This story is published in partnership with the Detroit River Story Lab
For Andrea Wilkins, the massive problem of cleaning up the Detroit River is staggering,
“To think about the huge scale is almost overwhelming,” she said.
Wilkins is a member of the Friends of the Detroit River, a volunteer organization based in Detroit. The group started to prevent the drilling of a well near the Detroit River, but gained its footing in 1996 when it helped campaign to save Humbug Marsh, a wetland area rich in biodiversity at risk of being completely wiped out.
The group soon realized that other projects were needed to help save the natural environment around the river, and they relied heavily on volunteers to complete the work.
One such volunteer, Roberts Burns, stuck around long enough to be designated as the Detroit Riverkeeper.
He describes his job as “the eyes and ears” of the Detroit River, watching for at-risk areas and deciding what projects the organization will pursue next.
Another volunteer, Kaylee Peterson, joined the group in 2019 and has become its Development and Communication Manager.
Every member I spoke with had a story about the river from their childhood. Bob Burns went fishing with his friends as a kid. Stephanie Prechter, another volunteer, is a photographer who often shot along the river long before getting involved with the organization. Each had felt a strong personal connection to the river before they knew that Friends of the Detroit River existed.
Prechter stressed the importance of education to serve Detroiters and the river.
“When you aren’t educated on something, you make false conclusions,” she said. It’s easy, she said, to forget that humans are, in fact, a part of nature. We tend to view ourselves as a separate entity from the natural environment.
David Howell, the longtime chairman of Friends of the Detroit River, pointed out that over 4 million people rely on the Detroit River for the water they use every day. He said that if we aren’t part of the solution, we’re forsaking our duty to the natural world to keep it healthy, just as it keeps us healthy.
Of course, there has to be balance. As Peterson pointed out, one person can’t solve the climate crisis or pollution issues. However, it can be done through the collective action of many individuals who deeply care about their communities. These groups exist all over; Friends of the Detroit River is just one.
There’s only so much people can do alone. That’s when organizations like the Friends of the Detroit River need to collaborate with other fields of study, such as the arts and healthcare, to further the collective conservation mission. As a member of the organization, Prechter hopes to see more of this interdisciplinary action put into motion.
She suggests partnering with healthcare organizations to help people understand the positive impacts being near a body of water like the Detroit River has on people’s mental and physical well-being as a good place to start.
Friends of the Detroit River members say they try to offer something we all need in the face of a climate crisis as severe as the one we’re currently facing: hope.
“It’s a personal satisfaction to do one small thing,” Wilkins said, especially when you can see you’re making a tangible difference.