Community volunteers came together at the Nixon Lake beach and boat landing south of Clearwater last Saturday, to begin the process of cleanup after a bog that had floated in was removed.

Originally located on the south side of the lake directly across from the public access/swimming beach, the bog floated over to the northeast side of the lake last fall. In March it traveled further to the east, hanging out in front of Rose Thelen and Chuck Derry’s property, and by early June it had made its way to the lake’s public access.

As the bog’s presence rendered the beach and landing unusable, Clearwater Twp., who manages the access, held a special meeting to discuss what should be done.

A decision was made to spend up to $3,500 to remove the bog, which measured approximately 500’ x 150’ feet.

In early July the bog was removed over the course of two days, resulting in 600 to 700 cubic yards of material covering most of the parking lot, where it’s being left to dry before it gets hauled away.

Because the removal left behind a large mess on the shore and in the water directly in front of them, the beach and boat access are still unusable. The township has closed the area to vehicles and boats for the time being, although people can still walk in.

July 18 was declared ‘cleanup day’ by a group of community volunteers. While some went directly into the lake to gather up floating debris, others stayed near the shore to rake through the muck and vegetation. Blayne Leuthard used a 24’ rack system he built for his tractor to bring materials that were further out into the shore.

Although a lot was accomplished, a lot is still left to be done. While Clearwater Twp. is currently working on getting the removed material out of the parking lot, the rest of the cleanup process is on hold until a more efficient system has been determined.

Local residents have started a GoFundMe account to raise money for cleanup and restoration costs. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/clean-up-nixon-lake.