| The Friends of Rouge Park Mission: To protect, restore, and promote a natural, environmentally healthy, and culturally vibrant Rouge Park that engages the community for the benefit and enjoyment of all. We can't do it without your support! |
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Membership BBQ & Meeting & Honeysuckle Happy Hour |
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Join us at Rouge Park's Sorensen Recreation Area (map) for our Friends of Rouge Park Membership BBQ and Meeting and catch up on the latest initiatives, programs, and opportunities to get involved. If you want to give back, come early at 4:30 to help us remove invasive plants on the Ma'iingan Wildwood Trail for Happy Hour (wear long pants and covered shoes for this, and enjoy an adult beverage on us). Or just come at 6 pm for the meeting.
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17th Annual Butterfly & Prairie Walk Report |
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Forty-one people came out for our 17th Annual Butterfly and Prairie Walk on July 28 despite the hot humid weather. When our intrepid butterfly enthusiast Doris Applebaum was unsure she could lead due to an injury, we recruited Lisa Denys and Mark Bourn from the Southeast Michigan Butterfly Association to identify butterflies. We also asked Stefanie Steele from the Xerces Society, an national organization that works to protect all invertebrates and their habitat, to identify other pollinators, her expertise being bees. Doris ended up being able to come so we had five leaders including Sally Petrella identifying plants. Throughout the walk, we were able to identify 11 types of butterflies and 11 types of bees. Doris and Mark helped the group search high and low for butterflies and Lisa and Sally taught people about the interesting plants. Stefanie told fascinating stories about the bees, teaching people that only female bees sting and even caught a few and put them in a jar for a moment to allow us to observe them more closely. For a list of the butterflies and bees we saw, click here. Rouge Park's prairie never fails to impress with its beauty. It is a small slice of what the land once looked like before it was plowed under and developed. The project to restore 70 acres of Rouge Park to tallgrass prairie is providing much needed homes for pollinators like butterflies and bees. Late summer and early fall is the best time to visit the prairie and hike the Prairie Pathway. |
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Come for a fun-filled day of food, festivities, and games, all hosted by Friends of Rouge Park and the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance at Rouge Park's Sorensen Recreation Area (map). We're hosting a Bingo Picnic where you can groove to some cool music, enjoy tasty food, and compete for exciting bingo prizes and more. This fantastic community event is a great way to celebrate our shared love for Rouge Park! |
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Senior Bus Tour a Success |
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On a beautiful day of exploration and learning, 40 seniors gathered for the Rouge Park Senior Bus Tour, a collaborative effort between the Friends of Rouge Park and the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance. This event, part of Cody Rouge’s Senior University Program, provided an engaging and informative experience for the local senior community. Guided by Board Trustee Paul Stark, participants enjoyed a scenic and educational journey through Rouge Park, making over ten memorable stops, including: - Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Barn: Located off Joy Rd. and Lahser, this historic barn offered insights into the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers.
- Cherry Orchard: The newly planted Cherry Orchard along Rouge Park Dr. was a highlight.
- Brennan Pools: A refreshing stop where seniors could appreciate the park’s recreational facilities.
- Scout Hollow: Garrett Dempsey provided an overview of the exciting camping programs available at Scout Hollow, enhancing the participants' appreciation of this area.
- Lahser Marsh / Archery Range: This stop allowed seniors to explore the tranquil marshland and learn about the park’s archery range.
- Ma’iigan Wildwood Trail & Stone Bridge Nature Trail: Antonio Cosme spoke about the stewardship work FORP is doing to restore and enhance the park's natural areas.
- Alex Jefferson Statue: The newly unveiled statue honored Tuskegee Airman and Detroit native Alex Jefferson, adding a touch of local heritage to the tour.
- Prairie Pathway: This scenic pathway showcased the park’s dedication to preserving natural landscapes.
- D-Town Farms: The visit to this urban farm highlighted the park’s commitment to community agriculture and sustainable practices.
