Metropolitan Affairs Coalition (MAC) - Projects - Detroit Heritage River Water Trail

September 2007
The 3rd Annual "Paddle by Your Refuge" takes place Sunday, September 16, 2007 at Elizabeth Park in Trenton, MI. Metropolitan Affairs Coalition is helping plan and promote this great community event and fundraiser for the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance. For more information on "Paddle By Your Refuge," visit our Discover Our Wild Side event page.

August 2007
MAC helped plan the first annual “Celebrating Community Down by the River” multi-community kayaking and bicycling event held on August 4, 2007. The event, taking place in the cities of Gibraltar, Flat Rock, and Rockwood, as well as in Humbug Marsh (part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge) and Lake Erie Metropark, included a 2-hour group paddle down the Lower Huron River from the city of Flat Rock and an early afternoon paddle through the tranquil canals of Gibraltar. Both paddles took place on portions of the Detroit Heritage River Water Trail.

July 2007
The Detroit Heritage River Water Trail was featured in the July/August 2007 issue of AAA Living Magazine. To view the article, "River Renaissance," click here.

January 2007
Metropolitan Affairs Coalition, a sponsor for the 2006 “Paddle By Your Refuge” kayaking event at Elizabeth Park in Trenton, MI, was recently recognized with a 2007 Community Service Award from the Michigan Recreation and Park Association for its role in planning this event. Read the press release >

October 2006

The second annual “Paddle By Your Refuge” kayaking event held September 17, 2006 attracted almost 300 kayakers from around Southeastern Michigan, inviting them to experience the natural beauty and rich history of Elizabeth Park and the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.

"Paddle By Your Refuge,” sponsored by Metropolitan Affairs Coalition, received broad media coverage, including the e-newsletter GreatStuff!, a guide of what to do in Southeast Michigan, and The News-Herald. MAC also distributed over 1,300 copies of the Detroit Heritage River Water Trail to enthusiastic paddlers and partnering organizations.

All proceeds from “Paddle By Your Refuge” benefited the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance (IWRA). To find out more, contact the IWRA at iwr_alliance@yahoo.com.

September 2006
Metropolitan Affairs Coalition officially released the Detroit Heritage River Water Trail plan on September 11 at a highly successful event held at Elizabeth Park on the Detroit River. Along with Congressmen John Conyers and John Dingell, who both expressed enthusiatic support for the water trail, several key project partners and organizations announced their commitment to further the Detroit Heritage River Water Trail in the coming year.

The release of the Detroit Heritage River Water Trail generated broad media coverage (see below), including articles in Crain's Detroit Business, The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, News-Herald, Ann-Arbor News, and Monroe News. In addition, the water trail and the related “Paddle By Your Refuge” event were highlighted in a widely communicated e-newsletter GreatStuff!, a guide for what to do in Southeast Michigan.

Detroit Heritage River Water Trail in the Media

River Renaissance
AAA Living Magazine, July/August 2007

Michigan Earns Its Blue Belt
metromode, March 22, 2006

Paddling along: 300 kayakers spend day on Detroit River
The News-Herald, October 4, 2006