DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - A nonprofit dedicated to restoring the Rouge River in southeastern Michigan is holding its spring cleanup earlier than usual this year.
Friends of the Rouge said it will to hold its annual Rouge Rescue event on May 17 because of deadlines for a grant that supports the effort. Also known as River Day, the work brings together thousands of volunteers for cleanup and restoration activities.
The event has been held on the first Saturday in June since 1986. The work is credited for helping to improve water quality.
“The Rouge River provides natural beauty and recreation opportunities throughout the region and is no longer thought of as an open sewer and a place to dump waste,” event organizer Cyndi Ross, who is River Restoration Program Manager for Friends of the Rouge, said in a statement.
The Rouge River meanders through heavily developed residential and industrial areas before emptying into the Detroit River. It was a dumping ground for decades, but its health has improved amid efforts by local leaders, volunteers and federal officials to support the cleanup.
“In addition to trash removal, volunteers remove invasive plants to protect biodiversity; plant native vegetation to soak up rain water and stabilize eroding stream banks; maintain trail systems; and learn about the life in the stream,” Ross said.
Other cleanup events are planned this spring besides the Rouge Rescue work. Projects are scheduled on April 26 in Oakland County’s Bloomfield Township; on May 3 in Dearborn, Northville and Westland; and on May 10 in Detroit, Livonia and Northville.
Details on volunteer opportunities are posted on the website of Dearborn-based Friends of the Rouge.
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Online:
https://www.therouge.org
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