The Detroit Riverkeeper

Waterkeeper Alliance and the Detroit Riverkeeper Program

Background

The Waterkeeper concept started in 1966 on the Hudson River, when a group of commercial and recreational fisherman mobilized to fight the effects of pollution that had contaminated the river's fish stocks. They called themselves the Hudson River Fisherman's Association. More specifically, the State of New York placed a ban on the sale of striped bass, which were found to contain high levels of PCBs, and thus threatened a hundred-year-old way of life.

Their goal was to use any legal means necessary to bring to the attention of the public those entities that were contributing to the pollution of the Hudson River. They constructed a boat to patrol the river, to uncover problems and established a program to deal with water pollution issues. It was the idea of Robert Boyle, a prominent outdoor writer and President of the Fisherman's Association, to establish a Riverkeeper on the Hudson to work in the public's interest as someone who would act as the "eyes and ears" for the public on the river.

By 1983, the Riverkeeper concept had spread to surrounding bodies of water and across North America with a number of established Riverkeeper programs. In 1984, Robert Kennedy Jr. was retained to act as chief legal counsel for the organization and while working with John Cronin, the Hudson River's first Riverkeeper, won a number of battles against major polluters along the shores of the Hudson.

In 1992, the existing Waterkeepers founded the National Alliance of Rivers, Sound and Bay Waterkeepers, which was renamed the Waterkeeper Alliance in 1999. The Alliance is based out of New York and oversees the development of new Waterkeeper associations and works on national issues that individual Waterkeeper programs hold in common. There are currently over 350 individual Waterkeeper organizations in the United States and around the world.

In November of 2003, FDR received its Conditional Licensing Agreement from the Waterkeeper Alliance to form the Detroit Riverkeeper Program and fulfilled all of the requirements to become a permanent member of the Waterkeeper Alliance.

What is the Riverkeeper program?

The Detroit Riverkeeper program formally started with its acceptance into the Waterkeeper Alliance in the fall of 2003. The Waterkeeper Alliance, based in New York, was established in the 1960's and currently has over 350 Waterkeeper groups in the United States and around the world.

From the start, the Riverkeeper Committee set out to develop a mission statement to guide the future direction of the Riverkeeper program and the activities that the Riverkeeper was entrusted to implement. Under the committee's guidance and with the approval of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Detroit River, a mission statement was completed. From this mission statement, a set of goals were created that the Riverkeeper Committee used to develop a definable and measurable set of objectives that have  been used to guide the direction of the Riverkeeper's day to day activities over the past two decades.

Detroit Riverkeeper Mission Statement

The Detroit Riverkeeper is a nonprofit citizen action group organized to protect, preserve and restore the ecological integrity of the Detroit River Watershed for current users and future generations through advocacy and citizen action. The Riverkeeper uses education, communication, partnership building, monitoring, regulatory oversight and research to accomplish its commitment as a protector of the Detroit River Watershed and an emphasis in building a stronger sense of community stewardship for its waters through these efforts.

Riverkeeper Program Goals and Objectives

As pursuant to the mission statement, the Riverkeeper program, from its inception, developed a set of goals and objectives that were designed to help the organization gain involvement in the preservation and restoration of the ecological integrity of the Detroit River.

First and foremost, in this endeavor, and the single most important goal of the program, was to create the ability for the organization to get out on the water and see and record firsthand what the problems are, as they are occurring, and bring them to the public's immediate attention.

The second goal as specified in the mission statement was the development of an educational program designed to enlighten the general public to the problems that exist within the Detroit River Watershed and the value of protecting our remaining natural resources. The following is a list of targeted educational goals that were developed and have been implemented since the Waterkeeper program started:

●      Create a Watershed wide storm drain labeling campaign.

●      Act as FDR liaison to local Watershed group meetings.

●      Create a Marine Pollution Reporting Program "Citizens Guide".

●      Provide public displays depicting current issues, restoration projects and programs at civic events.

●      Provide a historical presentation on the Detroit River's industrial past.

●      Sponsor an annual "FDR Detroit River Cleanup Event".

●      Become directly involved in current legislative and developmental issues impacting the Detroit River.

