What is the Detroit Riverkeeper program?

The Detroit Riverkeeper program formally started with its acceptance into the Waterkeeper Alliance in the fall of 2002. From the start the Riverkeeper Committee was created and set out to develop a mission statement which would guide the future direction of the Riverkeeper and the programs that he was entrusted to develop. This would be done under the committee’s guidance and with the approval of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Detroit River (FDR). From this mission statement, a set of goals was created that the Riverkeeper committee used to develop a definable and measurable set of objectives that would be used to guide the direction of the Riverkeeper’s day to day activities.

The 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 and research to accomplish its commitment as the protector of the Detroit River Watershed and to build a stronger sense of community stewardship for its waters.

Detroit 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 first hand what are the problems, as they are occurring, and bring them into the public’s immediate attention. To do this the program needed the funding, contacts, media resources, personnel and equipment necessary to carry out this task; including a full time Riverkeeper and a capable dedicated Riverkeeper boat.

The second goal, as specified in the mission statement, is manifested in the development of an educational program that is designed to enlighten the general public to the problems that exist within the Detroit River Watershed and to the value of protecting our remaining natural resources. With emphasis on providing opportunities that will foster implementable solutions to these issues and build a sense of stewardship amongst its residents, businesses, industries and political representatives as to the economic and ethical value of protecting the river’s natural areas.  

A third goal derived from our mission statement is the need for the preservation of existing natural resources (areas) in the Detroit River Watershed. This ideology 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 fostering cooperative efforts.

Finally, a forth goal that was important to the development of the Riverkeeper Program is the establishment of cooperative monitoring and research programs. This task would be accomplished by creating associations with existing local NGO groups, state and federal agencies that would 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. Such cooperative data gathering programs are essential in determining a water quality baseline for the area and help to pin point specific trouble spots now and in the future.

From these goals, derived from the mission statement, a list of objectives was created to guide the Riverkeeper in developing a work plan to guide his daily activities, and are listed as follows:

Education - community outreach is the key to building stewardship for the river.

1)     Develop school based educational programs that promote an understanding of river ecology and how each person plays a part in the health of the river.

2)     Create storm drain awareness programs.

3)     Create educational slide, PowerPoint and display presentations about the river and its ecology.

4)     Organize annual FDR Detroit River Cleanup and informational displays.

5)     Attend informational conferences and keep up on state and federal legislative actions that can impact the Detroit River. 

Communication- provide timely information to our membership and other interested individuals.

1)     Work to provide quarterly newsletters to our membership.

2)     Write newspaper articles and obtain media coverage for local events and issues.

3)     Provide editorial comments to local papers on issues impacting the river.

4)     E-mail alerts members to important events and issues.

5)     Write letters of concern to local, state and federal officials when necessary.

Partnership Building- work to build relationships with local, state and federal officials.

1)     Establish working relations with local community leaders, mayors, council members, county agencies, state MDEQ and local EPA officials.

2)     Develop a rapport with the members of the local watershed groups whose waters empty into the Detroit River, as well as local environmental groups who share common concerns and issues.

3)     Develop cooperative partnerships with local business and industries to work towards solving water quality and land use issues.

4)     Work with the Detroit River Remedial Action Plan (RAP).

5)     Develop a storm drain labeling program with local watershed communities.

Monitoring- keep up to date with issues and events that affect the river’s water quality

1)     Do follow up inquires following “Events and incidents” to insure that the          proper steps are being taken to prevent a reoccurrence. (Oil Spill, CSO sewage discharges and industrial spills).

2)      Provide regular river patrols to look for pollution incidents, especially after periods of heavy rains and report problems to the proper state or federal agency.

3)     Work with local boaters, fishermen and residents to develop pollution observing and reporting program.

4)     Create cooperative programs with state and federal agencies to get involved with current monitoring efforts.

Research- collecting and correlating existing data as well as developing new sources of information.

1)     Work on a program to identify, categorize and detail all of the outfalls on the   Detroit River.

2)     Document specific animal, plant and fish species and habitats that are currently known and protected and identify those which need to be.

3)     Coordinate known information to help other private and governmental agencies in their efforts to better understand the ecology and problem areas on the river.

WHO IS THE DETROIT RIVERKEEPER?

WHAT DOES THE DETROIT RIVERKEEPER DO?

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