| OUR 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.
PROTECT. RESTORE. PROMOTE. |
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Rouge Park Master Plan Community Meeting, Mar. 5, 6pm Annual Membership Meeting & Dinner, Mar. 17, 6pm Stewardship Workdays: Mar., Apr. & May dates Discover Rouge Park Meet Up, Mar. 15, 12pm Great Blue Heron Rookery Viewing, Mar. 28, 10:30am The Great Detroit Bird-Off, May Rouge Park Appreciation Day, May 16, 9am-1pm, Cozy Corners Partner Events: Pruning Workshop, Fungi Workshop, Meditation Walk & More
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February Events Were Frost-tastic: Rouge Park Winterfest, Animal Tracking Walk, Maple Tree Tapping First FORP Park Partners Meet & Greet is a Huge Success Brennan Comfort Station Repairs Begin Stewardship Update & Blog Bald Eagles and Great Horned Owls Nesting in Rouge Park
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Master Plan Community Meeting - BE THERE |
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The City is hosting its first Community Meeting for the Rouge Park Master Plan. The Master Plan will set a 10-15 year vision for the Park. We encourage all of our members, residents and community partners who love and care so much about Rouge Park to make sure to attend and spread the world. This is our chance to provide input to shape the future of our beloved park. At the meeting, you'll see some of the ideas proposed so far and be able to give feedback, so we hope to see everyone there and please spread the word! |
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Annual Membership Meeting & Dinner |
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Tuesday March 17, 6-8pm, Brennan Poolhouse (map), Register here Join us to hear from our members about how our organization can continue to meet the needs of the park and community in this exciting year. We'll share all we accomplished in 2025, honor this year's Best Friend and Best Partner of Rouge Park, elect our 2026 board, and kick off the year with a bang! |
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Our February events were frost-tastic |
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What a joy to see so many children AND adults sledding, skiing, learning how to play lacrosse, making rope out of dogbane, and ice fishing at Winterfest this year! It was a bitter cold day but we still warmed our bellies and hearts with sunshine, warm treats, community and even a surprise visit from the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile! Who said you can’t have fun outside in the Winter?!
Thank you to our partner organizations: SOS Outreach, Detroit Outdoors and We Fixin' to Fish, amongst others.
Check out this amazing write up by Ian Solomon about how Detroit parks, including Rouge Park, provide an alternative for Winter Blues! |
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Animal Tracking & Scat Identification |
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While the snow mostly melted, there was still plenty of evidence of animal activity at Scout Hollow! Led by animal tracking expert, Fergus, thirty participants learned the difference between deer rubs and beaver markings, how to identify groundhog tracks and burrows, coyote paw prints by the river and much more! Some highlights included seeing a Great Horned Owl in its nest while also finding signs of its feathers and pellets in the surrounding area! We can’t wait to have Fergus out here again to share their expertise in identifying animal activity! |
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Discover Rouge Park February Monthly Meetup: Sugar Maple Tapping |
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The sap is officially flowing and isn’t it sweet to learn about how maple syrup is made? Participants of all ages got hands-on experience tapping sugar maples and identifying the different types of maple trees in Rouge Park’s special sugarbush. Thank you to Black to the Land Coalition for bringing people together and sharing special Anishinaabe teachings and practices with us! If you missed the event and want to see how it’s done, make sure to check out the Stone Bridge Nature Trail area and Sugarbush project. Folks will be collecting sap for the next few weeks before the boiling process begins! |
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Park Partners Meet & Greet |
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Thank you to everyone who came out to our first Park Partners Meet and Greet of 2026. Whether it's facilitating group activities, leading nature walks or teaching life skills, there are so many wonderful people and organizations that contribute to the vibrancy of Rouge Park. Friends of Rouge Park appreciates each and every one of our park partners and is committed to uplifting and strengthening our partner's efforts in Rouge Park and beyond. If you are a park partner that wasn't able to make it to our first Meet and Greet, stay tuned for the next one! |
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Upcoming Workdays & Events |
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Join us this March to share in the work, sweetness, and community of this Great Lakes tradition. Register for upcoming volunteer days here!
The following dates are some workdays we have coming up!! All workdays are Saturdays, 11am-1pm.
