Annual Rouge Rescue Efforts Begin May 18

METRO DETROIT, MI – Calling all outdoors and water lovers. Friends of the Rouge (FOTR) is looking for hundreds of volunteers to help clean up and improve the Rouge River at 40 locations, in 17 communities, throughout metro Detroit.

The annual Rouge Rescue clean up begins on Saturday, May 18, with additional workdays at select locations May through late June. Volunteer help is needed to restore habitats by removing trash, debris, and invasive species, and planting native flower, and maintaining land and water trails.

“Every spring Friends of the Rouge brings volunteers together from communities across the watershed to work toward the common goal of improving the Rouge River’s appearance, water quality, natural habitat, and recreational opportunities,” said Marie McCormick, executive director of Friends of the Rouge. “The annual river cleanup event began in 1986 with volunteers removing large quantities of trash from the river throughout 47 suburbs. Fifty years later, the event is still going strong and as a result, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has declared the Rouge River the ‘most improved watershed in the country’.”

The Rouge River is one the most accessible rivers in the state with more than 300 parks, 33 public golf courses, 27 nature preserves and more than 20,000 acres of parkland that include 50 miles of river. The river drains 466 square miles of land in three counties – Wayne, Oakland, and Washtenaw. The Rouge River is Michigan’s most urbanized watershed, inhabited by 1.5 million people in 48 communities.

“In 2018, Rouge Rescue volunteers cleaned up 82 cubic yards, equivalent to about 24 pickup trucks, of trash and debris, removed 261 cubic yards, or about 78 pickup trucks full of invasive plant material, managed large woody debris to stabilize streambanks and reduce localized erosion, and planted 2,000 native plants and trees,” said Cyndi Ross, River Restoration program manager at Friends of the Rouge. “We can’t thank our volunteers enough.”

Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to participate. Volunteers should expect to get a little dirty and should wear sturdy closed toe shoes and long sleeves and pants.

For a full list of Rouge Rescue sites, dates, and activities visit www.therouge.org/rouge-rescue/.

Communities benefitting from 2019 Rouge Rescue include Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Canton, Canton Township, Dearborn, Detroit, Farmington Hills, Inkster, Livonia, Northville, Novi, Plymouth, Redford Township, Southfield, Superior Township and Westland.