News & Events
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Michigan communities invest millions in their rivers. Will it bring returns?
Laura Herberg, Bridge Michigan, October 12, 2026 – Michigan communities are investing in river restoration, with studies finding $3 in returns per dollar invested and millions in annual impact from local rivers.
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Detroit River contamination clean-up efforts part of $89M funding commitment
Lawmakers gathered with business leaders and environmental groups to announce multi-million-dollar funding
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GRCC English and Science Students Attended the Detroit River Story Lab
Kyle Jackson, The Collegiate, October 1, 2026 – The University of Michigan’s Detroit River Schooner Program brings college students aboard the schooner Alliance for hands-on lessons in river history, wildlife, water quality, and maritime science.
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Is the Detroit River alive?
Margaret Fornes, Planet Detroit, August 27, 2026
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Detroit’s riverfront safety law increased inspections. Now comes a push for transparency.
Aliana Ritter, BridgeDetroit, August 17, 2026
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Unique Detroit River boat tours give officials chance to see restoration projects up close
On a sunny summer day earlier this month, dozens gathered at the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority on Atwater Street and boarded a 45-foot boat to learn more about the Detroit River and how it’s being restored after centuries of industrial use.
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City denies land-use approval for east side oil recycling facility
Aliana Ritter, BridgeDetroit, July 18, 2026
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Detroit neighbors push back on east side oil facility reopening proposal
Aliana Ritter, BridgeDetroit, July 8, 2026
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From ferries to Gordie Howe bridge, how Detroit and Windsor crossings evolved
An elevated view of the Detroit River near the foot of Griswold Street in Detroit, dated 1928. The view shows three tugboats towing one of nine steel tube segments upstream to the area near the foot of St. Antoine Street. After the segments were maneuvered into position, they were sunk in a trench along the river bottom…
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How a 105-foot schooner is teaching teens the Detroit River’s story
Ella Miller, Bridge Michigan, July 16, 2026 – About 20 Detroit high school students sailed the Detroit River aboard a three-masted tall ship, many experiencing boating for the first time and hoping to return.
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Detroit River tour highlights restoration successes
A person standing on the Detroit River shoreline 50 years ago would hesitate to touch the water, according to the Friends of the Detroit River’s McKenzi Waliczek. The progress made since that era — from industrial dumping ground to a beloved recreational and tourist attraction — framed a boat tour led by the nonprofit that…
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Detroit River restoration receives $10 million boost from EPA, state
The EPA is providing $6.5 million and Michigan is adding $3.5 million to clean up contaminated sediment and restore habitat along the Detroit River. The river still contains roughly 3.5 million cubic yards of toxic sediment with high levels of bacteria, PCBs, metals, oil, and grease from Detroit’s industrial past. Work will focus on Upper…
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Michigan loves a ‘river story.’ But happy ending isn’t guaranteed
Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, May 26, 2026 – Michigan may be known as the Great Lakes state, but most of its residents have a river to thank for their hometown’s existence.
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University of Michigan team launches guide to connect 4,800 miles of biking trails along the Great Lakes
Christine Sit, U-M SEAS, May 19, 2026 – A U-M SEAS graduate research team released a Great Lakes Waterfront Trail Starter Guide to help connect communities through regional trails and economic opportunities.
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Why does the Detroit River matter? This environmental justice advocate has answers
Skyler Leslie, a Detroit River advocate and environmental justice graduate, is working to preserve the waterway’s layered history — from Indigenous burial mounds to Underground Railroad crossings — through community engagement and interpretive storytelling.
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After Zug Island pollution lawsuit, attorney urges community engagement
The Sierra Club holds a community meeting in River Rouge on the outcome of the EPA’s Clean Air Act lawsuit over Zug Island pollution.
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Historic wild rice restoration underway in the Detroit River: ‘Living tribute to the First Nations’
The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi is working with conservation partners to restore wild rice in Detroit River wetlands, bringing back a sacred grain that disappeared over a century ago.
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Century of contamination: How Zug Island became Detroit’s industrial epicenter
Early ideas for the island included a city garbage dump with a promise of the operations being “smokeless and odorless,” or improving the land into a “healthful resort similar in attractiveness to Belle Isle.”
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U-M researchers lead 10-year Michigan Maritime Strategy
Derek Smith, The University Record, January 28, 2026 – A U-M team found broad support across Michigan’s maritime sector for expanding the state’s role as a national leader in the maritime industry.
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New Southeast Michigan coalition supports federal efforts to revitalize US shipbuilding
Southeast Michigan is one of the nation’s most promising regions for catalyzing growth in the United States’ maritime sector, according to a new coalition that aims to help federal efforts to reinvigorate the nation’s shipbuilding industry with support from over 30 organizations across four counties. The coalition includes the University of Michigan, the Detroit/Wayne County…
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Five years of telling stories along the Detroit River awakens belonging
Charles Rousseau, U-M Detroit, December 8, 2025 – Founded by U-M professor David Porter, the Detroit River Story Lab supports local efforts to share river stories and amplify community voices through place-based storytelling.
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One year after a historic dam removal, teens inspire river restoration worldwide: ‘It turns out you can win’
Gabrielle Canon, The Guardian, October 25, 2025 – The Klamath River began rebounding after dam removal, with Indigenous youth leading its recovery and inspiring tribes from Brazil to China.
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Sail Cargo Ship Neoliner Completes Difficult First Atlantic Crossing
The Maritime Executive, October 24, 2025 – The Neoliner Origin, the world’s first large commercial wind-propelled cargo ship, completed its first Atlantic crossing despite delays, sail damage, and storms.
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Detroit River-based programs foster stewardship through community connection
Anna Barnes, Great Lakes Echo, October 22, 2025 – U-M professor David Porter founded the Detroit River Story Lab to reconnect residents with the river’s cultural significance and ecological restoration efforts.
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Detroit’s Port Authority sustainability manager works to cut emissions, build trust with neighbors
Margaret Fornes, U-M Detroit, August 5, 2025 – Taylor Mitchell leads Port Authority efforts to reduce diesel pollution in neighborhoods like Delray and achieve net-zero emissions at 23 river terminals by 2040.
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Detroit’s Belle Isle Swim Club is worth waking up early for
With a cityscape shrouded in mist behind it, the Belle Isle bridge looks golden in the morning sunlight, its reflection dancing on top of the Detroit River. I’m sitting on the beach with Canada to my back, facing the Michigan side of the river and feeling utterly content. Even in early September, the temperature is…
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Falling in love with Belle Isle is a Detroit tradition
Nestled in the middle of the Detroit River, Belle Isle represents the best of what parks can provide. And don’t take it from us—take it from the hundreds of Detroiters that wrote love letters to the park.
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Training Michigan’s next shipbuilding leaders
Derek Smith, Michigan Engineering, September 15, 2025 – Michigan partners with Fincantieri to provide hands-on, cross-cultural training for future naval architects through internships, with interns sharing their experiences.
