River Day 2024

River Day is a watershed-wide event that encourages appreciation and recreational use of the waterways of the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair. On River Day, individuals, businesses, community groups, and local governments across the watershed joined forces to host a variety of events that encouraged folks to have fun outside. 

Pronoye Kapali, Watershed Program Coordinator, said “Every year, CRWC publishes a River Day guidebook to highlight the events that municipalities, nature centers, organizations, and fellow residents host during this timeframe.”  

For River Day, CRWC hosted an invasive species removal of non-native watercress, a plant that spreads easily and out competes native plants for resources. 

This year, 17 unique River Day events engaged people throughout the watershed in fishing derbies, clean-ups, nature hikes, invasive species removals, art, paddles, and stream wading! 

One event, Clinton Township’s Fishing Derby, celebrates the Clinton River watershed by highlighting biodiversity. Pronoye shared, “Clinton Township’s Fishing Derby challenges young anglers to find the largest fish, show off their catch, and win prizes!” This event is catch and release, so all fish are returned to the water shortly after being caught. 

Another River Day event, Art, Fish, Fun, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. CRWC Education and Stewardship Manager expressed their enthusiasm for the event “We’re really excited to be there with Pure Oakland Water and Oakland County Water Resources. We show off macroinvertebrate samples and tie-dye River Days shirts with attendees every year! 

Author(s): Cole Pachucki, Pronoye Kapali