| FORP Rouge Park News: Meet Our New Seasonal Program Engagement Coordinator, Noor Ahmad We're Hiring! Communications and Engagement Coordinator Park Report: Maintenance and Other Issues September Events in the Park
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If you have been to any of our events since May, you may have had the pleasure of meeting Noor Ahmad. Hired as our Park Engagement Intern at the beginning of June, Noor was promoted to Seasonal Program Engagement Coordinator in August. Noor has a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Science and a B.A. in Political Science, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Michigan. Prior to coming to Friends of Rouge Park, Noor spent five years managing events and a community garden, three years as an arborist and managed a medical office. Noor is a trained stormwater specialist and volunteered for Friends of Rouge Park before she started working with us. Noor has quickly put her skills in community engagement and event organizing to work as she began planning nature walks including Bat Listening then took on managing one of our biggest events of the year: Buffalo Soldiers and Blues Freedom Festival! She used her creativity to add a costume contest to the event and worked with partners to add a Rodeo Skills Demonstration. Noor is enthusiastic and dedicated and has been a huge asset to our growing team. Say hello next time you see her. |
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We're Hiring! Communications & Engagement Coordinator |
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Friends of Rouge Park is hiring! We’re seeking a passionate and creative Communications & Engagement Coordinator to help tell the story of Rouge Park and deepen our connection with partners and the community. Working closely with the Executive Director, this staff member will focus on the development and execution of communications strategies, strengthen community outreach, and support fundraising efforts. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to our small, collaborative team working to elevate Detroit’s largest park and inspire stewardship. Please visit our webpage for a full job posting. |
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Park Report: Maintenance, Staff Training & More |
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FORP staff and board are always busy keeping an eye on the park and working to get issues addressed. Illegal dumping of trash and abandonment of animals are ongoing problems in the park but we were thrown for a loop when we discovered not just one but two roosters loose in the park! We worked with Donna Hall, reporting this to the City and Michigan Duck Rescue to try to get these poor animals rescued. This past month you may have noticed the beginning of the annual fall mowing of the grow zones. These are areas that are allowed to grow during the spring summer but are scheduled to be mowed once in the fall to keep down the woody invasives. In mid September, you may have noticed some work around the Tireman bridge that we just learned was a water department project to improve drainage around the bridge. In the last few weeks, a pond has formed near the Brennan Pools near the splash pad and we are working to get this addressed. We are working to resolve these, and other issues, and will keep you informed in our progress. |
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Friends of Rouge Park staff received First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED) and Blood-borne Pathogens at Co Act Detroit!
Rouge Park is one of Detroit’s largest and most active public spaces, with trails, sports fields, playgrounds, and community events. With so many people visiting every day — kids, families, bikers, hikers — emergencies can happen anytime. Whether it’s a volunteer collapsing from heat exhaustion, a child choking near the playground, or someone going into cardiac arrest during a game, CPR-trained staff can make the difference between life and death while waiting for emergency responders. Plus, knowing that park staff are trained adds a layer of safety and reassurance for the community — it shows care, preparedness, and leadership.
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September Events in Rouge Park! |
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Buffalo Soldiers & Blues Photos by Luke Dzwonkowski |
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Bat Listening and Identification Event: Wow! Over 60 people attended our Bat Listening and Identification event at Lahser Marsh in early September. Many new people who hadn’t been to a FORP event before came to learn about the wonderful world of bats! Luckily Lahser Marsh is an excellent place to spot bats! To teach us about bats and help us identify them with Echometers, The Detroit Zoological Society brought out Danna Guzman, an environmental educator with the Belle Isle Nature Center. We then walked up the hill across from the Marsh with an Echometer so that we could hear and identify the different bat species that greeted us along the ascent. Big shout out to the attendees that shared their own knowledge and research about bats to share with the large group! Here’s a fun fact people went home with: Bats eat many insects including MOSQUITOES and less than 1 percent of bats carry rabies. They’re nothing to be afraid of! Third and Final Family Movie Night: And that's a wrap! Thank you to everyone who came out to our final Movie Night of the year! We munched on popcorn, laughed together and watched a crowd favorite, Despicable Me 4! In the open field across from the Sorensen Recreation Area and under a bright full moon, it did get a little chilly. Good thing we all brought some cozy blankets! Our Third Annual Buffalo Soldiers and Blues Freedom Festival was a spectacular success! The weather was beautiful, Big Pete and Family’s music filled our hearts and souls, the horses had company and the all-ages crowd was full of smiles. This year we made sure to have more food and even included a special Speed and Action Rodeo Skills Demo that brought out more Detroit Cowboys and Cowgirls. This was also the first year we did the Western Wear Contest. Thank you to everyone who came dressed in impeccable Western style and participated in the contest! What a treat! We are very grateful for the community vendors and leaders, including Knuckles Health, Jerry Springs with Councilman Fred Durhal's Office, Fair Food Network and more who came to share resources and information with attendees. Sicily McRaven, a local arts educator, also set up a station that allowed people to stencil a Buffalo Soldier onto a shirt to take home with them! Last but surely not least, we appreciate our partner organizations, the Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Association and Camp Casey for providing horse rides, grilling food, celebrating with us and always holding down the fort on Joy and Lahser Rd!