The tour concluded with a delightful Panera Bread catered lunch, enjoyed beneath one of Rouge Park’s spacious and comfortable sheds in the Brennan Recreation Area. The meal provided a fitting end to a day filled with exploration, education, and community spirit. Overall, the event was a tremendous success, offering seniors a unique opportunity to connect with Rouge Park and its many features, while fostering a sense of community and appreciation for the local environment. Sign up for our next senior event - the annual senior picnic on August 22. |
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Bat Listening with the Belle Isle Nature Center |
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Bats are fascinating creatures that keep mosquitoes in check, eating as many as 1,000 in an hour! They use echolocation to navigate and find the insects. Join the Friends of Rouge Park and the Belle Isle Nature Center at the Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Center Barn (map) on Aug. 24 at 7:30pm to use an Echo Meter to find the bats and help us discover what species we have in Rouge Park! |
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Steward Spotlight: Adele Hawkins |
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This month we’re highlighting another steward and volunteer named Adele Hawkins! Adele was born in the Rouge watershed and grew up biking trails along the lower Rouge. Her lifelong interest in nature led to foraging, and into the world of invasive species, then to imagining functional, diverse ecosystems that existed before overdevelopment of the region left only the tiny fragments of nature we have left. Raised to believe that humans are separate and don’t belong in nature, Adele came to learn that humans do belong, and that we ought to play an active role in caring for and cultivating ecosystems. She found great inspiration in land back & decolonial movements in Detroit’s urban activist community. Adele was woken up by the great insect die-off scientists are discovering. As someone feeling anxiety and stress about climate chaos, “volunteering in Rouge Park gives me a sense of purpose and a way to confront my fears and anxiety around climate change and ecosystem loss, hands on. Dealing with the consequences of my ancestors pillaging the world and bringing all of these invasive plants feels like the right thing to do as a settler.” Adele really enjoys connecting with like-minded people at our Honeysuckle Happy Hours. A graphic designer who found herself laid off during Covid, Adele used the space and time to pursue her interests in nature. She signed up for Friends of the Rouge's “Stormwater Specialist Program” meant to build entrepreneurship in helping weed and manage the growing number of rain gardens in the Rouge River watershed. As the Land Stewardship Manager, I recognize the need for trained professionals doing the work of managing invasive species and working in our park. The challenge is: the funding doesn’t match the scale of the problem, so leaders like Adele have trouble breaking into the field despite loving the work. Friends of Rouge Park is seeking ways to support stewards like Adele, ultimately to build a natural areas program with paid staff. In the interim, we hope to at least offer stipends and build out an educational program where select stewards can help us manage volunteer groups. In the past few months Friends of Rouge Park leaders have been applying for grants to do just this… pay hardworking stewards who want to work in this field, fighting invasive species to improve our forests and prairies. Be sure to stay tuned! And come to the Honeysuckle Happy Hour at 4:30 pm on Aug 20 before our membership meeting and get to know Adele who will be leading it. |
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Free Produce in the Park Wednesdays |
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Having trouble finding and affording fresh fruit and vegetables? Come on out to the Brennan Recreation Area on Wednesdays between 3-5pm and find the Eastern Market there with free produce. This is part of the Pistons Neighbors Program that is offering free programming to help keep your healthy and fit. Check out the recent article in Metromode about how parks address health equity here. |
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From the Land Stewardship Manager Antonio Cosme: The prairie is in full bloom right now: big yellow blooms of rosinweed, smooth oxeye, black-eyed Susan, grey-headed coneflower, lance-leaf coreopsis, evening primrose, prairie dock and even some goldenrod are on display… purple flowers like blazing star, nodding wild onion, Canadian tick clover, Joe-Pye weed, ironweed, purple coneflower, heal-all, blue vervain, and even an invasive like purple loosestrife blooming. Some of my personal favorites are Culver’s root and rattlesnake master. What are your favorite prairie flowers? You’ve probably noticed but we’ve taken a step back from organizing public stewardship events because we’ve been hosting work crews from YouthWork, a civilian conservation corps program run out of the Community and Family Services of Northwest Michigan. They hired 4 crews totaling 18 Metro Detroit youth. They are among 100 total youth working in parks and green spaces across the state! One of those crews is led by Shilah Bell, a student at Northern Michigan University, studying Environmental Science with a concentration in natural resources. She said, “I love this work… it’s important that urban youth get outside and make a difference in the ecosystems we have access to.” For many students, it was their first time in Rouge Park. The crews have worked about 2 full weeks in Rouge Park, in which they’ve spread mulch to complete our Orchard Trail and did a fantastic job clearing/ opening up much of the Scout Hollow Trail leading from the trailhead near West Chicago north to Spinoza, just west of Brennan Pools! We’ve prioritized the Scout’s Hollow trail because we want to prepare for the ground-breaking of the new Rouge Park Rec Center which is expected for this fall! Eternally grateful for that donation from the Pistons, we aim to add a connector trail from the Rec. Center to the Scout’s Hollow. This will be the revival of an old trail head at the entrance of Brennan Pools. Big thanks to our historian Paul Stark for uncovering maps that highlight the original trail! |
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Play Lacrosse At Rouge Park! |
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Practices will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, with game days scheduled for Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. All activities will take place at the Sorensen Recreation Area located on Sawyer St. & Spinoza Dr. (map) Whether your child is new to the sport or looking to develop their skills further, this league promises to be a fun and supportive environment for all participants. For more information and to register, please visit our website or contact us directly. Let's come together to make this inaugural season of Detroit City Recreational Lacrosse at Rouge Park a memorable one! |
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Click here to see all of their upcoming events. |
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We would LOVE your help in planning future events in Rouge Park!
