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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Margaret Fornes, U-M Detroit, August 5, 2025 – DRSL and Detroit Community Sailing Center help middle and high school students build sailboats while developing hands-on skills with maritime tools and materials.

Carissa Welton, Planet Detroit, May 28, 2025 – Harry Jones expands youth sailing access, growing Detroit Community Sailing Center participation from eight to 80 and helping establish the Detroit River Education Center.

Shawnte Passmore, Click On Detroit, April 13, 2025 – Michigan’s maritime industry faces an aging workforce and a shortage of young workers, prompting Detroit River Port Authority initiatives to connect youth with maritime careers.

Kristen Loszewski, U-M Detroit, March 17, 2025 – A $15,000 DTE Energy Foundation grant supports DRSL’s Skiff & Schooner Program, teaching students river ecology, cultural heritage, Underground Railroad history, and environmental justice.

Susan Bollinger, Detroit River Living, Spring 2025 – For centuries, the Detroit River has shaped the city’s founding and growth through trade, remaining central to local prosperity and cultural identity.

Margaret Fornes, University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, December 19, 2024 – SEAS alumna Amy Emmert pursued environmental education after studying biology, drawn to Professor Ray DeYoung’s research on behavior change and environmentalism.

Deborah Holdship, Michigan Today, September 20, 2024 – U-M vice provost Angela Dillard reflects on Michigan Central Station’s reopening, recalling that she once advocated demolishing the now-restored Detroit landmark.

Kellee Jordan, Telegram Newspaper, August 29, 2024 – U-M’s Detroit River Story Lab educates local youth about the Detroit River’s history, ecosystem, and culture through its Skiff and Schooner Program.

Eric Guzman, Detroit Free Press, July 19, 2024 – Eight middle school students returned to Belle Isle for sailing lessons after participating in a pilot program to build their own sailboat through Detroit Community Sailing Center.

Detroit River Story Lab, July 10, 2024 – MSU forestry student Lavonnes Bolds explored environmental career opportunities at the Detroit River Youth Career Expo, where 75 young people met with 21 organizations.

Joyce Wiswell, Detroit River Living, December 2023 – U-M’s Detroit River Story Lab partners with local organizations to reconnect communities, especially young people, with the river’s historical, ecological, and cultural importance.

Schoolcraft College, October 20, 2023 – Schoolcraft College students took a three-hour tour aboard the three-masted schooner Alliance, experiencing the Great Lakes as travelers might have during the age of sail.

Egalitarian Metropolis, November 8, 2023 – The Detroit River Story Lab addresses a narrative infrastructure crisis through the river corridor’s cultural, economic, and ecological significance, advancing narrative placemaking and civic renewal.

Katie Vloet, University of Michigan College of Language, Science and the Arts, November 6, 2023 – LSA’s Detroit River Story Lab teaches students from elementary school through college about the past and future of the vibrant body of water.

Jennie Rhodes, School for Environment and Sustainability, October 30, 2023 – Four U-M SEAS master’s students are working with the Detroit River Story Lab to explore the river’s history and importance to Detroit-area communities.

Jack Nissen and Coulter Mitchell, Fox 2 Detroit, October 5, 2023 – Western International High School students sailed the Detroit River with DRSL, learning about sailing and local wildlife before unexpectedly discovering a jellyfish in their plankton net.

Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, August 22, 2023 – The Detroit River Story Lab’s annual Skiff & Schooner Program offers Detroit-area youth hands-on learning about the river’s historical, cultural, and environmental heritage.

Marsal Family School of Education Article, October 3, 2022 – U-M doctoral student Marquise Griffin led a learning station on Detroit as a river city, exploring Black and Indigenous contributions and displacement through structural racism.

Kayla Grant, U-M Detroit, October 18, 2022 – Detroit’s early city plans and U-M’s founding were linked to the riverfront, reflecting the Detroit River’s enduring importance to the city’s identity and economy.

Crystal Cole, Inland Seas Education Association Schoolship Blog, August 2, 2022 – A public health graduate student reflects on creating a learning station for Detroit River Story Lab sails through its partnership with Inland Seas.

Jasmin Barmore, Detroit Free Press, August 12, 2022 – U-M’s Detroit River Story Lab and Green Door Initiative hosted a boatbuilding workshop connecting teens with local ecology, the carbon cycle, and Underground Railroad history.

Melina Schaefer, Special to Michigan News, August 4, 2022 – The Detroit River Skiff and Schooner Program introduces students to sailing while exploring the river’s ecology, history, and wildlife through community partnerships.

Katie Moore, Tall Ships America Blog, July 14, 2022 – U-M English major Katie Moore shares her introduction to tall ship sailing on the Great Lakes during her summer communications internship with Tall Ships America.

Caleb Ameel, Inland Seas Education Association Schoolship Blog, June 30, 2022 – U-M graduate student Marquise Griffin is developing a shipboard learning activity on communities’ historical connections to the Detroit River through a DRSL-sponsored Inland Seas internship.

Maija Urponen, Practical Humanities, May 6, 2022 – The Detroit River Story Lab demonstrates practical humanities through an interdisciplinary U-M project connecting university partners and local organizations on both sides of the river.

Greta Guest, Michigan News, May 3, 2022 – The Detroit River Story Lab received a $32,000 grant to support a pilot project with the Green Door Initiative and Inland Seas, using boatbuilding and sailing to connect people with the river.

Arin Yu, Taubman College News, January 19, 2022 – Taubman College students collaborated with the Detroit Historical Society to explore storytelling and representation strategies around Wahnabezee, known today as Belle Isle.

Greta Guest, Michigan News, December 16, 2021 – A Flint sixth-grader joins a University of Michigan-sponsored educational sail on the Detroit River, learning about plankton and climate change aboard the schooner Inland Seas.

Greta Guest, Michigan News, March 8, 2021 – During the pandemic, U-M expanded collaborations across Detroit, including efforts addressing unemployment, COVID-19 vaccination, economic mobility, utility costs, education, health, culture, and the arts.

Alexandra Haddad, Graham Sustainability Institute, February 18, 2021 – The Detroit River Story Lab received funding through U-M’s Carbon Neutrality Acceleration Program, one of seven projects selected for their potential to reduce carbon emissions.

Greta Guest, Michigan News, December 21, 2020 – As part of the Detroit River Story Lab, Darin Stockdill will help scholars and educators in Michigan and Ontario develop materials for middle school teachers.

Annamarie Sysling, WDET, November 23, 2020 – The University of Michigan launches the Detroit River Story Lab, a partnership with state and local environmental organizations centered on regional perspectives and storytelling.

Greta Guest, Michigan News, October 22, 2020 – The Detroit River Story Lab launches at the University of Michigan with grant-funded partnerships and multidisciplinary courses exploring the international waterway’s stories, past and present.