Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge volunteers dedicated to conservation in an urban environment
On the west bank of the Detroit River, an array of industrial plants dots the landscape, tall smokestacks reach for the sky, and cityscapes loom in the horizon. The vista lives up to the area’s wartime nickname, the Arsenal of Democracy.
But turn toward the water, and you’ll see that southeast Michigan is getting a makeover. Along the river, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is protecting and restoring important habitat, including marshes and wetlands.
“We’re in a migratory bird path that is critical for over 300 species of birds—hawks, eagles, turkey vultures,” says Joann Van Aken, executive director of the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance (IWRA), the non-profit group that supports the refuge.
Created 15 years ago, the refuge is one of 14 such urban sanctuaries in the U.S., and the only international wildlife refuge in North America. It represents a new model of conservation that focuses on partnerships that restore and conserve land in developed, population-dense areas.
When the refuge was founded in 2001, it consisted of 300 acres. Today it encompasses more than 6,000 acres for 48 miles along the lower Detroit River and western basin of Lake Erie. Counting protected lands in the nearby Canadian province of Ontario, the region has more than 18,000 acres of land dedicated to conservation.
“That’s the message we’re trying to get out,” says Van Aken. “It’s why we’re here and why we’re needed.”
A new initiative on the refuge embodies its commitment to re-greening urban spaces: a site once used as a Chrysler brake and paint plant in Trenton, MI, will house a 12,000-square-foot Gold LEED-certified Visitor Center with a Nature Store run by the IWRA. The center, scheduled to open in 2017, will attract visitors to the refuge, which is only open for special events, and will allow staff and volunteers to educate the public on wildlife and habitat conservation.
“People are practically standing at the gates, waiting for the old fence to come down and the center to open,” says Van Aken, noting that more than seven million people live within a 45-minute drive.
Enbridge is the first corporate partner in the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Refuge Friends program. Through this partnership, IWRA received a $15,000 grant from Enbridge to help set up the Nature Store, whose proceeds will be directed to the refuge’s conservation efforts.
“The grant will help purchase hardware like computers, monitors and resource materials,” says Cindy Finch, who manages Enbridge’s U.S. community investment activities.
The store will sell books and educational materials to help visitors remember their experience and “foster in them a sense of appreciation and care for nature with conservation in cities,” Finch adds.
Van Aken says visitors to the center will be filled with a sense of awe and peace when taking in the landscape, which includes the last mile of untouched shoreline on the Detroit River.
Says Van Aken: “When people visit the waterfront, you can see them sigh and say, ‘I get it.’ ”