Join our Programming Committee here
Brennan Pools ARE OPEN DAILY 12-8pm
more info
Sunday Yoga in the Park
Sundays 9a-10a (ends Sept. 30)
Brennan Recreation Area
Join Yoganic Flow every Sunday morning through September for yoga in the park.
Register Pistons Neighbors Program (ends Aug. 17) Brennan Recreation Area (map) - Tennis - Mon. & Wed. 3p-5p
- Detroit Youth Lacrosse - Mondays 5p-6p
- Free Produce (Eastern Market) - Wednesdays 3p-5p
- Martial Arts - Fridays 3p-4p
- Basketball - Fridays 3p-4p
- Arts & Crafts - Fridays 5p-6p
- Hustle Classes - Fridays 6p-7p
Detroit City Recreational Lacrosse (ends Aug. 20)
Tue. & Thur. 5:30-7:00pm (Practices)
Saturdays 10am-12pm (Gamedays)
Sorensen Recreation Area
Youth Lacrosse league for boys & girls ages 3-15. No experience required!
Register
Membership Barbecue & Honeysuckle Happy Hour
Tuesday, August 20th 4:30-6 pm Honeysuckle Happy Hour 6-7:30 pm Meeting and Barbecue Sorensen Recreation Area (map) Join us for our Friends of Rouge Park Membership Meeting and BBQ and catch up on the latest initiatives, programs, and opportunities to get involved. If you want to give back, come early to help us remove invasive plants on the Ma'iingan Wildwood Trail for Happy Hour.
Register
Senior University Rouge Park Picnic
Saturday, August 22nd, 11:30am-2:30pm
Sorensen Recreation Area
Come for a fun-filled day of food, festivities, and games, all hosted by Friends of Rouge Park and the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance. We're hosting a Bingo Picnic where you can groove to some cool music, enjoy tasty food, and compete for exciting bingo prizes and more. This fantastic community event is a great way to celebrate our shared love for Rouge Park!
Register
Rouge Park Bat Listening
Saturday, August 24th, 7:30-9:30pm
Lahser Marsh, Meet at BSHA Horse barn (map)
Join FORP and the Belle Isle Nature Center to discover the mysterious bat population in Rouge Park
Register
Honeysuckle Happy Hour
Tuesday, August 28th, 4:30-8:00pm
Butterfly Garden and Prairie Pathway (map)
Join us in removing invasive species from the prairie
Register Wild Detroit Foraged-to-Fork Fundraising Dinner
Saturday, Sept. 14th, 6-9pm
Brightmoor Artisans Collective, 22735 Fenkell Ave., Detroit, MI 48223
Join Brightmoor Artisans Collective, Black to the Land and Friends of Rouge Park in enjoying and celebrating food foraged from the area. This is a fundraiser for the three organizations, tickets are $135 and limited.
Tickets Buckthorn Bonfire
Wednesday, Sept. 18th, 4:30-8:00pm
Join us in removing invasive species
Register Buckthorn Bonfire
Friday, Sept. 27th, 4:30-7:30pm
Join us in removing invasive species
Register
Buffalo Soldiers and Blues Freedom Arts Festival
Saturday, Oct. 5th, 1:00-5:00pm
Free pony rides, food and blues. Details to come.
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