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Imagine if the world’s longest trail (located in Canada) connected people even further, into another country, via Michigan’s longest trail. That happened last month when the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority announced that the Gordie Howe International Bridge would become part of a binational trail system. When the initial discussions for a potential new bridge connecting […]

As we celebrate the completion of the Riverwalk to include the link along the former Uniroyal site adjacent to the Belle Isle Bridge, it is appropriate and fitting to acknowledge the roots of this wonderful people-space along the Detroit River. In large part, the Riverwalk has been completed due to the public-private partnership established by

In 1929, the longest suspended central span bridge in the world at that time – The Ambassador Bridge – was completed linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. It is the busiest United States/Canada truck crossing, handling 8,000+ trucks and 68,000 travelers a day. With the ongoing construction of the new Gordie Howe Bridge, it is important

Today, the Detroit River is much cleaner, and sentinel wildlife species have returned. It is good to look back at the 1960s pollution of the river, notably oil pollution, and recognize how far we have come. However, we still have much work to do, including developing a stewardship ethic. During the 1940s, Detroit River oil pollution

The terrain covering Grosse Ile’s Hennepin Point, at first blush, appears like any other of the myriad areas around Michigan’s Great Lakes shorelines. Brush and trees grow among patchworks of sand, and the crystal blue Detroit River flows past on either side of the point. 

In 1945, Sarah Elizabeth Ray was denied passage on a ferry on the Detroit River because she was Black. She fought the injustice, and her case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. For decades, Sarah’s trailblazing civil rights role was nearly forgotten, as was her work later in life as a community

For over 100 years the Detroit River was perceived as a working waterway that supported industry and commerce. As such, its shoreline was progressively hardened with concrete seawalls, steel sheet piling, or re-purposed broken concrete. This stabilized the shoreline, helped protect against erosion, and allowed for safe industrial and commercial development. But it came at

In downtown Detroit, 501 Third Avenue is known today as Steve Yzerman Drive and houses a Detroit People Mover station. But in the 1800s, the site played an important part in Detroit’s history as a major railway also serving as a stop on the Underground Railroad for slaves seeking freedom across the border into Canada.

For 43 years, state regulators and the Environmental Protection Agency have ordered chemical manufacturer BASF to stop discharging up to 72,000 gallons of toxic waste-contaminated groundwater daily from its Wyandotte plant into the Detroit River. But the waste still flows unabated. Based on BASF estimates, as much as 1.1 billion gallons of water contaminated with

Making a film about water came naturally for award-winning documentary filmmaker dream hampton, though water and the environment has not traditionally been her emphasis. hampton made Freshwater after coming off a hectic schedule in 2018 and 2019 during which she made three films. It was, she decided, a time to shift her focus, a time

If there was ever a collective metaphor for life, learning how to sail incorporates pretty much every aspect. Harry Jones, president of the nonprofit Detroit Community Sailing Center, runs the Challenge the Wind youth sailing program at the Belle Isle Boat House, and he sees his students transform in all of life’s lessons. Once the

Dead fish and milky puddles of water found this spring on the northern edge of one of Michigan’s most contaminated former industrial sites are prompting calls for renewed cleanup urgency.

A new study commissioned by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan makes a compelling case for how The Great Lakes Way – an interconnected set of greenways and water trails stretching from southern Lake Huron through western Lake Erie – enriches quality of life and place for residents and visitors, sparks outdoor recreation and an

Before the bridges, the roads, and the highways, there were ferries. In Detroit, some are pushing for a comeback after more than a decade of discussion. Earlier this month, City Council member Angela Whitfield-Calloway asked the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority to conduct a feasibility study on connecting 25 miles of the Detroit River by passenger

Downriver, the unofficial name for a cluster of 18 cities and townships just south of Detroit, is undergoing a transformation. From opening new restaurants to revitalizing its riverfront, the community is working hard to create a more vibrant and economically prosperous area for its residents. Spearheading this effort is Sue Trussell, the director of the Brownstown Downtown Development

Wandering into a beaver habitat can be like entering a disaster zone. Shoreline bushes chewed back. Nearby trees felled and demolished. Hundreds of branches piled near a mound damming up a river and flooding the area. To some people the scene looks like environmental havoc. To the beaver, it’s home. Using trail cameras, FOX 2 photojournalist