A third goal derived from our mission statement is the preservation of existing natural resources in the Detroit River Watershed. This objective is carried out through a number of avenues designed to address a multitude of land, water and wetland use issues relevant to the program through the following cooperative efforts:

 ●      Work with private, public and corporate landowners to create conservation easements, to protect valuable lands and re-develop existing resources to be both ecologically sustainable as well as economically viable.

●      Develop a program to help target sensitive inland wetlands and create a process to ensure their continued protection as vital components for stormwater mitigation and wildlife habitat.

●      Work to implement the Detroit River Remedial Action Plan through the support of the work that the Friends of the Detroit River and Detroit Public Advisory Council (PAC) to implement habitat restoration project, remediate contaminated sediments in the river and remove Beneficial Use Impairments from the Detroit Area of Concern.

Finally, a fourth goal important to the development of the Riverkeeper Program was the establishment of a cooperative monitoring and research programs. This accomplishment of this task has been obtained by continuing to develop associations with existing local NGO groups, universities, state and federal agencies that have the capacity and willingness to set up programs to monitor and make observation on water quality parameters on the many creek, streams and connecting rivers in the Detroit River.

Who is the Detroit Riverkeeper?

Robert Burns, a lifelong resident living along the Detroit River, was appointed as the first Detroit Riverkeeper in  2003. Mr. Burns, a graduate of Grosse Ile High School and Kalamazoo College, grew up on the river hunting, fishing, camping and exploring the many islands, marshlands and man-made dikes that make up the lower Detroit River. As an adult, he undertook a career in marine construction and engineering and has been involved in many projects up and down the river, as well as other waters of the Great Lakes.

In his many years on the water, he has developed a good understanding and appreciation for not only the natural diversity and beauty found along the river but also an understanding of many of the area's problems that have led to its degradation. "I accepted this position because I felt that I could take my experience and commitment and put it to work to help address some of the river’s problems and, at the same time, work to support the types of actions that would promote sustainable economic growth, promote stewardship of the river in a way that made environmental and economic sense.”

There is a misconception that the needs of industry, community and the environment are incompatible. Industry has been an integral factor in the development and livelihood of this region for well over a hundred and fifty years. In one way or another, most residents of the Detroit River Watershed owe their livelihood to one of these major concerns and our local economy is dependent on their continued success. We have seen a change in the philosophy of how a number of these major corporations view environmental concerns.

Over the last two decades the Riverkeeper program has seen many positive changes being made to reverse decades of abuse. Many of the more responsible companies and communities are making great strides in reducing their pollution emissions and are directly involved in environmentally and economically sustainable reclamation projects. Old industrial sites and brownfield areas along the river are being redeveloped into parks, greenways and golf courses, allowing more public access. New residential and commercial developments have also taken advantage of these sites, providing upscale housing and new jobs, and local companies are investing in ways to produce their products with more efficiency and fewer emissions.

With the resulting cleaner air and water conditions that have evolved over the last four decades, due to stricter pollution regulations, recreational activities have also flourished. Boating, hunting, sport fishing, as well as other recreational activities, contribute millions of dollars to the local economy each year and are growing in popularity. Property values in these riverfront communities are increasing because of this change. The job of Riverkeeper is to support those who are working to make the Detroit River a better place to live, protect and improve our natural resources and to bring those to task who continue to harm the river and its resources.

What does the Riverkeeper do?

Simply defined, the Riverkeeper works on any issue that negatively impacts the river's water quality or natural habitats and resources. The Riverkeeper is also dedicated to supporting any project, research or educational program that provides positive impact to the river's ecology and results in economically sustainable development.

The Riverkeeper uses the above defined objectives to accomplish this mission. The following are some examples of the many different duties and accomplishments of the Riverkeeper since the inception of this program in the spring of 2003, as they fall under the five guidance objectives.

Education - One of the key duties of the Riverkeeper is to work on educational programs that will alert the general public to issues and problems that are currently impacting the river's water quality and habitat areas. The Riverkeeper has developed dozens of PowerPoint presentations, talks and displays that are used for the various programs that are given to local schools, civic groups and at area conferences. Some of the key topics that are covered in these presentations include a history of the evolution of water quality problems on the Detroit River, impacts of human activities on the river's habitats and updates on the various projects that FDR is currently working on to improve the river and its habitats.

