Got a story about the Rouge River you'd like to share?

Local non-profit group asks for stories from the public about their experiences on the Rouge River.

DEARBORN - Friends of the Rouge, a local non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration and stewardship of the Rouge River, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

The group will be celebrating throughout 2011 and is offering many opportunities to involve the public in the festivities. A list of events and activities can be found on the Friends of the Rouge website at www.therouge.org. “One way we are celebrating our 25th anniversary is through our special blog”, said Cyndi Ross, the River Restoration Program Manager for the Friends. “We are collecting stories from people about their experiences with Friends of the Rouge and about the Rouge River in general,” continues Ross.

If you have an interesting story that you would like to share with others about time spent along the river or participating in a Friends of the Rouge activity you can submit it by emailing riverrestoration@therouge.org with the subject line “story”. Stories submitted through the regular mail are also being accepted and can be mailed to 4901 Evergreen Road, 220 ASC, Dearborn, MI 48128. If you would like to read others accounts of their river experiences, please visit the groups’ special blog: “Celebrating 25 years” at http://friendsoftherouge.wordpress.com/

The mission of the Friends of the Rouge is to promote the restoration and stewardship of the Rouge River ecosystem through education, citizen involvement and other collaborative efforts, for the purpose of improving the quality of life for the people, plants, and animals of the watershed. Funding for the organization is provided by the Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project and the Erb Foundation.