Parks in Partnership: Friends of the Detroit River

7.29.2026

By Kevin Arnold, Interpretive Service Supervisor, and Mike Broughton, Outreach Interpreter

If you stop to explore the Detroit River today, you are likely to encounter lively waterfront areas and parks, full of both people and wildlife, but that hasn’t always been the case. The industrial past and present of the river and surrounding landscapes caused significant degradation of the river, negatively impacting the water quality, habitat, human recreation opportunities, fish health, and safety.  By 1985, the Detroit River was considered an “Area of Concern”, an official designation that indicates that a body of water has high levels of pollution and requires management to improve water quality. Shortly after the designation, the Friends of the Detroit River were formed in part because of the longstanding concerns about the water quality of the river and also to protect Humbug Marsh, the last natural shoreline on the United States’ side of the Detroit River.

Today, the Friends of the Detroit River support restoration of habitat like the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and several islands that provide fish spawning areas, migratory bird stopover points that provide critical food and shelter during long spring and fall migrations, and even recreation for humans with a swimming beach and kayak and canoe launches. They also provide opportunities and events for the public, including children, to learn about the health and vibrancy of the Detroit River.

The marshes and islands protected and restored by Friends of the Detroit River slow wave impacts on shorelines, such as erosion. They create spawning grounds for fish and both food and shelter for a wide variety of other wildlife. Marsh plants filter water and help slow sediments and pollutants from entering the water. Along with restoration, Friends of the Detroit River provides many opportunities for learning about and appreciating the Detroit River.

Canoemobile opportunities for schools

In 2024, the Lake Erie Marshlands Museum Staff and Friends of the Detroit River launched a new opportunity to conduct on-the-water and onshore programming with the help of Wilderness Inquiry out of Bloomington, Minnesota. This program, which goes by the name Canoemobile, works with around 100 students per day and gets them into 10-person canoes for trips into the interior of Lake Erie Metropark.

Having conducted numerous programs in the past with The Friends of the Detroit River, it was easy for the Lake Erie staff to commit to this endeavor. In the three years of the program, we have had the opportunity to work with over 1100 students from school districts in Hamtramck, Detroit, Dearborn, and others, as well as Girl Scouts from all over southeast Michigan. Many of these students had never been on the water prior to this program. Along with the canoeing portion of the day, students onshore rotate between three stations to immerse themselves in wetland ecology, fishing, water investigations and other activities led by numerous other partner organizations such as Outdoors Detroit, the Michigan DNR, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and others.

Canoemobile, along with numerous festivals, paddle events, and one-off programs that staff have partnered with the Friends of the Detroit River, has increased the reach of both organizations. In working together for a common goal, we have had the opportunity to interact with students, families and other like-minded groups to help build a sustainable future for the residents of southeast Michigan.

Year-round learning

Friends of the Detroit River’s mission is: “To protect, defend, and improve the Detroit River through community-based stewardship and restoration, now and for future generations.” Over the past few years, the Metropark’s Outreach Team has been involved with several educational events sponsored by the Friends of the Detroit River. These include Shiver on the River, the Detroit River Water Festival and Public Lands Day.

Shiver on the River is true to its name as it always takes place in January or February on Belle Isle. The Metropark’s Outreach Team sets up a display highlighting the local wildlife of southeast Michigan and information about the Huron-Clinton Metroparks and park activities. Even though it is always cold, the event usually attracts several hundred people, some years as many as a thousand. They come to learn about the river, the wildlife that make their home there, and area organizations associated with the river. Public Lands Day is a similar event that takes place during the warmer fall weather.

The Detroit River Water Festival is an educational event geared toward fourth and fifth graders from the City of Detroit and the local area; this event also takes place on Belle Isle. During this two-day event, hundreds of students take part in a series of educational presentations and activities highlighting the importance of water in the local environment. Several partners from the area set up stations with numerous activities that coincided with the fourth and fifth grade Michigan science standards. For this event, the Metroparks Outreach helps students with a STEM activity to determine the amount of fresh water on Earth and the role wetlands play in Michigan’s environment.

Thanks to the dedication to protecting and cleaning the Detroit River, today we can fish, watch nesting bald eagles, and even see a beaver. None of this would be possible without the hard work of partners like Friends of the Detroit River.

Resources

https://www.detroitriver.org/

Canoemobile brings ‘floating classroom’ to Michigan’s waterways