Alliance for the Great Lakes – Adopt-a-Beach™

Adopt-a-Beach™ is the Alliance’s premier volunteer program, with some 10,000 participants ranging from individuals and families to schools and businesses. More than just a beach sweep, Adopt-a-Beach™ teams conduct litter removal and monitoring and complete a beach health assessment that includes science-based observation and testing. The teams collect information and enter it into our Adopt-a-Beach™ online system, where it is used to educate the public, share with local beach authorities and improve beaches. Grand Haven is home to the Alliance for the Great Lakes Michigan office and they host multiple area beach cleanups annually. Groups, families, and individuals are welcome to volunteer. Contact: Jamie Cross, Adopt-a-Beach™ Manager (616) 850-0745 ext. 12 jcross@greatlakes.org greatlakes.org/ADOPTABEACH

Love in Action Tri-Cities

Love in action is a ministry that works with a network of church partners, volunteers, and partner organizations to help those in need. Love in Action provides food, clothing, medical care, shelter, and other services to those who experience times of need. Their mission is to center on Jesus and transform lives by empowering people to thrive. Contact: Carrie Tuls, Community Engagement Coordinator (616) 846-2701 carrie@loveinactiontricities.org loveinactiontricities.org

Greater Ottawa County United Way

United Way has been making a difference in Ottawa County for nearly a century. Known in the 1920s as United Fund or Community Chest, annual fund drives to address community needs were a fixture of life in many communities in Ottawa County. In the 1960s, Grand Haven and Holland joined Grand Rapids and Detroit as the first communities in Michigan to form a United Way. In 2000, four United Ways—Tri Cities Area (Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg), Northeast Ottawa, Holland, and Zeeland—united to form Greater Ottawa County United Way. The United Way’s mission is to improve the quality of life for all Ottawa County residents by identifying pressing community challenges and focusing the community’s collective power and resources to address those needs. Together, united, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow. When we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. Give. Advocate. Volunteer. That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED. Groups, families, and individuals are welcome to volunteer. Contact: Shannon Morton, Director of Volunteerism (616) 396-7811 ext. 206 smorton@ottawaunitedway.org ottawaunitedway.org/volunteer

St. John’s is the only church in the Tri-Cities area that offers hungry people of our community nutritious meals on a regular basis. Our kitchen is staffed each week by volunteers from our parish, members of other churches, and individuals from our community. Loving Spoonfuls provides meals to the community twice a week including Wednesday evenings from 5:30-6:30pm and Sunday afternoons from 1-2pm. Groups, families, and individuals are welcome to volunteer. Contact: Cindi Sanders, Parish Administrator (616) 842-6260 csanders@stjohnsepiscopal.com stjohnsepiscopal.com

Ottawa County Parks & Recreation

The Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission was created in 1987 to oversee county park properties. Today the Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission manages 38 parks and open space lands totaling nearly 6,400 acres. These natural resource-based properties offer year-round recreational and educational opportunities for people of all ages and ensure that the environmental features and rich heritage of Ottawa County will be protected for future generations. Park volunteers provide a critical service to the County Parks in a variety of ways including events, park maintenance, and combating invasive species. Groups, families, and individuals are welcome to volunteer. Contact: Melanie Manion, Natural Resources Management Supervisor (616) 738-4810 mmanion@miottawa.org miottawa.org

Tri-Cities Area Habitat For Humanity

Tri-Cities Area Habitat for Humanity is an ecumenical Christian organization founded in 1989. TCA Habitat has since built over 51 simple, decent and affordable homes in the Tri-Cities. Our hope is to eliminate sub-standard housing in our community. TCA Habitat works in partnership with area churches, businesses and individuals to build simple, decent houses that will become homes for our Partner families. Ottawa County has an estimated 529 homeless families. Children of homeowners are 25% more likely to graduate from High School and 116% more likely to graduate from College than children of renters. Through the donated time, hard work and resources of many in our community, Habitat houses are built at low cost and sold to the Partner Families without profit or interest. Partner Families must make a $500 down-payment and complete 250-500 hours of “Sweat Equity” before they can move into their home. Habitat provides a variety of supportive services to the families to help ease their transition to home ownership. Habitat is a wonderful way to give “hand-up” not a “hand-out” to needy families in our area. Groups, families, and individuals are welcome to volunteer. Contact: Nicole Bredeweg, Volunteer Coordinator (616) 846-1505 finance@tricitieshabitat.org tricitieshabitat.org

The ODC Network is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that strives to advance outdoor education and conservation in West Michigan. Since 2000, ODC Network has served more than 1.3 million people through hands-on, outdoor learning experiences and conserved thousands of acres of native habitat through restoration and preservation projects. To achieve their mission, 12 business divisions create the ODC Network. Their team is building a better community by connecting people, land, and nature. For 25 years, they have utilized countless volunteers for a wide range of tasks, including board members, committee work, trail projects, program and event assistance, visitor center duties, animal care and enrichment, invasive species removal, native habitat restoration, maple syrup production, and many other activities. Contact: Mike Graves, Naturalist (616) 393-9453 mikeg@outdoordiscovery.org outdoordiscovery.org

Tourism Information

Travel with Purpose: Explore Grand Haven Sustainably

Discover a more meaningful way to explore the Grand Haven Area through sustainable travel, eco-tourism, and voluntourism. Whether you're preserving natural beauty, giving back to the community, or treading lightly on the environment, your visit can make a positive impact. Here's how you can travel responsibly while enjoying everything this lakeside destination has to offer.

