| In This Issue: Upcoming Events: News & Updates: - Birds, Bugs & Plant Walk - Aug. 17
- Membership BBQ & Honeysuckle Happy Hour - Aug. 20
- Senior Bingo Picnic - Aug. 22
- Rouge Park Bat Listening - Aug. 24
- August Stewardship Updates and Plans for September
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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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Buffalo Soldiers & Blues Freedom Arts Festival Saturday, Oct. 5th, 1pm-5pm |
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Celebrate freedom and the history of the Buffalo Soldiers with Friends of Rouge Park, the Detroit Parks Coalition and the Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Association with free horse rides, museum tours, Blues with Big Pete and Friends, food, art and lawn games. This is part of the Detroit Parks Coalition's 2024 Freedom Arts Festival that kicked off on June 19 at the Dequidre Cut with Juneteenth Stories from Black Bottom and concludes on Nov. 2 in Patton Park with Run of the Dead. Rouge Park's event is Saturday Oct. 5, 1-5 pm at 8886 Lahser, Detroit, MI 48239 (map). |
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Rouge Park Movie Night! Saturday, Oct. 26th, 6:30pm-10pm |
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Join us for a spooktacular evening on Saturday, October 26th, from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM! The movie will start at 8:00 PM, and we’re brewing up a fun-filled night under the stars. Cozy Corners Recreation Area (map). What to Expect: - Complimentary Popcorn & Snacks: Enjoy free popcorn and snacks while you watch.
- Cozy Comfort: Bring your own chairs and blankets to get comfy for the movie.
Vote for the Movie! We’re currently choosing between: - Monster House
- Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
Don’t miss out on this Halloween treat—come for the movie, stay for the fun! |
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Birds, Bugs & Plant Walk with Detroit Bird Alliance |
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On August 17th, from 1 to 3 pm, the Friends of Rouge Park (FORP) and the Detroit Bird Alliance came together for an engaging "Plants, Birds, and Bugs" walk along the Prairie Pathway. Under the expert guidance of Kelly Konieczki, enthusiastic participants explored the rich biodiversity of this unique ecosystem. The walk began with an introduction to the diverse array of plants found along the Prairie Pathway. Kelly Konieczki shared fascinating insights about local flora, highlighting species such as wildflowers and grasses that play crucial roles in the habitat. Participants then shifted their focus to the avian life in the area, with Kelly pointing out various bird species. The final segment of the walk delved into the world of insects. Overall, the event was a successful blend of education and exploration, offering attendees a deeper appreciation for the natural world and its intricate connections. |
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Honeysuckle Happy Hour / Membership BBQ |
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On August 20th, Friends of Rouge Park (FORP) hosted a vibrant Honeysuckle Happy Hour and Membership BBQ, bringing together 30 new and returning members for a day of community and stewardship. The event kicked off with a volunteer workday led by stewardship volunteer Adele Hawkins clearing honeysuckle from the future site of the large community picnic shelter overlooking the river. Following the workday, attendees enjoyed a delicious BBQ organized by our treasurer, Yvette Bass, featuring hotdogs, burgers, and cookies. President Sally Petrella gave an update of FORPs recent progress, while Land Stewardship Manager Antonio Cosme highlighted ongoing stewardship projects. Program Manager Alex Allen IV updated everyone on recent and upcoming events. The afternoon was filled with engaging updates, great food, and lively music, celebrating the efforts and achievements of the Friends of Rouge Park community. At the meeting, we thanked Alex for all his hard work with a cake. We are happy to report that he has reconsidered his decision to leave the organization and will stay on as FORP's Program Manager. It must have been the cake! We are so happy to have him stay. |
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On August 22nd, the Friends of Rouge Park (FORP) and the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance hosted a lively Senior Bingo Picnic, drawing 74 seniors for an enjoyable afternoon. Guests were treated to music from DJ Guru and delicious boxed lunches from Honeybaked Ham. The event included a valuable presentation on diabetes prevention and tips for navigating senior healthcare visits. The highlight of the day was a spirited bingo game, with drawings conducted by officers from the 6th precinct, offering exciting prizes like Bluetooth speakers and personal blenders. Additionally, the Dedicated Senior Medical Center set up an information table to provide useful resources. The event was a great success, combining fun, education, and community spirit. A big thank you to the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance for supporting this event through Senior University. |
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Bat Listening with Belle Isle Nature Center |
