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friends@therouge.org | 734-927-4900 | Fax: 734-927-4920
Spring Bug Hunters Needed!
Sat. April 20, 2024 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Registration Deadline April 15th
Volunteers needed to search for bugs from samples.
FOTR Bug Hunter in the stream
Earth Day 2024 Donate
Celebrate Earth Day 2024
with Friends of the Rouge!
Join us for a variety of fun and feel-good activities on and around Earth Day 2024.
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Join our efforts for the Rouge River and its watershed. Become an FOTR Team member.
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2024 Spring Store Ad
It's never too early to think SPRING!
Gift cards, rain barrels + more!
Shop now for native plants, rain barrels, expert design consultations and MORE! Product pre-orders will be for pick up on May 18th, 2024.
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Chart your legacy for a better River today and in the future!
FOTR staff letting a young girl volunteer see clams
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FOTR Happenings

Rain Catchers Collective

Clean Rivers and Lakes for All Rainwater runoff can carry harmful pollutants that make their way into our lakes, rivers and streams, making them unhealthy...
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Join us Friday, April 19th at noon LIVE via zoom and Facebook to learn all about how to create a 5-star yard for yourself, pollinators and wildlife, and our local Rouge River! Register now at tinyurl.com/LevelUpYourYard. ... See MoreSee Less

Join us Friday, April 19th at noon LIVE via zoom and Facebook to learn all about how to create a 5-star yard for yourself, pollinators and wildlife, and our local Rouge River! Register now at tinyurl.com/LevelUpYourYard.

Is that a floating barge I see? See the original post to learn how this new fixture is being used in the dredging and habitat restoration project for Wilcox Lake.

Join the Alliance of Rouge Communities and local municipalities Thursday, March 28th, at 7:00 pm for an update meeting on the Restoration Projects for Wilcox lake and Phoenix Lake. Meet at the Plymouth Township Hall, 9955 N. Haggerty Rd, Plymouth, MI.“What is that thing?” As you pass by Wayne County Parks Wilcox Lake in City of Plymouth, you may notice a new fixture. This is a floating barge, which will be used to support dredge equipment removing excess sediment from the lake. The dredge process will likely take several months, after which the barge will be removed. The dredging of excess sediment will create a deeper pocket, favored by resident fish populations. This effort is part of the ARC's “Rouge River AOC Habitat Restoration - Wilcox/Phoenix Implementation” project funded by a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant from the U.S. EPA Region 5 (Great Lakes Region), (Grant# GL-00E03267-0). For more information visit www.allianceofrougecommunities.com/wilcox.html
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Is that a floating barge I see? See the original post to learn how this new fixture is being used in the dredging and habitat restoration project for Wilcox Lake. 

Join the Alliance of Rouge Communities and local municipalities Thursday, March 28th, at 7:00 pm for an update meeting on the Restoration Projects for Wilcox lake and Phoenix Lake. Meet at the Plymouth Township Hall, 9955 N. Haggerty Rd, Plymouth, MI.

Thank you to all of our Paddlers who came out for the End of Winter Paddle Event last weekend! ❄️ They braved the cold for beautiful snowy views and a fun trip on the Rouge. 🚣‍♂️

Join us for our next paddle event on May 13th! fb.me/e/3cK1d4JMW
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Thank you to all of our Paddlers who came out for the End of Winter Paddle Event last weekend! ❄️ They braved the cold for beautiful snowy views and a fun trip on the Rouge. 🚣‍♂️ 

Join us for our next paddle event on May 13th! https://fb.me/e/3cK1d4JMWImage attachmentImage attachment+2Image attachment

2 CommentsComment on Facebook

I had a great trip!

The bold ones get the beauty! Looks like a wonderful trip.

LAST CALL: Order your MAIL ORDER native plant kits by this FRIDAY, March 29th! Get beautiful native plants shipped right to your door in June. Find a kit with 10 species perfect for your planting area or get a full flat of one species! Each mail-order flat comes with 50 plants. Perennial flowers AND grasses available! ORDER NOW at therouge.org/store/.

Members- don't forget to use your discount coupon code at checkout! Want to become a member and get 10% your purchase? Go to therouge.org/store/membership/ to become a member today.
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LAST CALL: Order your MAIL ORDER native plant kits by this FRIDAY, March 29th! Get beautiful native plants shipped right to your door in June. Find a kit with 10 species perfect for your planting area or get a full flat of one species! Each mail-order flat comes with 50 plants. Perennial flowers AND grasses available! ORDER NOW at https://therouge.org/store/. 

