pieces of litter end up on Great Lakes shorelines each year. About 85% is plastic.

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers work at beaches, parks, trails and marinas. They pick up plastic and other trash. They also collect data on what they find. 

The information helps decision makers make the case for policies that protect the lakes. 

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard Friday mornings in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes

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