Ann Arbor Hosts Annual Huron River Day

The day began with interactive activities where community members could participate in park cleanups, guided walks and workshops to learn about the Huron River and its conservation efforts. Following the activities, the city held a festival at Riverside Park with live performances, kids’ activities, local food trucks and over 20 climate groups.

In an effort to promote environmental sustainability and river conservation, the city brought out climate organizations to share and introduce community members to their practices.

Using their newly built Sesame Solar Trailer, A2Zero powered the event’s sound system using fully renewable energy. Additionally, event participants had the opportunity to walk through the trailer and learn about its features and climate effect.

Read about more similar groups below:

Ecology Center

With a wide range of environmental campaigns, Ecology Center educates on issues from toxins and transportation to how humans interact with the environment. With work in 36 schools across Washtenaw County doing k-12 education, Ecology Center continues to grow.

“We are all over the place in Washtenaw County but I was hired to expand beyond that,” Education Director Rebbeca Nielsen said. “But we’re a small team, so it will take a while!”

The Ecology Center’s climate education work in schools range from classroom presentations to local field trips. Students learn about the circular economy and visit places like the Ann Arbor Recycling Center to better understand the environment.

The Huron River Watershed Council

The Huron River Watershed Council is a group committed to the conservation of the Huron River. They help to preserve the river by leading biological studies with the help of community volunteers. In these studies, they look for macro invertebrates which serve as ecological indicators of the health of the watershed.They indicate both water and habitat quality which gives the council data to determine the needs of the watershed.

The next step for the council is to engage in direct restoration programs. In these, they improve areas along the river to prevent runoff, invasive species and make for better habitat.

Additionally, the council has a summer internship program for both high school and college students to help with summer field work and give students the opportunity to explore environmental careers.

“It’s a great opportunity for students who are interested in environmental careers to get a close-up look at what those careers are like,” Communications Director Pam Labadie said.

Project  Grow

Presenting about their ongoing efforts to make garden planting and maintenance more accessible for those in the community, Project Grow focuses on allotment style gardens where those interested are assigned a lot at a community site to grow whatever they see fit.

Having over 23 gardens in the city of Ann Arbor, and over 460 registered gardeners, Project Grow continues to expand to allow for more community members to participate.

“We strive really hard to have successful organic gardeners,” Project Grow volunteer Joseph Schutte said. “It’s extremely popular and we’re basically sold out.”

In recent years, Project Grow has begun teaching composting classes with The Master Composting Program. Through this collaboration, they are educating members on the importance of composting while showing them how to begin the process themselves.

Human Electric Hybrids

A store in downtown Ann Arbor, Human Electric Hybrids sells electric bikes and running programs to make them more accessible. While some bikes are meant to act as replacements to cars, others are for everyday leisure riding. Most are pedal-assist bikes allowing them to be taken on most border and off-road trails. This leads to more versatile uses for the rider with a smaller environmental impact.

Human Electric Hybrids also runs a program that allows people to rent a family cargo bike owned by the city of Ann Arbor. Each rental lasts for one week and gives people a chance to get around easier and try an electric bike which benefits the environment.

“Through the borrow a bike program, you avoid the headache of parking in downtown Ann Arbor,” Human Electric Bikes representative Trenton Ward said. “You just only have to worry about the logistics of getting around which is pretty manageable.”

Leslie Science and Nature Center

Focusing on science communication, Leslie Science and Nature Center connects its community to the environment through hands-on activities.

A highlight at the nature center is its broad set of summer camps. The camp ranges from Pre-K through Fifth grade with many campers returning as teen volunteers, and even possible educators. The camp begins by introducing concepts to younger grades and building off of them as kids get older.

At Huron River Day, the organization brought out species native to Michigan, such as a Red Tailed Hawk and an Eastern American Toad, as well as those threatened in the state, in an effort to connect participants to their native environment.

“What we’re really trying to do is connect people with the natural world that they are a part of, and we encourage a hands-on approach to that.” Leslie Science and Nature Program coordinator Mathew Darnell said. “All of our specimens, people can handle and take a closer look at which is really just building connection.”

Ann Arbor Hosts Annual Huron River Day © 2026 by Youth Environmental Press Team is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/