Thank You Friends: Annual Meeting & Appreciation Event Afterglow
Thank you to the over 150 Friends who came together on a beautiful night to celebrate the impact that you make possible. Interactive river tents, the annual meeting, and the Best Friends of the Rouge Awards were shared for a memorable summer evening along the River. |
National Canoe Day: Join Your Friends & Paddle
You are invited to experience a guided paddling trip on the Lower Rouge River to celebrate National Canoe Day on June 22! The event starts at 9:30 AM at Dearborn Hills Golf Course. 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!
If you are new to paddling, you are invited to the Ford Field Park Pond for our FREE Demo Day! You can try a canoe or kayak for free. MetroParks, FOTR, and other community partners will be on hand with interactive exhibits and games! |
June Tree Tube Cleanups!
Calling all tree lovers! Friends of the Rouge recently planted over 13,000 native trees in the Lower Rouge River Watershed, and installed protective tubes over each tree to ensure their success. It’s now time for us to take these plastic tubes out of our environment and let our trees flourish! On June 21st and June 29th from 9am-12pm, join your community as we head outside for tree tube clean-up duty! Let’s roll up our sleeves and make a difference for a greener future together!
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Apply for the StormWater Specialist Training This workforce development program is designed to provide you with pathways towards living wage employment while maintaining important landscaping features design to protect the Rouge River, Detroit River, and Lake Erie. This 6 week, 12 class course will teach you how to weed native plant gardens, to identify native plants vs. weeds, conduct photo monitoring, identify soil types, understand and correct erosion and sediment issues, how to transplant and thin garden plants, and more!
NO prior experience needed! Applications accepted on a rolling basis through July 2 , 2024.
Class Times:
July 9 to August 15 on Tuesdays and Thursdays
10 am – 12 pm Class Location:
St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center,
19321 W. Chicago, Detroit, 48228 |
Ladies’ Night in the Garden
Come spend an evening in the garden with the ladies! We’ll share light refreshments together while taking care of our blooming native gardens! Enjoy evening fresh air, great conversation, and a plant-powered social evening! All experience levels are welcome. All tools and gear provided! |
2023 Annual Report: Friends, You Make the Impact Possible
Hot off the press! Friend, you are invited to explore the impact for a better hometown River that you make possible. Read the full report by clicking the link below. Then, sign up for the annual meeting and Friend appreciation event on June 11 to hear the highlights with Friends in person! |
Save the Date: August 7 for Your Heart of the Rouge Event
Tickets on sale in July! Celebrate your Rouge River as you support its better future. Your evening includes: interactive river experience with naturalists and FOTR staff, great food, drink tickets, live music, nature-themed art, and a live fish passage & salt demonstration.
Experience your Rouge River. Enjoy a wonderful evening with Friends. Let your Heart create a better world. |
Welcome New Fish Passage Technicians
This past Thursday kicked off FOTR’s Road Stream Crossing surveys for the 2024 summer season with a training given by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Patrick Ertel to FOTR staff and other DNR and Michigan Department of Transportation partners. This season, incoming Fish Passage Technicians Ben Walski, recent Master’s graduate from UM-D, and Jerrad Jankowski, long-time member of the FOTR summer fish surveying team, will complete surveys to quantify any risks to structures the Rouge uses to pass under roadways.
If faulty, poorly positioned, or undersized, these culverts can pose barriers to the passage of fish that live in your beautiful river and can increase flooding and public safety risks. This survey, managed by the Great Lakes Stream Crossing Working Group, is part of a statewide initiative to gather data on barriers to fish passage throughout the region that will aide in getting problem culverts fixed for a better, more connected Rouge. If you see Ben and Jerrad out on the road or in the river this summer, feel free to stop by and give them a good Rouge welcome!
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| From Your Friend, Herman Trails Manager |
A better River is made possible thanks to these supporters & in thanks to caring Friends like you
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