Members- dont forget to use your discount coupon code at checkout! Want to become a member and get 10% your purchase? Go to https://therouge.org/store/membership/ to become a member today.Image attachment

Even when it's "spring" we still get some cold days and snow! Just as we bundle up inside on a cold day in Michigan, pollinator insects are still hibernating in your native plant stems and leaf litter- so don't clean up your gardens just yet- wait until May or when it's consistently warm enough outside. So go ahead, you have our permission to lay back and let your garden stay a little messy- for the pollinators!

Learn more: xerces.org/blog/dont-spring-into-garden-cleanup-too-soon

#MemeMonday #Pollinators #Spring #NoMowMay
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Even when its spring we still get some cold days and snow! Just as we bundle up inside on a cold day in Michigan, pollinator insects are still hibernating in your native plant stems and leaf litter- so dont clean up your gardens just yet- wait until May or when its consistently warm enough outside. So go ahead, you have our permission to lay back and let your garden stay a little messy- for the pollinators!

Learn more: https://xerces.org/blog/dont-spring-into-garden-cleanup-too-soon

#MemeMonday #Pollinators #Spring #NoMowMay
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Don’t miss a thing! Read FOTR news you can use in our Rouge Rundown.

Current Weather at FOTR headquarters

Updates affecting our Rain Gardens
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Rain Gardens 101

One Water – We Are the Rouge!

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101,311
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63,871
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Our Services

Friends of the Rouge in ACTION

Rouge Rescue

Rouge Education Project

River Restoration

River Monitoring

Rouge River Water Trail

Our annual river clean up

Since 1986, volunteers have removed large quantities of trash from the river. Public perception shifted from the river as an open sewer and a place to dump trash to its restoration including invasive plants removal, installation of native plantings, and stabilization of stream banks.

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School-based environmental education

We involve elementary, middle, and high schools from across southeastern Michigan. Students learn about the Rouge River in class, and then perform hands-on scientific exploration of the river on a field trip to its banks. They are encouraged to take action to restore and protect the river.

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How we care for the land

How we care for the land impacts water quality in our local lakes and rivers. The River Restoration program teaches residents of the watershed how to manage their land to improve water quality and to provide wildlife habitat through hands-on projects and educational events.

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Residents become citizen scientists

This program engages residents to become citizen scientists, collecting data about the health of the watershed through biological indicator species (bugs, frogs, fish, etc.) that reflect the long-term health of the watershed. As water quality improves, bugs frogs and fish are returning.

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Along 29.25 miles of the Lower Rouge

FOTR is currently working with local partners to develop a water trail on 29.25 miles of the Lower Rouge from Canton to the Detroit River. Much of the river corridor is protected within Wayne County Parks, making it ideal for the development of launches and amenities.

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Volunteer to Make a Difference

Friends of the Rouge began as a volunteer organization, so volunteerism sits at the core of mission to serve the Rouge River watershed.

Become a Member

Be part of the legacy. Support the vital work we do by helping us meet critical milestones for programs that make a lasting impact of the Rouge River watershed’s health.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Get involved! Support our diverse programs through sponsorships that have the power to make real and lasting change for the health of the Rouge River watershed!

Networking to Build Community

Our community stakeholders, partners, and alliances make our watershed healthier! Thank you to all who make a difference by caring about the Rouge River.

Financial Transparency

We adhere to all federal and state regulations, produce annual financial audits, submit all reporting documents in a timely manner with clear accounting methods and record keeping.

FAQs

Curious about something in the Rouge? We may already have an answer to commonly asked questions regarding our organization or the watershed. Check out our FAQs HERE.

Our Sponsors

  • Gilbert Family Foundation Logo
  • Ralph C. Wilson Jr., Foundation Parks & Trails logo
  • Erb Family Foundation logo
  • Bosch logo
  • Alliance of Rouge Communities

Hear Our Voice
We acknowledge …the systemic injustices and pervasive racism that occurs for people of color.
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A Better Rouge For Us All

You care about the Rouge River. Watch how, together, we have been making your river cleaner and more vibrant for the plants and animals, and for the people of Southeast Michigan to enjoy.

Voices for the Rouge