Walking Club & Yoga Wrap Up for the Season It's been an amazing season of incredible programming supporting health and wellness in the park! Many thanks to our partners at Detroit Parks Coalition who supported Friends of Rouge Park to host Yoga and the We Walk Detroit Walking Club in the park this year. Yoganic Flow filled us with peaceful flow at weekly sunday Yoga and Donulae’ T. Knuckles PhDc, RN, aka “Nurse Knuckles” of Well-Able Walkers, Movers & Shakers Walking Club kept the vibes high twice a week for walkers of all abilities. We appreciate all who came out and look forward to bringing this programming back to the park next summer!
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3rd Annual Mountain Bike Ramble Saturday, October 11, 12pm-5pm
Mountain Bike Trail - 15099 Outer Dr W. Detroit (map)
Did you know Detroit’s only Mountain Biking Trail is located in Rouge Park? The 1.8 mile trail is beginner friendly, managed by MCMBA (Motor City Mountain Biking Association) and open to all hikers, bird watchers and mountain bikers year round! On October 11, FORP is collaborating with Luki Bikes, Detroit Mavericks and Black to the Land Coalition to teach youth how to Mountain Bike and bring more attention to this under-utilized Mountain Bike Trail! There will be coaches on site, community building, refreshments, free helmets to take home and bikes available for participants. No experience with Mountain Biking is necessary. Please register online before the spots fill up and we hope you can join us for the 3rd Annual Mountain Bike Ramble! Let's ride! Register Here |
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Fall Color Group Hike on the Ma’iingan Wildwood Trail Sunday, October 19, 2-4pm Sorensen Recreation Area at Sawyer St. & Spinoza Dr. (map) Intermediate-level group hike through a 2-3 mile section of the Ma'iingan Wildwood Trail. This is a great opportunity to get to know the historic forested trails in Rouge Park that FORP has been working to maintain and revitalize. Surrounded by the shifting fall colors of the leaves and old growth trees, we will witness, firsthand, the shifting seasons in the ecosystem. Other sights along the way include historic bridges and structures along the trail, the location of the indigenous-led Detroit Sugarbush Project and maybe even see some wild mushrooms and migrating birds! This trail is still under development so there will be rugged, muddy and uneven terrain. If that is a challenge you feel comfortable with, then please join us and other hiking enthusiasts! More info available on our Eventbrite at the Registration Link Below. Register Here |
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As a reminder, we stopped our weekly Friday workdays in August reducing those to two times monthly. Now they're scheduled on afternoon weekdays 2x monthly for September and October. In November we will shift those two workdays to daytime and weekends. We also opened up weekday corporate workdays for anyone to drop in and join! Those happen on the second Wednesday and fourth Thursday of each month! The following are our workday opportunities for October.
Corporate Daytime Workday Wednesday, October 8 9-12pm @ Tireman Ave & Spinoza Dr Sugarbush Bonfire Workday Friday October 10 5-8:30pm @ Outer Drive, South of Tireman Corporate Daytime Workday Thursday October 23 9-12pm @ Tireman Ave & Spinoza Dr Sugarbush Bonfire Workday Thursday October 30 4:30- @ Outer Drive South of Tireman
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September Stewardship Update: |
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Wild Rice and the Rouge? Remembering What the Wetlands Hold |
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How we measure time—by calendars, seasons, or moons—shapes how we see the world. The Anishinaabe track lunar cycles tied to ecology, like the last moon cycle, Manoomin Dabik-Giizis aka the Wild Rice Moon. Once upon a time wetlands along rivers like the Rouge supported manoomin (wild rice), a keystone plant and staple for Indigenous communities. In his stewardship article Antonio reflects on his time harvesting wild rice and how the loss of these wetlands mirrors the decline of wild rice and vital ecosystems functioning as flood control and water filtration. Protecting and restoring the Rouge River and its wetlands means cleaner water, healthier habitats, and renewed community resilience.
Read more, lots of data, history and knowledge…
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History of the Ma'iingan Wildwood Trail |
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On May 14, 1935 a dedication ceremony was held at the Rouge Park Recreation Center* for the newly completed four-mile Wildwood Nature Trail. The four-mile river loop trail was developed by the Conservation Committee of the Louisa St. Clair Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). Less than a year later, ornithologist and NSDAR member, Etta S. Wilson, who was involved in developing the trail, and regularly hiked and recorded bird sightings in the area for the National Audubon Society passed away. The trail was rededicated with a boulder and plaque in her honor on December 20, 1936. On October 25, 1936, the trail was chosen for the inaugural hike for the Detroit News Hiking Club which drew 1,600 hikers that day. The club grew to over 8,000 members and continued for 20 years. Read more of the fascinating story of this historic trail and how we are working now to restore it here. *Read more about the Rouge Park Recreation Center's history here.
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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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Click here to see the Edison Branch's October 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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DBCFSN’s 19th Annual Harvest Festival |
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DBCFSN’s 19th Annual Harvest Festival brought joy, music, and community to D-Town Farm in Rouge Park. Families celebrated Black food sovereignty with drum and dance, children’s activities, workshops, and shared harvest traditions. The weekend honored resilience, justice, and connection to the land — a vibrant reminder of the cultural and ecological richness rooted in Rouge Park.
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We would LOVE your help in supporting the future of Rouge Park! |
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