Belle Isle cleanup makes progress after severe weather, just in time for Labor Day

There were still some branches and debris on the ground at Belle Isle Park in Detroit on Labor Day, but a massive clean-up effort helped the Michigan Department of Natural Resources site get as ready as possible for holiday visitors and a break in the weather.

Belle Isle is a 985-acre island park in the Detroit River, with views of Michigan to the north and Ontario to the south. The park amenities include a nature center, athletic fields, a garden and golf. 

In the aftermath of Thursday's severe weather, including a tornado, that caused widespread damage in the area, a volunteer cleanup effort began at the park on Friday. The crews made huge progress before the Labor Day holiday. 

"The conservancy did a great job of bringing everything in and making sure we were able to enjoy the park," said Ann Connally, a weekend visitor to Belle Isle. "I expected it to be worse because of the newscasts, but as we went through, it's just these small branches that are down, but they're not in our way."

Darrel Bovain, another visitor, also seemed pleased with the effort. "When we came it we saw a bunch of trees broken up. It seems like they did a good job in cleaning up the park as far as trash," he said.

While volunteers got the day off on Monday, park crews continued hauling away remaining branches and tree trunks from many of the island's inland parks, with no interruptions to folks spending time at the beach, fishing, or celebrating Labor Day with family and friends.

"The weather was kind of rough for a few days, so I was kind of expecting it. I noticed some branches down, so I was ready for that look. But overall, we love it here," park visitor Fernando Lopez said.

"Especially if we're coming from far away, we love to gather at one point. So, when we have times like this, we can come and enjoy each other's presence after not seeing each other for a long time," park visitor Tristan Calhoun said.