| FORP Rouge Park News: - Long-time Rouge Park Partners Cut off by DOGE
- Job Posting: Engagement Intern
- FORP Advocates for Rouge Park Maintenance Funding
- FORP Works to Protect Rare Grassland Birds
- Earth Day Celebrated with Tree Plantings
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In honor of the centennial anniversary of Rouge Park, we've dedicated a page on our website to recognize our generous donors who have contributed $100 or more to support the Centennial Celebration. Their contributions help commemorate this milestone year and ensure the continued preservation of our beautiful park. Donations will be accepted throughout the year, and all donors will be acknowledged on this page as a heartfelt THANK YOU for their commitment to Rouge Park. |
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Long-Time Rouge Park Partners Cut off by DOGE |
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In 2018, the Southeast Michigan AmeriCorps Program asked to partner with us on a joint service project they called the Russ Mawby Signature Service Project and send their members from around the region to participate in the annual Rouge Park Appreciation Day Clean up. It was such a success that first year with several hundred participants that we have partnered every year since. AmeriCorps members are engaged in service throughout SE Michigan: in schools tutoring students, creating safe routes to schools, boarding blighted homes, coaching students and more. 150+ AmeriCorps members do good work in our city every year. On Friday April 25, nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grant funding was immediately and unexpectedly terminated, shuttering more than 1,000 programs and prematurely ending the service of almost 30,000 AmeriCorps members nationwide including 1,200 in Michigan alone. People who dedicated a year of their life to serving their community have suddenly been told they are no longer needed.
Given this situation, we are asking for your help in recruiting more volunteers for the May 17 Rouge Park Appreciation Day AND to tell your members of Congress to reinstate AmeriCorps funding.
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Job Posting: Engagement Intern |
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As we celebrate Rouge Park’s 100th anniversary, we’re seeking a passionate, community-minded engagement Intern to support our seasonal programming. This is a great opportunity for students or emerging professionals interested in environmental conservation, public engagement, or nonprofit work to gain hands-on experience in urban green space stewardship. This is a part-time, seasonal internship intended for students or early-career individuals interested in environmental stewardship and community engagement. The intern will receive a total stipend of up to $4,800, paid in monthly installments based on start date. This is not an employment relationship, and no benefits or wages are provided. To apply, please send your resume, a brief cover letter outlining your interest in the internship, and three professional or academic references to [email protected] by May 15, 2025. |
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FORP Advocates for Rouge Park Maintenance Funding |
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It is no secret that Rouge Park has huge maintenance needs. Friends of Rouge Park can raise funds for projects but not for basic maintenance. We have been working hard to convince the city to spend more money to keep up our beloved park, holding meetings and speaking up at the budget hearings. The work paid off and our Councilman Fred Durhal advocated with us for $4 million for five projects. While not everything was funded, $775,000 was allocated for Rouge Park projects! A big thank you to Councilman Durhal for advocating with us: $775,000 for Rouge Park Improvements: •$200,000 – Demolition of the comfort station at Tireman and Spinoza •$175,000 – Installation of 25 benches and trash cans every ¼ mile along the paved path •$400,000 – Renovation of the Nursery Building for equipment storage, office space, and community meeting use. |
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FORP Works to Protect Rare Grassland Birds |
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Rouge Park provides habitat for many grassland birds including eastern meadowlarks. You may have noticed these stocky brown birds once they return to breed in the spring, flashing the bright white sides of their tails or you may have been lucky enough to see their bright yellow breast with a black V. You also might hear their familiar “tee-yah, tee-yair” whistle. Grassland birds like eastern meadowlarks have declined around the country by as much as 43%. To protect the meadowlarks, FORP has worked with the Detroit grounds crew to limit mowing until after the nesting season so that they can successfully nest and raise their young in Rouge Park. If you notice the grass getting a little tall around Jefferson Field in the summer, know this makes a difference for these special birds. |
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Earth Day Celebrated with Tree Planting |
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Happy Earth Day! Thanks to all the volunteers who came out to help us plant the orchard at the park. With all the right tools and our amazing partners at MSU-Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation, we planted 25 cherry trees and 10 persimmons. In May, we’ll be adding some pawpaws to the mix, and in just 3-5 years, it’ll be a very exciting edible destination in the park! |
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Join us for Rouge Park Appreciation Day on Saturday, May 17th, from 9 AM to 1 PM—the biggest park clean-up of the year! Volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in projects ranging from trash clean-ups to invasive species removal, tree plantings and other efforts to improve the park. Lunch will be provided to all volunteers as a thank you for your hard work, cooked by the Detroit AeroModelers. Come out and help us make Rouge Park shine! |
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SAVE THE DATE FOR SOME CENTENNIAL FUN! We're looking forward to celebrating the park's 100th birthday with the Centennial Celebration in June. Here's a few ways you can get involved and help us spread the word as we prepare for this exciting event! VOLUNTEER: We're looking for 100 volunteers to join us to help with the celebration. If you or your group would like to join us, click the link here to sign up. COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR: If you have resources to share with the community, sign up for a booth at the Community Resource Fair. Please share this widely! |
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Honeysuckle Happy Hour Fridays, 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
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Join us for Honeysuckle Happy Hour, a recurring event where volunteers help restore the historic trails of Rouge Park while enjoying great food and drinks! Each session, we’ll work together to remove invasive honeysuckle, improve the park’s natural beauty, and then celebrate our efforts with refreshments and camaraderie.
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Fire Back to the Land: Prescribed Burns in Rouge Park Fire is a vital ecological tool, long used by Indigenous peoples to manage land, and should be re-embraced through prescribed burns to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems in Rouge Park and beyond. Rouge Park’s recent burns in 2022 and 2024, made possible through partnerships with Huron-Clinton Metroparks and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, help control invasives and support native plantings. Detroit and Rouge Park need their own Natural Areas Management Program to regularly use fire in both prairies and forests, ensuring long-term ecological resilience and restoring high quality natural areas across the city (read more). |
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The 1925 Plan: A Closer Look - The Mall |
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The original plan for Rouge Park envisioned a grand entrance to the park at Joy Rd. and Trinity St. The Joy & Spinoza area was to be the center of activity in the park complete with a bus station for Detroiters arriving at this rural park, over five miles from the nearest Detroit neighborhood. Read more here about the grand vision for this area of the park before the harsh reality of the Great Depression snuffed it out. |
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From the 1925 General Plan for Rouge Park |
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Click here to see the Edison Branch's May events. Edison Branch is now open on Saturdays but closed on Fridays. Hours: Mon. & Wed. 12-8pm, Tues., Thurs., & Sat. 10am-6pm |
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We would LOVE your help in supporting the future of Rouge Park! |
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