Upper detroit riverfront Parks habitat restoration project
A.B. Ford | Lakewood-East | Mariner
Latest Conceptual Design Plans!
Depicted below are twelve habitat restoration designs that have been identified as opportunities to restore fish and wildlife habitat in the Upper Detroit Riverfront Parks. The designs are based upon careful consideration of the parks’ current ecological condition and recreational uses.
To view a summary of a restoration option click on the number labeled on the map below.
Each design option was discussed in detail at the 7 March, 2018 Open Houses (Click for Summary).
Survey Questions
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What do you like most about the design?
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Would this design affect your use of the parks? In what ways?
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Is there anything about the design that concerns you? Or, that you feel should be changed?
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Do you have any other comments about the design?
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Would you be interested in getting involved in long-term stewardship efforts at the parks?
Posted: 22/Feb/2018
Udated 06/April/2018
Environmental Field Investigation Results
Prior to breaking down, any landscape alteration using federal funding requires an environmental and historical resource inventory. EA Engineering conducted a resource inventory and assessment of Alfred Brush Ford, Riverfront-Lakewood East, and Mariner Parks. The information gathered during the investigation is to be used to develop the final design plans for habitat restoration.
The field investigation included chemical and physical analysis of shorelines and various sediments found within the three parks. Ecological surveys were conducted to characterize the habitats, flora, and fauna within the proposed habitat restoration areas. In all, 102 plant species, 18 wildlife species, and 17 fish species were observed during the survey. The final investigation report was shared with the City of Detroit and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
The environmental assessment requires that a cultural resource inventory be conducted to allow for the mitigation of damages done to important cultural heritage sites that may or may not yet be documented in the National Register of Historic Places. To comply with this requirement, the EPA reached out to Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and consultation letters were sent to Federally Recognized Tribes associated with the landscape. Michigan SHPO has requested that a historical and archaeological survey be conducted at the three parks. EA Engineering will be sub-contracting the archaeological survey. Work is to begin in early 2018.
Updated Project Timeline
The Upper Detroit Riverfront Habitat Restoration conceptual designs are expected to be completed in January 2018. The project planning team will provide opportunity for public review and comment on the conceptual habitat designs during two open houses tentatively scheduled for early March. The public comments and results from the historical and archaeological survey will be considered and incorporated into a preliminary design. The public will have an opportunity to review and comment on the preliminary design at another public meeting tentatively scheduled for early Summer 2018. The project team will finalize the design in the Fall of 2018.
2018 Tentative Schedule:
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January: Conceptual design drafts completed
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March: Open Houses (public comment on conceptual design drafts)
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Summer: Open Houses (public comment on preliminary design drafts)
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Fall: Finalized habitat restoration design
Posted: 12/Dec/2017
EA is wrapping up their inventory and assessment of the three parks, the results will be posted here once the analysis is complete. Once the results are in the EA will be able to finalize their conceptual design allowing us to host our Fall Open House 2017 for public comment and Advisory Committee elections!
Fall Open House 2017
New Community Assistance Fellow!
The National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program has hired Athena Zissis as the new Community Assistance Fellow for the Upper Detroit Riverfront Parks Habitat Restoration Project!
Athena will be supporting community efforts to highlight and engage with the Upper Detroit Riverfront Parks (UDRP) restoration partners. She will continue to provide opportunities for stakeholders and community members to contribute input and feedback at all phases of the project, provide quarterly newsletters, and hold occasional open-house meetings to keep the community informed about the project's progression. In addition, it is her goal to work with stakeholders to build a network of stewards to support the habitat and park restoration efforts throughout the design, implementation, and completion phases of the project.
Background Information
Athena, currently a second-year graduate student of Anthropology and Archaeology at Wayne State University, worked alongside NPS Urban Fellow Dr. David Goldstein between June-May 2016 as a Centennial Volunteer Ambassador. She assisted in a series of local initiatives including - but not limited to:
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Every Kid in a Park - an initiative beginning in 2015 dedicated to encourage children to spend time in their National Parks and public spaces. EKIP - Detroit brings hundreds of Detroit Public School Community District (DPSCD) 4th grade students downriver to Historic Fort Wayne for rotational place-based natural and cultural programming.
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Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) - an admission-free summer camp dedicated to using history as a vehicle for teaching conflict management and dispute resolution skill-sets to Metro-Detroit youth run by Wayne State University’s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies.
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Scouts Hollow - a proposed urban camping initiative for Detroit residents in Rouge Park on the west side of the city. Organized in collaboration between the Sierra Club, Detroit Parks and Recreation and General Services, the YMCA, and the National Park Service.
