Petoskey partners with Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council to use a Pixie Drone for marina cleanup, enhancing environmental efforts with innovative technology.
Petoskey: In an exciting new initiative, the City of Petoskey is partnering with the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council to keep the marina clean of plastic and floating debris this summer.
This collaboration will introduce the use of a Pixie Drone to enhance the city’s environmental efforts.
During the Petoskey City Council meeting on Monday, City Manager Shane Horn elaborated on the project. “This is remote-controlled,” he said.
“It will be launched here in the marina and will navigate in and out of the bays to collect any sort of floating debris in and around the marina.”
One of the most notable aspects of this initiative is that the use of the drone will be provided for free. Horn expressed gratitude to the Watershed Council for their proactive approach and support.
“I really want to give the Watershed Council credit for reaching out and including us in this effort,” he said.
“All the floating material will be brought to shore, cataloged to determine how much debris has been collected, and this process will be repeated a few times during the season.”
Council member Lindsey Walker, who also collaborates with Emmet County Recycling, emphasized that recycling efforts would be integral to this project.
“We’re going to be receiving the materials that they collect after they audit it and see if we have any opportunities for recyclability in secondary end markets,” she explained.
Additionally, the Watershed Council offered the use of their BeBot beach cleaner.
However, Horn noted that this robot is more effective on sandy beaches and may not be suitable for the city’s rockier waterfront.
“The state park, I believe, is utilizing that service, but we’re again fairly rocky, so I didn’t see necessarily a match for that piece of equipment,” he said.
This innovative project demonstrates Petoskey’s commitment to maintaining a clean and environmentally friendly marina, showcasing the city’s proactive approach to environmental stewardship and community collaboration.
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