Rouge Rundown – October 16, 2024: Cities Collaborate on Green Solutions | Bug Hunt | Fall Friends Fest & More

It’s Here: Your Fall Friends Fest this Saturday!

Celebrate fall on your Rouge River. Join your Friends this Saturday for a beautiful day at Ford Field Park in Dearborn. Enjoy decorations from the Haunted Paddle! Toast s’mores. Maybe eat too much candy. Connect with your Friends’ staff at interactive Rouge River tents. Enjoy of the excitement of the Lower Rouge River Water Trail. Treats and tricks abound! This family-friendly event is FREE. Costumes are optional. See you on the River!

Saturday, October 19, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Ford Field Park, South Parking Lot, Dearborn, MI 48124

Ghoulish Garden Gala

Partake in eerie elixirs, spine-chilling sweets, and haunting Halloween games. It’s a spooky evening you won’t forget! Join FOTR for the final PARC Garden Spruce Up Event for the 2024 Season:

Thurs. October 24th, 5 – 7 p.m.

Fall Bug Hunters Enjoyed a Perfect Day

The weather was perfect for the ~160 volunteers who showed up for our 22nd annual Fall Bug Hunt last weekend to sample bugs across your Rouge River in 14 teams. This year, the event welcomed groups of young science students from Schoolcraft College, Wayne State University, Lawrence Tech, UM-Dearborn, and the University of Michigan. A team from Trout Unlimited will sample additional sites. A giant thank you amazing volunteers, team leaders, Daisy Lovain for running registration, and Richard Kates and Dylan Cutler for videography & bug picking. Thank you to all of the caring Friends like you who make this event possible. What an incredible community-wide effort to measure the health and wellness of your hometown River! Would YOU like to join in on the next bug hunting adventure? Feel the call of the wild and sign up for the Stonefly Search in January! 

Detroit StormWater Specialist Training

It’s been quite a year for your StormWater Specialist Training (SWST), with a third cohort currently in training. So far, 34 StormWater Specialists who have completed the program and are equipped with the knowledge and skills to engage in rain garden maintenance work. Many SWST graduates also complete the Rain Gardens to the Rescue program and participate in additional rain garden installations.

If you or someone you know would like to hire a SWST graduates to install or maintain your rain gardens, please contact Matt Connors at mconnors@therouge.com or Amethyst Crawford at amethystcrawford15@gmail.com. 

2024 Rain Gardens to the Rescue!

Seven beautiful rain gardens were installed in neighborhoods this year to improve your Rouge River! A heartfelt thank you to all the enthusiastic residents of Detroit and Dearborn who joined the Rain Gardens to the Rescue classes to learn how to bring green infrastructure to your neighborhood. 

Throughout this course, participants learned how to design and install their very own rain gardens. Rain gardens are not just a practical solution for managing stormwater and local flooding; they’re also a beautiful addition to any landscape. It’s truly incredible to see how these gardens can transform your landscape so drastically, while still doing such important work for the environment.

This program was made possible through the support of generous funders, Cleveland Cliffs and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, amazing partners at the Sierra Club, the SWST crew, wonderful volunteers, and by caring Friends like you.

Green Infrastructure Exchange Leadership Workshop Series Kicks Off

Representatives from multiple municipalities including Birmingham, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, Garden City, Northville Township, Novi, Oakland County, Southfield, Washtenaw County, Wayne County,  and EGLE, gathered for the kickoff of a grant-funded collaboration with the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange (GIE). The GIE’s mission is built on three core pillars:

1. LEADERSHIP: Developing members’ leadership capabilities through training programs, such as the Adaptive Leadership Program.
2. IMPLEMENTATION: Providing members with opportunities to innovate and implement effective Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) solutions, including through our Peer Learning and Re-grant Programs, which have led to groundbreaking resources like The Equity Guide for GSI Practitioners.
3. EVIDENCE-BUILDING: Strengthening the case for GSI by conducting studies like the State of Public Sector GSI and providing additional resources in the GSI Library.

Locally, five municipalities will receive a one-year membership to the Exchange, along with opportunities to exchange best practices with peers across the nation. During the first session, municipal leaders heard from Philadelphia, which has installed Green Stormwater Infrastructure that captures 1.5 billion gallons of stormwater since their “Green Cities, Clean Waters” initiative kicked off in 2011. Best practices will be adapted and integrated into watershed management strategies, with municipal partners acting as key facilitators of action. Stay tuned for more updates and projects in 2025!

What Makes the Rouge River Even Better?

YOU! Thank you, Friends. And a warm WELCOME to the newest Members and “Friends” of Friends of the Rouge who have recently joined:

Timothy Anderson, William Becker, Cheryl Bord, Kendall Casey, James Conant, Ron & Rhonda Fadoir, Mary Ann Findling, Ashley Flintoff, Chris Gattis, Grissim Metz Andriese Associates, Gina Hug, Minden Humphrey, Elbert Jamison, Ruthellen Singer, Nancy Soisson, Mary Tamasiunas

Job Opportunities

Others Hiring:

Michigan Department of Natural Resources: Wildlife Biologist 9-P11 – Invasive Species Early Detection and Response Biologist

University of Michigan, CIGLR: Research Engagement Specialist

Washtenaw County Parks: Volunteer and Educational Program Supervisor

Upcoming Events

Sat. Oct 19 at 11:30 am: Fall Friends Fest

Sat. Oct 24 at 5 pm: Ghoulish Garden Gala

Ongoing: Become a PARC Champion: Email Your Interest to Enjoy the Gardens as You Build a Greener, Cleaner River and Community!

Partner Events

Sat. Oct 19 from 8 am – 4 pm
Detroit Bird Alliance and Michigan State University: Birdsong in the City 

Sat. Oct 19 from 8 am – 1 pm
Wayne County: Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Tue. Oct 22 from 9 am – 4 pm
University of Windsor: State of the Straight- 2 Locations

Thu. Oct 24 from 6-7:45 pm
Royal Oak Library: “Our Hidden Wildlife” by Bob Muller

Fri. Oct 25 from 4:30-7:00 pm
Friends of Rouge Park: Buckthorn Bonfire

Sat. Oct 26 from 6:30-10 pm
Friends of Rouge Park: Rouge Park Halloween Movie Night

Sat. Oct 26 from 7-8:30 pm

Grosse Ile Nature & Land Conservancy: Owl Prowl

Friends of Rouge Park: Buckthorn Bonfire

Sun. Nov 3 from 12:30-3:30 pm

Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge: Hawk Marionettes

Sat. Nov 16 at 1 pm

Grosse Ile Nature & Land Conservancy: Creatures of the Night

DONATE
HOME
ABOUT
EVENTS
VOLUNTEER
MEMBERSHIP
SPONSORSHIP

From Your Friend, Sam
Education & Monitoring Coordinator

A better River is made possible thanks to these supporters & in thanks to caring Friends like you