For Friday, July 10, 2026

1 – The Surfrider Foundation has dubbed July 5 as the Dirtiest Beach Day of the Year, with tons of trash covering beaches following July 4 fireworks and festivities. 

Remnants of the day before include single-use plastic foodware and packaging, fireworks debris and balloons.

Surfrider helps organize cleanups to remove Independence Day trash from beaches. The group urges people to join cleanups throughout the year where they live and play. 

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2 – Speaking of beaches, a recent Huffington Post story rounds up “The Rudest Things You Can Do At The Beach.”

They quote an etiquette expert, and faux paus include leaving a mess and not respecting the local wildlife. 

Other related rude behaviors: Smoking near others and putting cigarette butts in the sand. 

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3 – Audubon Great Lakes is cheering about money for wetlands in Michigan’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget. 

The regional nonprofit says the budget includes $2 million for the state Department of Natural Resources to acquire and conserve wetlands. 

That’s a $1 million increase from the previous year, leaders say, and a critical investment in the health of birds and communities. 

Birds like the threatened black tern have nowhere else to go when wetlands are lost, an Audubon policy director says. Those birds build floating nests on wetlands. 

Wetland conservation also helps address flooding. March and April marked the wettest two-month period on record across most of Michigan. One acre of wetland, 1 foot deep, can store up to 1.5 million gallons of water, Audubon says. 

– 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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