Volunteers Spend Day Cleaning Up Skyline Parkway

Dozens of volunteers line the street picking up trash.

DULUTH, Minn.- For this year’s 2nd Annual Skyline Parkway Spring Cleanup, volunteers attacked the garbage down Skyline Parkway between Haines Road and Highland Street.

The wind and rustling of leaves mixes with the rustling of plastic bags, and the deep crinkle of soda cans.

“We’re just gonna keep doing the garbage cleanup,” said one young volunteer.

A sea of neon vests splashed across Skyline Parkway, each with a bag full of trash.

“One of the first feelings you get is like, bummed. Y’know?” said Dave Grandmaison.

“I’m kinda bummed that there’s this much garbage out here, but at the same time I’m super jazzed that people care enough to come out to help clean it up,” the Co-Founder and CEO of Duluth Experience replied.

Organized by the Duluth Experience, Duluth Parks, Lake Superior Brewing, and Whole Foods Co-Op, last year the group picked up over 1300 lbs of trash along the road and at the scenic overlooks.

And age is only a number when it comes to protecting the Earth.

“It helps the environment,” said young Elijah Maki, one of the volunteers. “And if garbage hits trees and if there’s no trees, then there’s no air.”

For some, helping the environment doubles as a treasure hunt.

What was the coolest thing Elijah found?

“Bones.”

Not human ones (supposedly), but what appears to be the skull of a deer or dog, a rabbit, and several other bones.

But finding so much garbage makes volunteers take a second look at other places in their lives for trash.

“Sad because, not only here but our house and in my playground they all have a lot of garbage,” said Elijah.”

Organizers with the Duluth Experience say this is the time of year where more businesses are hosting cleanups. You can visit their Facebook page for more coming up.

“This is everyday,” Grandmaison said.

Along with bags of trash, organizers hope volunteers walk away with the bigger picture.

“So when you’re out and about, you’re out for a hike, you’re out for a walk, or a bike ride, y’know, pick up some trash. And you can leave the world a better place than when you found it.”