Rouge Rundown – February 25, 2026: The River is Open | Rain Garden Fun | A Ribbiting Training & More

It’s time for the first paddle trip of the season! 

Join your Friends for the End of Winter Paddle Trip at Ford Field Park. This event is Saturday, March 21st from 9:30am-12pm. Paddlers have the option to rent a canoe or kayak or bring their own boat. Please note, fees are due in advance for all attendees.

This is a self return paddle. This event is recommended for experienced paddlers, as paddling in the winter time can be challenging. Our future trips will be a great opportunity for new paddlers to experience the Rouge River! 

Friends of the Rouge is looking for experienced paddlers to support the planned paddle trips throughout the 2026 season. Click the button below to learn more and sign up.

Last Saturday’s Annual Rouge Frog & Toad Survey Training workshop drew over 100 people to learn about our local amphibians and how to survey for them. The presentation included an introduction to Froggyvoice.com created by a former surveyor, Kathy Ableson, to help people learn the calls. New this year, Kathy created colorful tshirts featuring her drawings of each frog or toad and a cute saying like “Summer Strummer” for the Green Frog. You can check them out at froggyvoice.

A big thank you to Livonia for the use of the library auditorium, Kathy, Kevin Headrick and Sue Thompson for assisting with the presentation and for the sponsors: Mercedes Benz Financial Services, Bell’s Brewery, and MAEP.  We still have openings for past surveyors.

Are you interested in tabling at events or enjoy crafts? Friends of the Rouge seeks volunteers to lead craft and environmental education tables at a fun, family-friendly event in Hamtramck on Saturday, April 18th, from 10 am to 1 pm.  Instructions and materials will be provided.

The event is part of Grow Hamtramck, a tree-planting and tree-care program created by the city to increase the overall tree canopy coverage for a healthier, cleaner Rouge River and Hamtramck community. 

If interested, please email Marion Martyres, Volunteer Coordinator, for further details at mmartyres@therouge.org. 

Friends of the Rouge welcomes Andrew Berg as the new Director of Development. He is a native plant nerd, community organizer, and urban explorer who grew up near the main branch of the Rouge River. Andrew brings two decades of fundraising experience and previously served in leadership roles at Detroit Opera, Cranbrook, and the University of Chicago. He is also the author of the discussion document for the Save Sibley Prairie Coalition, of which FOTR is a member.

Andrew bought his first native plants and rain barrels from FOTR and is also a graduate of the Rain Gardens to the Rescue course. He has 220 native plant species in his home gardens and is the executive producer of the Oak Park Garden Tour – of which FOTR is an organizational partner. Andrew is a graduate of the University of Michigan and can often be found biking on trails and backroads or paddleboarding the Great Lakes waterways.