Little Traverse Bay is surrounded by some surprisingly expensive vacation homes and a high-end town center, so perhaps it's not so surprising that the bay is kept very clean.
FWIW, I met my wife when she was living in that area. Little Traverse Bay on whe whole is a pretty affluent area. (There is some mix here, and definitely a drop in money if you move inland.) There are few manicured lawns near the bay though. Unlike Grand Traverse Bay, Little Traverse is mostly surrounded by quickly rising hills and bluffs. So while there are houses they tend to not have much in the way of yards.
