Upcoming events
Spring Cleanup
Celebrate Earth Day with us by participating in our annual Spring Cleanup, happening on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 9AM-noon at Trenton Rotary Park. Trenton Rotary Park is located at the foot of Harrison and Atwood Avenue. All cleanup supplies will be provided! Please dress appropriately for the weather, rain boots are encouraged. Lunch will be provided to volunteers after cleanup.
This will be an on-land and on-water cleanup! If you own a boat and would like to participate in the water cleanup, please contact Bob Burns at rlb315@comcast.net.
This cleanup is in partnership with the Detroit River Coalition and the Great Lakes Cleanup. Thank you to our sponsor EA Engineering for supporting this event! Thank you to Truago for catering the cleanup. Event Flyer Here!
Spring Detroit River Water Festival
Friends of the Detroit River, in partnership with Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, present the first Spring Detroit River Water Festival. An amazing water education experience for students outside along the beautiful Detroit River! For more information, visit www.detroitriverwaterfestival.com.
Volunteers are ambassadors for the Water Festival. They play a critical role in guiding each class to their presentation site, assisting with set-up, parking, and other logistics before, during, and after the event. Each volunteer will also receive a boxed lunch, lanyard / name tag, and a Water Festival T-shirt. Free parking is available, carpooling is encouraged. SMART Bus Line 160 drops off just outside the visitors center.
Riverkeeper Dinner
Join us on Saturday, April 6 from 6PM-9PM as we come together to celebrate our Detroit Riverkeeper. All proceeds from this fundraiser will go to support our Riverkeeper Program.
Dinner is catered by Truago. Enjoy live entertainment from Just 2 Guitars, cash bar, raffle prizes and a silent auction. Event Program will include a presentation by Downriver Linked Greenways on Connecting Communities Now and Into the Future.
Thank you to our sponsors ECT and SmithGroup for supporting the Detroit Riverkeeper Program. View event flyer here!
Shiver on the River
Join us for another year of Shiver on the River Eco Fair on Saturday, February 3, 2024! From 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. Friends of the Detroit River will host the event inside the beautiful Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle. There will be free caricature drawings, a magic show, and live ice carving demos! Concessions will be available for a fee. This event is free and open to all ages!
Thanks to our partners at the Detroit Historical Society, the typical daily fee to visit the Dossin Great Lakes Museum will be waived! So come share a wintery celebration of our natural resources. Click here to view event flyer!
Become a Master Rain Gardener – Live Online!
LIVE VIRTUAL Classroom with In-Person Tours
DATES: Five Thursdays: Jan 25-Feb 22
TIME: 10am – Noon. Office hours 9-10am.
TOUR DATES: Washtenaw Tour: January 25, 1:00-2:30. More tours TBD.
Design your own rain garden step-by-step during class. Become the neighborhood expert! Protect your home against flooding & help birds, & butterflies with a RAIN garden! We teach you *everything* you need to know to create your own rain garden. That includes lessons learned from more than 1,400 rain gardens built by homeowners just like you! Learn what works and what doesn't. Ask questions in our live class! Visit a rain garden in person! Neighborhood virtual breakout rooms and Facebook (or an alternate forum) for discussion/homework. Earn your certification – including a t-shirt and sign - by building your own rain garden or adopting a public rain garden.
Co-hosts: Washtenaw County Water Resources, Clinton River Watershed Council, Friends of Detroit River, Friends of the Rouge, Huron-Clinton Metropark, Huron River Watershed Council, Oakland County Water Resources, and the River Raisin Watershed Council
More information: www.MasterRainGardener.org
Questions about the class? Contact Susan Bryan bryans@washtenaw.org
Holiday Party Potluck
Please join us for our annual Holiday Potluck hosted on Thursday, December 14, at 6 pm. All are welcome! We ask that you RSVP by sending an email to river@detroitriver.org.
Take a Hike Event
Come take a hike with us! Join us at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge on November 17, 2023. FDR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff will be guiding hikes on refuge property. For more information on the trail system at the refuge, visit https://www.fws.gov/refuge/detroit-river/visit-us/trails.
SMART Bus Line 160 stops outside the visitors center of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. For more information on the bus route, click here. No registration is required to participate!
FDR's Annual Meeting
Join us for an evening of dining and friendship as we celebrate this year’s accomplishments. Special presentation from FDR’s past Artist-in-Residence, Alex Gilford. Tickets for the dinner are $60/person. Presentations are free for the public to attend.
The Detroit River Water Festival
Friends of the Detroit River, in partnership with Detroit Public Schools Community District, present the annual Detroit River Water Festival. An Amazing Water Education Experience for middle school students along the beautiful Detroit River on Belle Isle! For more information, visit www.detroitriverwaterfestival.com.
Volunteers are ambassadors for the Water Festival. They play a critical role in guiding each class to their presentation site, assisting with set-up, parking, and other logistics before, during, and after the event.
Belle Isle Cleanup
In partnership with the Belle Isle Conservancy and their Keep Belle Isle Beautiful initiative, FDR will be hosting a cleanup on the canals of Belle Isle. Some kayaks will be provided on a first come basis, otherwise participants are encouraged to bring their own. If you prefer to cleanup on land, there will be areas for you to do so!