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On August 24th, the Friends of Rouge Park (FORP) partnered with the Belle Isle Nature Center to host a Bat Listening Program that attracted 14 enthusiastic participants. Led by Belle Isle Nature Center Specialist Sierra McWilliams, attendees learned about bats from Sierra and her bat puppet (above), then explored various locations around the Lahser Marsh and amphitheater area, using the center’s Echo Meter to detect and identify bat species. The group successfully identified big brown bats, eastern red bats and hoary bats with the device and actually saw a few big brown bat flying (video), making for an engaging and informative experience. The event highlighted the diverse wildlife in the park and the tools used to study them. These bats can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes an hour so the park could certainly host quite a few more. |
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August Stewardship Updates |
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The prairie has transformed from the purples, whites, and yellow of early summer into a sea of goldenrod, prairie dock, yellow ironweed, smooth oxeye, blue vervain, and native sunflowers as fall approaches. Get out there before the wildflower season ends.. We’ve restarted our stewardship activities after taking a July-break, working with the Youth works teams. Their last day was August 8th and we’re so grateful for the work they accomplished in Rouge Park. They worked through a mosquito intensive summer with all of this rain. Thankfully mosquito season is dying down! We hosted a workday on August 20th at Sorensen Rec Area, continuing the work we started there more than year ago! What a difference!!! I recommend standing at the parking lot, looking at the forest edge north of the Ma'iingun Wildwood Trailhead. It’s open and you can see into the forest because we’ve thoroughly removed those invasive shrubs. These openings are already allowing native flowers and shrubs to thrive. Look south of the trailhead and you’ll see a green wall of invasive shrubs. Night and day. That’s why this stewardship is so important. Removing these invasive plants helps to restore the native ecosystem. We had a volunteer day on August 29th at the North Prairie Trail entrance. We were soaking in the last of those gorgeous wildflowers as we elevated our stewardship practices and employing cut stump treatments to invasive trees and shrubs that were mowed down through our partnership with Huron Clinton Metroparks. While clear-cutting invasive shrubs with a brush-hog made an immediate difference, those tap-rooted shrubs and vines like porcelainberry quickly return with a vengeance, so we’re using cut-stump treatments to kill those trees that are rapidly returning. Antonio is currently up north harvesting wild rice with some Ojibwe friends! Tis the season of harvest. As a result of his travels he's cramming a lot of volunteer activities into the end of the month. Please join us on September 14th to construct a little footbridge over the Ma'iingun Wildwood Trail in the Sorensen Recreation Area with The Mission Continues, a veterans group we will be partnering with. You are welcome to join us. You could also join us on Sunday, September 15th when we be installing protective cages on the cherry orchard trees we planted this spring! Hungry overpopulated deer have been wreaking havoc on our cherry orchard and it will only get worse as the deer begin their fall mating season. Come help save these cherries! Lastly, our fall Buckthorn and Bonfires series kicks off on Sept 18 at Joe Prance and September 27th at Scout Hollow where we will work hard, enjoy some adult beverages and end the evening burning some of the old shrubs we’ve amassed doing this work over the past year. Fall colors are right around the corner, stay turned for workdays that will continue into winter! |
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Click here to see their September events. Edison Branch is now open on Saturdays but closed on Fridays HOURS 12-8pm Mon. & Wed. 10am-6pm Tues., Thurs., & Sat. |
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Upcoming Events in Rouge Park |
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We would LOVE your help in planning future events in Rouge Park!
Join our Programming Committee here Sorensen Walkway Volunteer Workday Saturday, Sept. 14th, 9am-2pm
Sorensen Recreation Area (map)
Help us to build a boardwalk on the Sorensen Trail
Register Cherry Orchard Tree Caging Sunday, Sept. 15th, 1-5pm
Rouge Park Drive south of Plymouth (map)
Register Buckthorn Bonfire
Wednesday, Sept. 18th, 4:30-8:00pm Joe Prance Recreation Area, W. Chicago & West Parkway (map)
Join us in removing invasive species
Register DTown Farm 18th Annual Harvest Festival
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21-22, 12:00-6:00pm 14027 West Outer Drive, between Plymouth and West Chicago (map)
This anticipated festival is a joyous event that brings the Detroit community together to celebrate a bountiful harvest and uplift Black food sovereignty. Buckthorn Bonfire
Friday, Sept. 27th, 4:30-7:30pm Scout Hollow Nature Trail, Spinoza north of W. Chicago (map)
Join us in removing invasive species
Register
Buffalo Soldiers and Blues Freedom Arts Festival
Saturday, Oct. 5th, 1:00-5:00pm Buffalo Soldiers Horse Barn, 8666 Lahser (map)
Register
Fish and Tree Walk
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2-3:30pmScout Hollow Nature Trail, Spinoza north of W. Chicago (map)
Learn to identify trees and what fish are found in the Rouge River in Rouge Park.
Register
Rouge Park Halloween Movie Night Saturday, Oct. 26th 6:30pm-10:00pm Cozy Corners Recreation Area, Joy & Spinoza (map)
Free family movie night in Rouge Park Register |
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