Large quantities of broken glass were found scattered along Good Harbor Picnic Area at the east end of Lake Michigan Road in Cleveland Township - with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore officials believing the glass was spread across the beach "deliberately."

The incident mirrors one that occurred in October 2017 along the Lake Michigan beach near the Lane Road parking area in Port Oneida. Leelanau District Ranger Andy Blake says that as with that incident, glass found at Good Harbor "was not dumped in one spot, but is spread fairly uniformly up and down the beach for several hundred yards. It is definitely a hazard to beachgoers, as it consists of literally thousands of freshly broken pieces, mostly one-half to two inches in size.”

A Sleeping Bear press release described the incident as a "particularly mean-spirited crime."

“I am outraged by this act that is clearly intended to injure visitors to the National Lakeshore," says Superintendent Scott Tucker. "Thousands of pieces of broken glass do not appear on the beach without malicious intent. I hope our visitors and the local community can help identify the person or persons who would deliberately harm our beachgoers, including children.”

Tucker says park staff will take time from their regular duties to work alongside park volunteers to walk the beach in Good Harbor and remove as many pieces of broken glass as possible before visitors and wildlife find them unexpectedly. Park rules prohibit glass containers on beaches.

Anyone with information about the glass incident is asked to contact Blake at 231-326-4805 or by email at andrew_blake@nps.gov.

Photo credit: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore