Eli Lowry joined FOTR in the spring of 2021 as a Restoration Assistant. He is currently working towards a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Michigan where he focuses on ecological landscape design and urban stormwater management.
Eli resides in Ann Arbor as a caretaker for the Nichols Arboretum where he can be found keeping the grounds and providing visitors with helpful information. For the past five years, he has worked closely with Michigan native plants as a student Sustainability Intern at Western Michigan University and as a Greenhouse Coordinator for Wayne State University’s Detroit Biodiversity Network.
Currently, Eli assists the restoration team on a number of projects including the Rainsmart Dream and Design Support Services, where he provides in-person and virtual consultations for Rouge River Watershed residents interested in improving the environmental quality of their property.
Over the summer of 2021, Eli has worked to advance the Sacred Grounds program, a partnership between the National Wildlife Federation and Friends of the Rouge. The Sacred Grounds program assists in the design and construction of green stormwater infrastructure specifically for houses of worship throughout Detroit. This program is important because it has the potential to create educational rain gardens that reduce stormwater runoff and provide pollinator and wildlife habitat in urban areas. As an added benefit the rain gardens can provide a financial incentive through a reduced drainage fee, which can be particularly useful for parcels burdened by large areas of impermeable surfaces.