For 19-year old Uriel Llanas, it was the starry, quiet night and clean air on a camping trip with Detroit Outdoors back in 2019 that continues to draw him into nature today. “I felt very calm and very at peace when I first went there,” Llanas told Planet Detroit. “Living my entire life (in Detroit), […]
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PARKS REPORT: Palmer Park
View on Instagram >>> Find your way to this park! Palmer Park Just when we thought the sunshine was on the way, mother nature decided to send us some winter weather. No worries Detroit! Palmer Park, located at 910 Merrill Plaisance, boasts a 296-acre complex teeming with historic woodlands which gives visitors a shady cover […]
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From the Headlines – April 12 – 16, 2021
Food co-op has a home: The Detroit People’s Food Co-op is one step closer to becoming a reality in Detroit’s North End. The Black-led, community-owned grocery store signed a purchase agreement and made a down payment for the land at 8324 Woodward Avenue. So far, more than 1,100 people have purchased $200 memberships in the cooperative, […]
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Detroiter Antonio Rafael aims to get kids to see leaders of color in the outdoors
One of the main cries during the COVID-19 pandemic has been to enjoy the healing benefits of nature, but for many urban Black and Brown youths, immersing themselves in nature beyond asphalt is not a real option. At one time, people could count on schools to provide nature options beyond the neighborhood, but school budget […]
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PARKS REPORT: Forest Park offers visitors an escape from the city life
View on Instagram >>> Find your way to this park! Forest Park Ready to get outside? So are we. Come along with Planet Detroit’s new parks reporter, Zaïré Daniels, as he embarks on a quest to visit a new Detroit park every week. There are 359 parks within the city limits according to SEMCOG, so we’ve got […]
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From the Headlines – April 5 – April 9, 2021
Put the money in the ground: Michigan counties and municipalities are set to receive an estimated $4.4 billion as a part of the COVID-19 stimulus package signed by President Joe Biden last month. What should they do with all that cash? Justin Onwenu, an organizer for the Michigan Sierra Club, said this is a “huge opportunity to focus on clean water,” […]
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Introducing Zaïré Daniels, Planet Detroit’s parks reporter
Ready to get outside? So are we. Come along with Planet Detroit’s new parks reporter, Zaïré Daniels, as he embarks on a quest to visit a new Detroit park every week. There are 359 parks within the city limits according to SEMCOG, so we’ve got enough territory to keep him occupied until it snows again. […]
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Black to the Land Coalition connects Detroit’s BIPOC communities with the outdoors
Detroiter Djenaba Ali was looking for inexpensive activities for her and her children to enjoy together. Recently divorced with five children, she balked when a friend invited her camping, thinking it was too expensive. “They told me, ‘We got you a tent. Just pay $25. Just come up with a sleeping bag. If you don’t […]
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Film | Forty Gallons: A visit to the Detroit sugarbush
Getting Black, brown and indigenous Detroiters to fall in love with nature is a mission and passion for Antonio Rafael, who works with groups like the Detroit Indigenous People’s Alliance, Black to the Land, and the National Wildlife Federation to provide opportunities for BIPOC youth to connect with the outdoors. Planet Detroit took a trip […]
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From the Headlines – Week of 3/29/2021
Who pays for climate change? Water levels on the Great Lakes and in the canals of Detroit’s Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood are declining for now, but experts expect they will rise again with increased frequency as the climate crisis continues. So the question remains about how to pay for seawalls and infrastructure to protect a community where the median […]