Join us on April 13 for our cleanup in Little River

On April 13, 2024, the Detroit River Canadian Cleanup (DRCC) will work with volunteers to remove accumulated debris and litter along a portion of the Little River corridor and Ganatchio Trail.



Pre-registration is required. Event will take place rain or shine, and will be delayed because of severe weather only.

We will be set up in Teedie Park conducting onsite registration beginning at 10 am. A waiver will be sent to participants shortly before the event to review, print and sign to bring to the event. You can then access cleaning supplies and begin the cleanup. Parking is available at the Canadian Tire off of Tecumseh Road east. We ask volunteers to not park in the neighbourhood near Teedie Park. Teedie Park's address is 8049 Hawthorne Dr, Windsor, ON. The Canadian Tire address is 8505 Tecumseh Road east, Windsor, ON.

Please dress for the weather and wear closed toed sturdy shoes. This location involves walking long distances with litter collection bags/buckets and moving up and down the slopes of the Little River valley. Please note, no volunteers will be permitted to enter the Little River with waders at this location.

Please contact Laura Neufeld, Community Outreach Coordinator if you have any questions about the event. 

Fish Habitat Success at Peche Island

ERCA and the DRCC partnered with the City of Windsor to construct 9 sheltering islands at Peche Island in the Detroit River to reduce erosion and create fish habitat. Biological monitoring of the created calm water habitat was conducted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in late summer 2021 and 2023. Results show that submerged aquatic vegetation cover increased from 10% pre-construction to 59.49% in 2021 and 52.0% in 2023 in the calm water area likely due to decreased wave action. Decreased wave action and the establishment of aquatic vegetation are measurable mitigative processes indicating decreased rates of erosion.

In 2021, 34 fish species were captured (4 species at risk), including 19 native species that were not captured in previous surveys. In 2023, 31 fish species were captured (3 species at risk), of which, 3 are native species not previously caught in the 2021 survey or other previous surveys. Fish from all life stages were caught (i.e., juveniles and adults). Overall, the newly constructed sheltering islands have positively affected fish species by improving habitat suitability around Peche Island.

On February 20 2024, the DRCC screened two Water Brothers documentaries at Imagine Lakeshore Cinemas. The documentaries focused on wetland loss and PFAS in the environment. The event was sold out and 150 people came out to watch the free screening, and hear from an expert panel at the end of the show. Thanks to Dr. Cheryl Murphy (Michigan State University), Mark Burrows (International Joint Commission), Abby Hendershott (Michigan Department for Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy), Dr. John Hartig (Visiting Scholar, University of Windsor), Kate Arthur (ERCA), and Kathy Jones (Birds Canada) for providing great discussion and engaging the audience on such important local and Great Lakes basin wide issues!

For those who were unable to make it, the documentaries can be viewed online here.

Let's Talk! webinar series

There are some upcoming spring webinars as part of Environment and Climate Change Canada's Let's Talk! series on the Great Lakes. These webinars are organized by their respective Lake Partnerships and co-chaired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Registration is required for each event separately. These webinars are free, open to the public and recommended for anyone who is passionate about the Great Lakes! The webinars cover protecting biodiversity in Lake Huron, addressing invasive plants around Lake Ontario, nutrients and algae in Lake Superior and herring gull eggs and chemical contaminants in Lake Erie.

Learn how chemical contaminants have impacted the Lake Erie ecosystem in our upcoming webinar, “Cracking the Code: Herring Gull Eggs and Chemical Contaminants in Lake Erie.”   



Hear about the joint efforts of Canada and the U.S. to address chemicals of mutual concern (CMCs), which are substances that pose environmental and human health risks in the Great Lakes. Also learn how herring gulls have become our invaluable allies in understanding chemical pollutants in the Great Lakes and how decades of gull monitoring have shaped our understanding of the health of Lake Erie’s ecosystem. 

International Day of Zero Waste (March 30)

The International Day of Zero Waste aims to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns and raise awareness about how zero-waste initiatives contribute to environmental goals.

Humanity generates an estimated 2.24 billion tons of municipal solid waste annually, of which only 55 per cent is managed in controlled facilities. By 2050, this could rise to 3.88 billion tons per year.

International Day of Action for Rivers (March 14)

The International Day of Action for Rivers is a day dedicated to solidarity – when diverse communities around the world come together with one voice to say that rivers matter. That communities having access to clean and flowing water matters. That everyone should have a say in decisions that affect their water and their lives. That it’s our time to stand up for these rights, now more than ever.

