Rouge Rundown – March 26, 2025: Froggy Calls | Native Plants | Pick Your Paddle Trip & More

Are you ready to let the rain work for you? Now’s the perfect time to shop for rain barrels, Michigan native plants, and more! Let us help you make your garden beautiful—with a little help from the rain! The mail order deadline is March 30th – so order today if you’d like plants shipped to your door in time for the planting season.

Interested in plants or barrels for in-person pick up? Order plants for pick up and then  join the fun at the “same-day sale” for plant art, individual plants, trees, shrubs, and more on Saturday, May 17th at the Livonia Department of Public Works – 12973 Farmington Rd, Livonia, MI 48150.

ORDER DEADLINES:
Mail order plant flats: Sun, March 30th
Pick-up native plant flats, rain barrels & accessories:  Wed, April 30th

Interested in learning about rain gardens?  This workshop is for you! Come learn about rain gardens and how you can build one in your yard! This one-hour introductory workshop is free and open to the public – everyone is welcome. 

Rain gardens reduce neighborhood flooding and basement backups, while adding beauty to your yard. Learn how you can protect your home and your Rouge River with a rain garden. There are four opportunities to attend. 

April 3 at Southfield Public Library
April 5 at Redford Twp. Public Library
April 26 at Plymouth Twp. Hall
May 3 at Dearborn Performing Arts Center

Click the button below to find the workshop that fits your schedule! To sign up for an event, please first sign up for the organization using the green button at the top of the linked page.

The warm weather has brought out the frogs and toads, much to the delight of Friends of the Rouge’s hundreds of frog and toad surveyors.  Check out the video that surveyor Maureen Alexander sent of two different types of frogs calling in Salem Township. Listen and see if you can identify what species is making the quacking sound and what species is making the sound like running your finger across the teeth of a comb.  If you need some hints, check out “Froggyvoice,” developed by FOTR member Kathy Ableson.

Hearing many types of frogs and toads calling is a good indication of healthy wetlands.  Wetlands are the kidneys of the watershed as they filter and absorb rainfall and prevent flooding.  Wayne County has lost 90% of its original wetlands, Oakland County has lost 55% and Washtenaw County has lost 53%. Protecting what remaining wetlands we have is critical to the health of the river. 

Ready to enjoy this lovely spring weather on the water? Join your Friends for an upcoming paddle trip! 

May 11: Spring Birding Paddle Trip with Detroit Bird Alliance

May 18:  Pride Paddle with the Queer Outdoors

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.  Register today!

FOTR Monitoring Manager, Lauren Eaton attended the National Monitoring Conference held March 10th-14th in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  The conference was a national forum on monitoring Great Lakes, groundwater, streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and oceans.  She presented results from the chloride (road salt) project that the monitoring team worked on in 2024.  The project looked at salt levels throughout the watershed and compared different methods of sample collection.  From data collected at 39 sites along the Rouge River in 2024, all but four meet criteria outlined by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy for consideration for these streams to be listed as impaired by chloride (salt) pollution in the 2026 Integrated Report.  Additionally, we found the salt strips to be highly reliable, and this sampling method could be easily added to participatory science programs throughout Michigan (and beyond).

This workforce development program is designed to provide you with pathways towards living wage employment through the maintenance of important landscaping features that protect the Rouge River, Detroit River, and Lake Erie. 

This 6 week, 12 class course will teach you how to weed native plant gardens, identify native plants vs. weeds, conduct photo monitoring, identify soil types, understand and correct erosion and sediment issues, transplant and thin garden plants, and more! NO prior experience needed! 

There are three cohort options this year: 
Cohort 1: April 15 – May 22, 2025
Cohort 2: June 3 – July 17, 2025 (excluding the week of July 4th)
Cohort 3: July 22 – August 28, 2025