FOTR sets sights on native planting event on Saturday

In an effort to help improve the environmental quality of the beach, the Friends of the Rouge (FOTR) will be holding a native planting session at E. V. Mercer Beach in Walled Lake on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The FOTR holds events like this as a part of its River Restoration program to teach residents of the watershed how to manage their land to improve water quality and provide wildlife habitat.

“The purpose of this project is to raise the awareness of the values and benefits of the native plants so people will begin to use them at their own homes. It’s a project to show off the native plants,” said Cindy Ross, the River Restoration program manager with the FOTR.

They will be planting a variety of native grasses and wildflowers, including butterfly weed and coreopsis, an attractive yellow wildflower.

“Both of those plants attract butterflies, while other wildflowers will attract insects, which will benefit the surrounding wildlife,” Ross said. “The native grasses have deep root systems that help take in runoff water from roads that normally makes its way into the lake.”

The planting will occur on an area that separates the beach from the parking area. Ross said that it’s not a big site, measuring only about 1,000 square feet.

She added that the FOTR plans to add signage to the site to describe the benefits — such as reducing the pollution in lakes and streams — of the plants they’re adding.

E. V. Mercer Beach is located on Walled Lake Drive, one-quarter mile east of Pontiac Trail. For more information, call 313-792-9621 or e-mail riverrestoration@therouge.org.