Rouge Rundown – October 7, 2026: Haunted Paddle | Rain Garden Planting | Fish Discovery & More

Spooky Season is upon us!

Be prepared for a scare! Join your Friends of the Rouge for the annual Haunted Paddle Trip on the Rouge River October 17. Paddle from Dearborn Hills Golf Course downstream to Ford Field Park and experience the spooky scenes created by Friends of the Rouge and community partners. See the Bog Monster, the Killer Clown, and the Rouge Witches. Don’t be afraid! 

First FOTR Record in the Upper Branch!

Sam, your Monitoring Coordinator, was out sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates in Minnow Pond last week and captured an Iowa Darter!  This is the first time we have found them in the Upper Branch.  We have found them in the Walled Lake Branch and in Curtis Lake in the Middle Branch.  This is another exciting find, just weeks after your fish team found a greenside darter in the Lower Branch for the first time in a century.  This is further proof that all of the habitat restoration in your Rouge River is working since Iowa Darters are intolerant to pollution!

Did you know that voting is one of the most powerful ways you can show up for your Rouge River? The November election is coming up quickly and the candidates on your ballot will make decisions that directly affect your watershed. Our friends at Planet Detroit put together a free, nonpartisan voter guide that asks every state and federal candidate where they stand on environmental issues such as data centers, water quality, PFAS contamination, and more. 

Before you cast your ballot, visit the 2026 Planet Detroit Voter Guide to:

• Enter your address and find every candidate on your ballot
• Compare their responses on environmental questionnaire topics
• Read backgrounds and additional reporting like Planet Detroit’s to go deeper into the issues
• Make your own decisions about who will best represent your Rouge River

Advocacy and speaking up for your river starts with YOU – be informed and vote on November 3rd!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have proposed changes that could significantly reduce federal protections for streams and wetlands covered by the Clean Water Act. While long-standing protections would continue for traditionally navigable waters and for perennial streams that flow continuously year-round, the new proposal would eliminate protections for nearly all streams and wetlands that flow seasonally or with intermittent breaks in surface flow. If adopted, these waters and wetlands will be at significant new risk of pollution and destruction. Please speak up for our water!

Comments due October 9th  

Kieron is joining Friends of the Rouge as an Orin & Char Gelderloos Environmental Leadership Intern with the opportunity to learn from the whole organization about working at an environmental nonprofit. Currently a student at Wayne State University, he plans on pursuing post-graduate studies in environmental law after graduation. This fall, he will be assisting at many events across the FOTR programs, so give him a warm welcome when you see him!

Friends of the Rouge is officially opening nominations for our 2027–2029 Board of Directors!

We’re looking for thoughtful, creative leaders who care deeply about clean water, community, and the health of our watershed. Whether your strengths are advocacy, law, finance, fundraising, strategic planning, or hands‑on river work, your perspective matters.

If you’re an FOTR member in good standing (or ready to become one), explore the role and apply. Let’s shape the future of your Rouge River together.

Deadline to apply is October 9, 2026