Volunteers Needed For Rouge River Cleanup

SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) - Volunteers are needed for the 41st Annual Rouge River Cleanup on Saturday, June 4 from 8 am until 1 pm.

The event is a half-day cleanup and celebration of the city of Southfield's 40 years of commitment to the restoration and revitalization of the Rouge River.

The Rouge River, which encompasses 126 miles of urban waterway, runs through 48 communities in southeastern Michigan, providing flood relief and rural serenity.

In 1986, the Rouge River was designated by the federal government as one of the worst polluters of the Great Lakes. Today, the dream of one day utilizing the river as a recreational resource becomes increasingly more attainable.

The cleanup helps protect this valuable natural resource by removing impediments that block the flow of water – allowing the river to flow freely and heal itself along with affording local residential, educational and business communities the opportunity to work together to improve the environment.

With the cities doing their part in storm water pollution prevention, it is more important than ever to inform the citizens of the watershed that their actions affect the Rouge River.

Thousands of volunteers, young and old, participate in this annual event and in Friends of the Rouge events throughout the year.

To date the Rouge Rescue event has had a total of 48,068 volunteers removing approximately 44,000 cubic yards of trash and debris, 60 vehicles and 1,600 tires along with hundreds of other items.

Registration will begin at 8 am at Beech Woods Arena (22200 Beech Road), just south of Nine Mile Road. Participants will be transported to designated cleanup sites along the river following the registration.

There are approximately 35 work sites along the four major branches of the Rouge River for this annual volunteer river cleanup.

If you are interested in volunteering, visit www.therouge.org for more information and site locations, or call 313-792-9621.