Each year the Riverkeeper helps to organize an annual spring FDR Lower Detroit River Cleanup. Volunteers gather at a local boat ramp and are ferried out to some of the islands and dike areas around the lower river to spend a morning picking up debris. The river not only gets a clean up, but people who otherwise might not be able to get out on the river get the opportunity to see just how fortunate we are to have access to the natural open areas that we do.

Another very important duty that the Riverkeeper is responsible for is to keep up to date on current issues, policies and impending legislation that can impact the Detroit River. To do this, the Riverkeeper has been involved in a broad range of issues from the International Bridge crossings to oil spill legislation, to invasive species and VHS viruses that have killed some species of fish in the river. He has been working on issues such as reducing CSO discharges and the impacts of emerging issues like microplastics, pharmaceuticals and PFAS discharges to the Detroit River.

Communication - Another important function of the Riverkeeper program is to keep its members, local residents, peers and the general community up to date on current issues, projects and programs that are being addressed. To do this, the Riverkeeper and the Riverkeeper Committee use a number of avenues to provide information to the public. Each quarter, the Friends of the Detroit River publishes its newsletter called the River Current. In this newsletter, there are articles and a calendar of events to keep our membership current on issues, points of interest and upcoming events.

The Riverkeeper also has a dedicated column called the "Keeper's Korner", where he addresses specific things that have been done over the previous quarter and what activities are planned for the next. The Riverkeeper also contributes additional articles to the newsletter to provide information in greater detail about current issues that might be of interest to FDR members.

Along with the use of the newsletter, the organization has developed a very broad email list of current members and members of the general public who take an interest in the organization's activities. With this list, we can contact hundreds of individuals at once to alert them of important developments and upcoming activities through email messaging.

To inform the broader general public, the Riverkeeper continues to contribute a number of editorials and articles for the local news media. The Riverkeeper has appeared on several local cable and radio talk shows to discuss the Riverkeeper program and the Detroit River He has provided guided tours to groups on the history and ecology of the Detroit River aboard several of the charter tour boats that run the river. As part of the group’s public outreach program, the Riverkeeper continues to participate in web-based presentations and events.

Partnership Building - Another key component of the Riverkeeper program is to continue to build partnerships with local units of governments, state and federal agencies, other like-minded organizations, local residents and civic organizations. To meet this goal, the Riverkeeper continues to be actively involved with a number of local, state and federally run programs.

Since the inception of the Riverkeeper program, the Riverkeeper has sought to develop good working relationships with many individuals from local community governments, state and federal legislators, the MDEQ, the EPA, USFWS, and USGS, to name a few. One important relationship has been developed working with the Alliance of Downriver Watersheds. The Riverkeeper has developed a very strong working relationship with over twenty different communities working to meet the requirements of the state Phase II Stormwater permit requirements.

The Riverkeeper also serves as technical advisor and vice chair to the Detroit River Public Advisory Council, which oversees the implementation of the Remedial Action Plan (RAP). The RAP is a federally mandated plan to address beneficial use impairments (BUIs) which are impacting the health of the Detroit River. As a member of the PAC, the Riverkeeper is working to help improve the river's fish, animal and bird populations. The Riverkeeper continues to help the PAC design and implement ongoing habitat restoration projects and with the development of plans and efforts to address the remediation of contaminated sediments in the Detroit River.

One of the most important cooperative efforts that the Riverkeeper has been pursuing since its inception is the development of open lines of communication with major industries along the Detroit River. Given the river's industrial past and the large number of active industrial concerns that own property along the river, it is imperative that good working relationships are developed. With these efforts, the Riverkeeper has worked to address localized problems and work towards solutions that allow for their continued operations, while at the same time reducing the impact they are having on the environment. Our organization is proud to say that through this effort of cooperation, we have worked through a number of issues with several of the large industries along the river.

 Monitoring - The understanding of past and current habitat and river water quality conditions is essential in understanding how human intervention has altered the ecology of the Detroit River. Without proper baseline monitoring information, it is impossible to gauge the impacts of current activities and the benefits of future restoration projects. Given the multitude of local, state and federal agencies that are entrusted with the protection of our natural resources, there are at any one time a number of monitoring projects going on in the Detroit River area.