They’re celebrating the 27th Anniversary of this Day for Rivers by also highlighting how critical access to water is in all our lives. This year’s theme focuses on “Water for All”. Whether your community is tackling water rights, clean water access, fighting against dams, water grabs, and water privatization or removing dams and restoring rivers and fish migration, we know water is life and is meant for all.

Upcoming Local Events

Save the date for these great local events! Contact the organizers for more information.

Maple Syrup Festival - Tasters' Weekend

March 16 & 17, 2024, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, John R. Park Homestead, 915 Essex County Rd 50, Harrow, ON

It’s a Tasters’ paradise for all things Maple! Sample baked goods, maple butter, maple sugar and more. Taste various syrups and learn how they make the grade. Butter tart contest, winter hikes, crafters’ market, and the Maple Market featuring innovative delights and trusted favourites. Learn more and buy tickets.

Volunteer Orientation - Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP)

March 21, 2024, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Ojibway Nature Centre , 5200 Matchett Rd, Windsor, ON N9C 4E8, Canada

Adopt a wetland route in Windsor-Essex County this Spring! Birds Canada in partnership with the City of Windsor and the Essex Region Conservation Authority, are looking for wetland enthusiasts willing to adopt a local marsh and spend approximately 10 hours per year as a volunteer surveyor of aquatic birds and amphibians. The MMP offers everyone – from amateur naturalists to professional biologists – a unique and rewarding opportunity to help learn about and conserve Great Lakes amphibians and marsh birds, and their threatened habitats. Come join us on Thursday March 21, 2024 from 7pm to 8pm to meet Jennifer Nantais and Laura Neufeld, the Regional Coordinators for the program. At this session you will also be able to sign up for your route. Register here.

ERCAs How to Crew Volunteer Orientation - 2024 Earth Day Community Tree Planting

Mar 28, 2024, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Essex County Civic & Education Centre , 360 Fairview Ave W, Essex, ON N8M 1Y6, Canada

Ready to make an environmental difference in your community? The Essex Region Conservation Authority is looking for volunteers to help support community restoration events, and recruitment for the 2024 tree planting season is in full swing. Benefits? Enhance your leadership qualities, get active, learn new skills, and gain valuable habitat restoration experience in your community. No prior tree planting experience required! How To Crew Orientation will take place on March 28 at 6:00 p.m in Committee Room C (second floor) at the Essex Civic Centre. Visitors are required to enter through the north entrance of the building. Register here.

Total Eclipse of the Park

April 8, 2024, 9:00 am, John R. Park Homestead, 915 Essex County Rd 50, Harrow, ON

Join the Essex Region Conservation Authority for a family friendly eclipse viewing event for the 2024 Great North American Total Eclipse, located on the shores of Lake Erie in the path of totality! Your entry fee includes your pair of ISO- and CE-Certified eclipse glasses.

The Homestead will open at 9am and guests are encouraged to arrive early as traffic volumes are expected to be high. Tickets are only available for pre-purchasing – no tickets will be available at the door. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Celest-Fest at the Beach

April 8, 2024, 9:00 am, Holiday Beach Conservation Area, 6952 50 Cr, Amherstburg, ON N0R 1G0, Canada

Join the Essex Region Conservation Authority for a family friendly eclipse viewing event for the 2024 Great North American Total Eclipse, located on the shores of Lake Erie with 99.99% obscuration! What does this mean? The moon will eclipse 99.99% of the sun - only .01% of the sun will be visible! Your entry fee includes your pair of ISO- and CE-Certified eclipse glasses, which should be worn at all time during the eclipse viewing.

Holiday Beach Conservation Area will open at 9am and guests are encouraged to arrive early as traffic volumes are expected to be high. Tickets are only available for pre-purchasing only – no tickets will be available at the gate. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Dark Sky Nights at Point Pelee National Park

April 13, 2024, Point Pelee National Park Visitor Centre, 1118 Point Pelee Dr, Leamington, ON

Explore the park after dark and get a chance to view stars in a way you haven't seen before. The park will be open until midnight for you to get a chance to view the skies at Windsor-Essex's only dark sky preserve. Visitors can pick up a seasonal star chart upon arrival. For more information please contact Point Pelee National Park at pelee.info@pc.gc.ca or check out the event website here.

If you have an upcoming local event that you want The Current readers to know about please send us an email at postmaster@detroitriver.ca