Sugarbush Workday: March 14 - Stone Bridge Nature Trail Sugarbush Workday: March 21 - Stone Bridge Nature Trail March du Nain Rouge: March 28 - Stone Bridge Nature Trail Earth Day Workday: April 18 - Sorenson Recreation Area Garlic Mustard Pull & Hike: May 2 - Stone Bridge Nature Trail |
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Discover Rouge Park: March Monthly Meet Up Photography in Nature Walk |
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Sunday March 15, 12-2pm, Stonebridge Nature Trail (map) Register here
Come take a walk in the woods and prairie to find some inspiration with other photography enthusiasts! We’re partnering with local photographer Sarah Fleming from Unwind 313 to celebrate 313 day. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or just getting started, cell phone photographer or film pro, all are welcome! |
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Great Blue Heron Rookery Viewing |
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Saturday, March 28, 10-11:30am Parking is available at the Brennan Pools parking lot (map), a short walk from the Spinoza Bridge Heron Rookery (map) Register Here
Come learn about the exciting and beautiful Great Blue Herons in Rouge Park with the Detroit Bird Alliance. The herons have established their rookery, or communal nests, high up in the trees above the Rouge River and have been a mainstay of the park for as long as we can remember. |
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The Great Detroit Bird Off - May 2026 |
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Help Rouge Park win The Great Detroit Bird Off
We propose a month-long friendly contest to see which of the four largest parks in the city of Detroit have the greatest number of species: Belle Isle, Palmer Park, Rouge Park, Eliza Howell Park?
Participants will use eBird, a free app to record the birds they see at each park and the park with the highest number of species recorded on eBird during May of 2026 will receive special recognition.
The Great Detroit Bird Off will encourage birders, experienced and brand new, of all ages to enjoy Detroit parks, perhaps for the first time.
The event will occur through out the month of May, peak migration season, and serve as an educational opportunity for participants to learn about birding, bird migration, and the importance of urban habitat. More Information |
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Rouge Park Appreciation Day, May 16 |
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Saturday, May 16 9am-1pm, Southeast Corner of Joy & Spinoza Join us for Rouge Park Appreciation Day—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. Help us make Rouge Park shine! Registration available soon, check rougepark.org for updates. |
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In the last few years, Friends of Rouge Park has experimented with various ways to organize stewardship work: from bonfires, pancake breakfasts, happy hours, and guided hikes. Each season has helped us refine our approach to when, why, and how people show up.
This year, with more capacity than ever for both stewardship and our growing programs in the park, we're excited to launch a variety of ways for individuals, groups and more experienced stewards to get involved.
We hope you'll join us this year for some stewardship in the park and share these opportunities with your friends and network.
Here’s how stewardship will flow this year:
Public Community Workdays
Mainly held on weekends, we’ll host public workdays primarily in spring and fall seasons. These events are open to everyone, and volunteers can sign up through our Eventbrite page.
Group Workdays
Typically scheduled on Wednesdays and Thursdays, we're inviting groups to volunteer with us. These workdays are ideal for organizations, corporate teams, and youth groups. Organizations can sign up directly through our website. Some dates will also be open to individual volunteers who register on our website and opt in to receive text updates about weekday opportunities.
Find more details about volunteering opportunities on our website! We’re excited to build on what we’ve learned and continue growing a strong, consistent stewardship community in Rouge Park. |
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Stewardship Blog: Phenology & Nature Update |
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After a true winter complete with snow and freezing days, life is beginning to stir in Rouge Park. It’s sugarbush season. As birds like the yellow bellied sap sucker return and the first mild days arrive, we’re tapping maples during this brief golden window when cold nights and warm days make the sap flow. Join us in caring for the sugarbush, by registering here.
Read more about phenology and nature in Rouge Park in the stewardship blog. |
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Brennan Comfort Station Repairs |
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If you noticed some earthmoving on the east side of the Brennan Recreation Area parking lot, east of the comfort station, we have learned that this is most likely repairs to the pipes so that the comfort station can be open this summer! Last year, we requested that this comfort station be restored. But on a less positive note, a water leak was discovered in the Brennan Poolhouse locker room and the repair is being investigated. |
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Great Horned Owls and Eagles Nesting in Rouge Park |
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Great Horned Owl currently nesting in Scout Hollow (photo: Donna Hall) |
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Rouge Park’s floodplain forests are home to trees large enough to support some of our large birds and nesting season has already begun. Great blue herons are returning to their giant stick nests in the tops of the trees north of the Spinoza bridge. For the first time that we know of, a pair of bald eagles are nesting in the park. We also have a pair of great horned owls nesting up high in a Rouge Park tree and participants in our Animal Tracking and Scat Identification Walk were able to see them! |
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Urban Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop |
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Join us on March 4th from 12noon - 2pm at the Rouge Park Cherry Orchard for a workshop with MSU Extension (map) More details here. |
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Fungi Workshop: Michigan Botanical Society Southeastern Chapter |
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Sunday, March 22, 2:00 pm with Henry Van T. Cotter U of M Dearborn (EIC) Environmental Interpretive Center
Workshop on New Fungal Finds at Michigan’s Nature Sanctuaries including the Invasive Golden Oyster & Michigan Certification Program for Commercially Foraging and Selling Wild Mushrooms. More details here |
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Deep Listening Spring Equinox Meditation |
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Sunday, March 22, 2-5pm, Prairie Pathway - Butterfly Garden Trailhead (map) Register Here
As the weather changes, wildlife returns and spring seeps into stir, let us awaken our senses with a Deep Listening meditation walk led by Lindsay Karty. |
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Click here to see the Edison Branch's March 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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