Rouge Rundown – May 21, 2025: What’s in Your River? | New Rain Gardens | Celebrate, Paddle, & More!

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 two more cohort options this year: 
Cohort 2: June 3 – July 17, 2025 (excluding the week of July 4th)
Cohort 3: July 22 – August 28, 2025

Do you hear that? Your River is calling. Enjoy the water in this season of renewal, your with Friends. Connect with your River. Enjoy the peace of nature. Join these upcoming paddle trip adventures! 

June 7: Canton River Days

June 21:  National Canoe Day

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. 

Hey Friend, because your Rouge River love is amazing, this event is for you! You are warmly invited for a fun-filled free volunteer and member appreciation event, awards ceremony, and general meeting.

When: Wednesday, June 18, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Where: the beautiful Inkster Park Picnic Shelter in Inkster, MI 48141
What: 6:00 pm – light picnic dinner and interactive River tents with FOTR staff
6:30 pm – awards and appreciation-fest

Come as you are! This family-friendly event honors your amazing impact for a better hometown Rouge River. This event is free – kindly register so that we may grill enough for all.

The Rouge River has gotten a whole lot cleaner since the 1980s when it ran thick with oil and sewage. But a stinky problem remains.

Just last week, 4.5 million gallons of diluted sewage was discharged into the Main branch of the Rouge River after 2 inches of rain fell on May 4. This happens regularly because the combined sewers in the older urban communities overflow into the river when they reach capacity. Overflows have become much more frequent as the region has developed out and added paved surfaces.

Solutions involve costly basins and sewer separations as well as green infrastructure that reduces runoff. Billions of dollars have been spent and vast improvements have been made but we still need to support projects to get the poop out of our river.

Friends of the Rouge welcomes Cidney Calloway and May Gulley to the team as the new Trails Assistants.

Cidney Calloway is a Detroit native, community advocate, and nature lover who is passionate about justice, equity, and environmental healing. She currently serves as co-chair of the Detroit Reparations Task Force and has previously worked with Detroit Public Schools Community District and the Detroit Justice Center.

May Gulley grew up in Southeast Michigan, and has kayaked many bodies of water across the state; from the Detroit River to Lake Superior. She graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Policy and Analysis, specializing in Sustainable Management.