Volunteer

Volunteers (like you!) are the people who make it possible to restore and protect your Rouge River right here in southeast Michigan. No special skill or experience is required. See upcoming volunteer opportunities below, or explore further below for links to program pages to find out how you can join the effort to protect and restore the Rouge River.

The Rain Gardens at PARC: Help Us Mulch the Gardens!

Now that the 23 rain gardens at the Plymouth Arts and Recreation Complex (PARC) have been planted, it is time...

Southfield Beech Woods Park: Help Us Mulch the Rain Garden!

Now that the rain garden at Southfield’s Beech Woods Park has been planted, it is time to mulch! We need...

Calling Volunteers to Open Logjams

Friends of the Rouge is working to open the Lower Rouge Water Trail from Canton to River Rouge for kayaks...

Bug Hunt Trainings - volunteers in the waterway

Bug Hunt Events and Training

We invite you to come along and hunt bugs with us! No prior experience is necessary but PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED....

Volunteering During COVID-19

Friends of the Rouge is taking extra pre-cautions to keep volunteers and staff safe during this pandemic. After initially cancelling all in person events, we are slowly re-engaging SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS with strong safety protocols that will be modified dependent on the Michigan Safe Start Plan.

All volunteers must follow our Volunteer Protocol which currently requires you to pre-register, wear a face covering, maintain social distance, fill out a Health Screening and sign a Volunteer Waiver. Check our list of programs to register for the one you want and details will be emailed to you.

Friends of the Rouge is able to accomplish so much with the help of thousands of volunteers every year. We offer both long term and short term volunteer projects. Please use the links to learn more.

Download Service Hours Form

River Monitoring

Residents become citizen scientists

This program engages residents to become citizen scientists, collecting data about the health of the watershed through biological indicator species (bugs, frogs, fish, etc.) that reflect the long-term health of the watershed. As water quality improves, bugs frogs and fish are returning.
Learn more..