Parks in Partnership: Friends of the Rouge

5.27.2026

By Stephanie Kozak, Park Interpreter and Erin Parker, Interpretive Services Supervisor

While the Huron-Clinton Metroparks are named for two of the main rivers that run through our region, there are many other rivers that connect the people, parks, and places of southeast Michigan. Luckily for the residents and wildlife along each of these rivers, there are organizations dedicated to keeping the water quality high and helping engage users of all kinds to the watershed in which they live, work, and recreate!

Rouge River

One of southeast Michigan’s critical river ecosystems is the Rouge River. In 1969, this river was one of several (including the Cuyahoga in Ohio) that caught fire due to serious pollution. In the decades since, the river has undergone some intense restoration. From daylighting sections of the river (daylighting means removing culverts, tunnels, and other underground channels and allowing the river to flow at the surface) to creating and increasing wildlife habitat to green infrastructure projects designed to reduce flooding, the Rouge River is a different river than the one that caught fire in the late 60s!

Friends of the Rouge is an organization that focuses on restoration, stewardship, education, and recreation in the Rouge River watershed.

Friends of the Rouge

In the past few years, the Huron-Clinton Metroparks have been grateful to become part of the Metro Detroit Master Rain Gardener group alongside our partners: Washtenaw County, Friends of the Rouge, Friends of the Detroit River, Clinton River Watershed Council, Huron River Watershed Council, Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, River Raisin Watershed Council, and Alliance of Downriver Watersheds. Through this partnership, we are part of a team of instructors from these organizations that teaches an online Master Rain Gardener course each winter for members of the public who are interested in installing rain gardens in their green spaces.

Rain gardens and other green infrastructure help reduce flooding and erosion and increase wildlife habitat. Plus, through classes like the Master Rain Garden class, community members and local nonprofits work together to learn new skills and provide stewardship opportunities along the Rouge River.

Through this class, we have also been fortunate to form a partnership with the team at Friends of the Rouge. Over the past couple of years, we have shared information about our upcoming rain garden classes and visited each other’s programs to exchange resources and connect with attendees. Recently, Friends of the Rouge hosted a Rain Gardens program at Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, where we attended to share information and resources with community members. This event also helped us promote upcoming Master Rain Gardener courses, as well as native plant sales and swaps.

Last year, we partnered with Friends of the Rouge to host an in-person Master Rain Gardener course at Westland Public Library. At the end of the course, we worked together with the library to help class participants and former Master Rain Gardener graduates install a rain garden on the library grounds.

Also, last year, we were awarded a Watershed Council Program grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Nonpoint Source Program (NPS) for the Expanding Community Resiliency through Rain Gardens project. One of the goals of this grant is to support the installation of five rain gardens through scholarships that assist participants who may need help with the physical demands of building a rain garden.

To support these efforts, we are partnering with the St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center to hire graduates of the Detroit Stormwater Specialist Training (SWST) program to install these five residential rain gardens. SWST is a six-week program that provides pathways toward living-wage employment focused on outdoor work and green infrastructure maintenance through a joint effort between Friends of the Rouge, Sierra Club – Michigan Chapter, and St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center. Graduates of the program are trained to identify and repair eroded areas, distinguish native plants from weeds, and control invasive species. Friends of the Rouge is also providing consultation to support the design, implementation, and installation planning for each residential rain garden.

Supporting a variety of community efforts to learn about, install, and maintain rain gardens is a critical piece of Rouge River restoration and community engagement around its watershed.

Recreation on the River

One of the best ways to celebrate the amazing work that has happened to restore the Rouge is to paddle it! The Friends of the Rouge, in collaboration with the Metroparks and a variety of other local partners, provide opportunities to get people out on the river.

Another way the Metroparks partners with the Friends of the Rouge is by providing support for four recreational boat trips on the river each year. These trips, facilitated by Friends of the Rouge staff and a variety of local partners, help get people out on the water in canoes and kayaks. Enjoying the river’s restoration and encouraging new audiences to try out paddle sports on their local river is an important way to celebrate the river and the communities in the watershed.

Paddlers gather before and after their paddle trip to learn a little bit more about the river with the Metroparks.

Resources:

https://therouge.org/

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2019/10/07/rouge-river-fire-anniversary-great-lakes-moment/

https://therouge.org/species-of-fish-found-in-the-rouge-river/

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