Voluntourism

Sustainable Travel

EcoTourism

Voluntourism

What is Voluntourism?

Volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, is one of the fastest-growing travel trends today. Voluntourism is a term that describes vacations where travelers volunteer their time to help a cause in a particular destination. It has grown in popularity because it is an excellent way for travelers to engage with and immerse themselves in the area they are visiting.

The Grand Haven Area is home to many active community non-profit organizations and countless annual events that offer volunteer opportunities for every skill level and age range.

Sustainable Travel

Help keep the Grand Haven Area beautiful for generations to come.

We are committed to keeping the Grand Haven Area beautiful and as a visitor you can help us achieve our goal. Our sustainable tourism effort is focused on preserving and protecting our natural beauty while encouraging the growth of the tourism industry.

Sustainable tourism is about re-focusing and adapting. A balance must be found between limits and usage so that continuous changing, monitoring and planning ensure that tourism can be managed. This requires thinking long-term (10, 20+ years) and realizing that change is often cumulative, gradual and irreversible. Economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development must include the interests of all stakeholders including local communities, visitors, industry and government.

Sustaining Tourism-Traveling Towards A Global Sustainable Future

Beaches & Sand Dunes

Use eco-friendly sunscreen and lotions
Fill in sand castles and holes on the beach when finished
Keep you and your pets off the dunes
No fires on the beach

Wildlife & Endangered Species

Do not feed the gulls, ducks or wild animals
Do not get between young birds and the dunes; as to not separated from their parents

Recreational Equipment- Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers

Remove any visible mud, plants, fish or animals before transporting your recreational equipment.
Eliminate water from equipment before transporting
Clean and dry anything that comes into contact with the water
(boats, trailers, equipment, clothing, dogs, etc.)
Never release plants, fish or animals into a body of water unless they came out of that body of water

Fishing

Recycle your fishing line – do not throw it in the trash. A recycle container is located on the pier
A Michigan fishing license is required to fish or net in the Grand Haven Area. Youth under the age of 17 are not required to be licensed.

Pets

Keep pets on a leash
Clean up after your pet. Pet waste receptacles are located at the beach in the dog friendly area as well as throughout town.

Vehicles

Obey posted speed limits
Park in designated areas only

Trash & Litter

Do not litter
Please use the nearest recycle container
No glass is allowed on the beach or boardwalk

Thank you for helping to preserve our destination for the future enjoyment of others!

Community Organizations

EcoTourism

Tread lightly, explore naturally

What is “ecotourism” anyway?

There are several variations but we think the definition from The Nature Conservancy best describes it: “Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples.”

Nearly everyone wants to do the right thing. Perhaps, they just don’t know what to do. We understand. Knowledge is power which is why we are here to help. Please consider the following information and also visit the sustainable travel section of our website to learn more.

The following outdoor activities are considered a form of low-impact travel on our area’s natural resources:

Paddle sports – kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding
Surfing – wind, water, snow
Hiking
Biking
Photography
Bird-watching

Being mindful of your environment, as well as, respectful and knowledgeable, are all part of being a good environmental steward.

Environmental stewardship is the responsibility for environmental quality shared by all those whose actions affect the environment. Below is a list of area groups and/or organizations that have made notable efforts towards being good stewards.

Community Sustainability Programs

Grand Haven – Sustainability & Environmental Efforts
Spring Lake – Sustainability Information
Coopersville – Green Pastures Cowshares- Sustainable Agriculture
Allendale – Grand Valley State University – Sustainable Community Development
Aquinas College – Center for Sustainablity
Alliance for the Great Lakes – Adopt-A-Beach
Ottawa County Parks – Voluntourism – Invasive Plant Control
Ottawa Conservation District – Groundwater Stewardship
West Michigan Land Conservancy – Land Stewardship

The links/lists below presents the Endangered (E), Threatened (T), and Probably Extirpated (X) animal/plant species of Michigan, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act of the State of Michigan (Part 365 of PA 451, 1994 Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act).

Species accounts are available for a number of plant species that have been noted as invasive or having invasive tendencies in Michigan. Some of these are commonly recognized invasive species such as Garlic Mustard, Purple Loosestrife or Phragmites (Giant Reed). Others are emerging threats in Michigan such as Black Jetbead, Swallow-wort, Water Hyacinth or European Frog-bit. A few, such as Hydrilla and Mile-a-Minute, are not yet in the state but are nearby and considered particularly destructive.

Michigan’s Invasive Plant Species Account

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Prevent the transport of nuisance species. Clean ALL recreational equipment. Read more at www.protectyourwaters.net

Events

Things To Do

Food + Drink

Weddings + Events

Top 10 Things To Do

Tourism Information

Travel with Purpose: Explore Grand Haven Sustainably