After the 2002 Rouge River oil spill that allowed tens of thousands of gallons of waste oil to flow into the Detroit River and out into Western Lake Erie, the Detroit Riverkeeper program realized the need for a pollution observation and reporting program geared toward the many boaters, sportsmen and shoreline residents that live and recreate around the Detroit River. As it turned out during the 2002 oil spill, the true extent of this spill wasn't realized until the flood of reports started coming in from fishermen miles downriver from the initial spill. As a result of this incident and the lack of knowledge that the general boating public has about reporting spills and unusual discharges, the "Marine Pollution Reporting Sign Campaign" was developed with the U.S. Coast Guard. FDR has produced several dozen signs with the Coast Guard's toll-free National Response Center's phone number, which is the national clearinghouse for reporting such incidents. These signs have been placed at area marinas, yacht clubs and public boat launches.

In conjunction with this program, the Riverkeeper program also developed a "Citizens Reporting Guide" on how to report marine pollution. This guide gives all the information necessary to be able to know how to make spill observations and to whom to report the problem. Over the years, the Riverkeeper has received, responded to and forwarded incident reports to the appropriate agency on nearly a hundred observations that have been called in to us from local boaters and shoreline residents.

One of the key components that makes our Riverkeeper program different from other conservation minded groups in the area is the fact that we have a full time dedicated Riverkeeper boat that is used to do regular patrols along the entire 28-mile length of the Detroit River. During these patrols, we are constantly monitoring known problem areas as well as assessing changes to local habitats, bird and animal populations. Our patrol boat makes it possible for us to get others out on the water as well. Over the past two decades, we have been able to assist representatives from the USFWS, EPA, MDEQ, Environment Canada, local government officials, high school and university programs as well as local industry representatives onto the river to make observations, do research and see the river from our prospective. Over the years, this part of our program has become an essential component in our monitoring, partnership building and cooperative effort building objectives.

Another aspect that makes the work the Riverkeeper does unique from the work done by other organizations in the area is not only our ability to monitor the river from the water surface in our Riverkeeper boat, but also our ability to take regular reconnaissance flights by airplane up and down the river from Lake St. Clair to well out into the western basin of Lake Erie. This ability gives us a bird's eye view of the river's water quality with real time information. When new problems are detected or chronic problems are being monitored, such information can then be passed on to the proper state or federal agency for their review.

Research and Data gathering - The final cornerstone of the Detroit Riverkeeper program is the emphasis on being able to do independent research on water quality and habitat issues impacting the Detroit River as well as coordinate efforts with ongoing work that is being performed by other NGO's and governmental agencies. Since the early days of this program and continuing into the present, the Riverkeeper Program has helped numerous groups get out on the water and collect data .An early research project completed with  EPA grant funding, focused on finding, observing and logging the sources of as many of the stormwater and wastewater outfalls that could be located along the Detroit River and its connecting tributaries. In all, over 340 separate outfalls were documented on the American side of the Detroit River.

Along with our own independent research, the Riverkeeper program has built an excellent working relationship with researchers from Michigan DNR Fisheries, USGS and USFWS fisheries biologists, working with them on a number of cooperative efforts around the Detroit River.

Since 2008, the Riverkeeper has served as technical advisor and vice chair to the Detroit River Public Advisor Council (PAC), working on projects to compile data and historical information on contaminated sediment locations in the Detroit River and provide technical input for the development of ongoing habitat restoration projects. Information compiled in the contaminated sediment location project is currently being used by EPA to do additional sediment assessments along the Detroit River and to develop a plan to address the river’s contaminated sediment problems.

The Detroit Riverkeeper program wishes to thank the support that it receives from the Friends of the Detroit River, its board, its committees, FDR members and the public. Funds used to support the Riverkeeper Program come primarily from grants, FDR support, and foundation funding. The day-to-day operations of the Riverkeeper boat are supported primarily by donations from members and supporters at the annual Detroit Riverkeeper fundraising dinner.

If there are any questions about the Riverkeeper Program, an interest in any of our events, or an interest in serving on our committee, please contact us.