Events
Volunteer to Measure Water Quality in Downriver Creeks
2025 ChemFlow Program Orientation
Saturday, March 22, 2025
10:30am – 12:30pm
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
Visitor Center, Trenton, MI 48183
Volunteer this spring and summer to collect samples from the waterways that flow to the Detroit and Huron rivers and Lake Erie. Get outside, meet new people, help protect our local waters, and collect vital information for the Alliance of Downriver Watersheds’ Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Program. No prior experience necessary.
Registration is required to attend. Learn more and register at hrwc.org/volunteer/chemflow.
This in-person orientation will introduce volunteers to the goals and methods of the Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Program. Field techniques and topics include water sampling, direct water chemistry measurement, stream flow estimation, and program logistics. Sampling in the field requires 2-4 hours each sampling trip. A commitment of 4 sampling trips is expected of participants during the season, April through September.
The Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Program is coordinated by the Huron River Watershed Council, and is supported by more than 45 communities in Wayne, Washtenaw, Livingston, and Oakland counties, including the Alliance of Downriver Watersheds. Results direct statewide, regional, and community water protection activities.
ADW, Friends of the Rouge, Huron River Watershed Council and other organizations are partnering to offer a Master Rain Gardener course!
Design your own rain garden step-by-step in an online class! Protect your home against flooding while helping birds and butterflies with a rain garden. Ask questions in our live class, learn what works and what doesn’t, and visit a real rain garden in person. Earn your certification – including a t-shirt and sign – by building your own rain garden or adopting a public rain garden.
Do you live in Brighton or Belleville? You could qualify for FREE registration to the 2025 winter Master Rain Gardener course funded by EGLE. Please contact Ric Lawson at rlawson@hrwc.org to see if you qualify and to get the registration link!
Full scholarships funded by an EPA-GLRI Grant are available for residents in the following zip codes: Detroit (48209, 48217), Ecorse (48229), Inkster (48141), Lincoln Park (48146), Melvindale (48122), River Rouge (48218), Riverview (48193), Romulus (48174), Taylor (48180). Email Jill Martin for scholarship details at jill.martin@metroparks.com.
Help Identify Solutions to Reduce Flooding in the Ecorse Creek Watershed
Friends of the Detroit River is encouraging residents to attend community meetings to help identify solutions to reduce flooding in the Ecorse Creek Watershed. Meetings are held virtually the third Thursday of every month at 3:30pm EST. Visit www.detroitriver.org/ecorse-creek for more information.
Ecorse Creek is a highly urbanized watershed that has experienced significant flooding for decades. Communities in the watershed include Allen Park, Dearborn Heights, Ecorse, Inkster, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Westland, and Wyandotte. Gathering community feedback is a critical step to gauging the interest and potential for projects to reduce flooding and restore ecosystem function.
