Dan Blake likes to go off-roading with his family through the trails in Hoosier Valley, just south of Traverse City. What he doesn’t like is all the trash.
Hoosier Valley has been plagued with illegal dumping for years. When a set of retro orange furniture appeared beside his favorite trail, Blake decided it was time to do something about it.
“I immediately put it on Facebook,” Blake said. “Somebody has to know where this came from, who put it here.”
Through the Facebook group, Blake joined efforts with Ray Leavitt and other community members to organize a clean-up of Hoosier Valley on Saturday April 3rd.
Leavitt also enjoys hiking and four-wheeling through Hoosier Valley with his son, but some of the trash he’s found is more serious than furniture.
“People dispose of stuff like drug paraphernalia, illegal substances. It’s nasty and it’s dangerous,” said Leavitt.
Originally, Blake and Leavitt planned to clean up the worst of the trash with their trucks, donated dumpsters and help from a few other volunteers. But the project only grew through the Facebook group. Now, they expect over 100 volunteers in the valley Saturday morning.
Leavitt, Blake and other organizers know if they don’t take action, Hoosier Valley will continue to be a dumping ground. So, after the clean-up, organizers are installing deer cameras on the main roads into the valley to hold illegal dumpers accountable.
“My main goal is to actually put an end to it permanently,” Leavitt said.