As the conservation of and access to public lands comes under threat nationally, the Sierra Club is expanding its work locally to connect people to nature through a number of local projects. The projects span the country and focus on breaking down barriers that prevent people from experiencing the outdoors. The new partnership projects are a continuation of the Sierra Club’s work to increase equitable access to nature, and to get more people unplugged and outside.
Meet Garrett Dempsey with Sierra Club’s Detroit Inspiring Connections Outdoors Program. Garrett is leading Sierra Club’s efforts in Detroit to connect people to nearby nature.
Tell us a little about your community and Nearby Nature project.
We’re focusing on the community surrounding Detroit’s largest park--Rouge Park. That’s in the northwest corner of the city. This is a huge park -1100 acres. It’s so big that there are multiple neighborhoods around it--some residential neighborhoods, some areas that are mixed (residential and industrial) and experiencing a transition in terms of economic and social change. This space is far away from the city’s core. We’re going to develop trail stewardship and opportunities for volunteers to come out and help work on additional nature trails in the park, and we’re going to work on a camping initiative to reactivate a campground in the park called Scout Hollow.
What are the most pressing obstacles that stand in the way of outdoor access and exploration in Detroit?
Access is an interesting word. It’s multifaceted, at least the way that I use it. If you live within a mile of this park you can absolutely go to the park so in some ways you can say it’s totally accessible. But there are challenges that Detroit has been experiencing, particularly around the bankruptcy and limited budget, that can make the park seem less accessible. An example would be that maybe some of the facilities are in disrepair. Some of the built facilities--tennis courts or other structures--they’re not really usable. If you’re a resident passing by and you see overgrown tennis courts and asphalt paths in disrepair that’s going to affect how accessible you feel the park is. “Is that a place that I want to go to? Is that somewhere I can go jogging or ride my bike?”
Another example of accessibility, and this relates to the stretched budget, is the city’s parks and recreation department--we spent this summer rehabilitating a trail in Rouge Park. It’s a really nice nature trail that was laid out years ago but the city has not been able to maintain it. It was overgrown and not a lot of people went back there. So even though the trail was technically accessible it was overgrown, people didn’t necessarily feel safe, there wasn’t signage explaining that it was there.
What prompted you to pursue this project? Why is this project important to you and to your community?
A lot of people are talking about Detroit...they’re focused on the story of its comeback from bankruptcy and this economic and social change that has been happening. There’s a lot of investment coming in to Detroit, but a large part of it is going downtown into the city’s core. So a lot of people in the outlying neighborhoods are trying to make some change as well but they’re not necessarily seeing the same level of investment going into their communities. That’s one of the reasons why with this Nearby Nature initiative we wanted to focus on this park and this part of the city because it’s a place where we can work with communities to protect this really valuable space.
My personal connection to it is that I grew up in a city--in an urban space, but I had an opportunity to both connect with and enjoy nature in my city as well as outside of my city. Those early experiences I had created a lifelong relationship with nature. And that’s one of the most important relationships I have in my life. It has enriched my life in so many ways. I see in Detroit--in that section of Rouge Park--this amazing space to help connect lots of other kids with nature and to give them the opportunity to create their own relationship with nature and the outdoors. And maybe it’ll mean something to them and be positive for them as it has been positive for me.
Describe your Nearby Nature campaign and how it will provide access to green space and opportunities for environmental engagement in your community.
I have to start by mentioning Friends of Rouge Park--it’s a group made up of individuals and organizations from the surrounding neighborhoods and communities that are stakeholders in the park. They’re already doing some great work in this space, and we’ll be working with them to build on what’s being done. They know that there’s not a lot of programming in the park, and that’s a perception people have of the park, that there's not a lot going on. There is a need for more programming, more things that invite people to come in, to enjoy the park, and to feel safe while they’re doing it. An example of this would be a guided hike--Friends of Rouge Park lead guided hikes through the nature trail that they’ve restored, pointing out butterflies and native plants. The Nearby Nature campaign is restoring and building more recreational trails in the park and then we’ll work with the Friends of Rouge Park to lead hikes introducing these trails to neighbors and park visitors.
In addition to trying to create a space that can connect young people with overnight camping experiences in Scout Hollow, we also want all the work that we do there to be part of a community driven effort toward reactivating that park and valuing that space. And we’re going to follow the lead of the people who live there. We figure out what people want by sitting down and having conversations with them and listening to what they have to say.
Every project is different, tailor-made for the community that it serves. How does this project reflect the strengths, values, and interests of your community?
A lot of our connection and relationship building has been through the Friends of Rouge Park. We really felt like that was the place to start because it’s a non-profit community based organization that self-organized around the park. Neighborhood community groups and organizations come together to form this group. The Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Association for example--they occupy the historic horse stables right in the center of the park and they’re part of the Friends of Rouge Park and we work with them a lot. What we want to do in terms of community input is broaden and deepen the network of people that we’re working with in those communities. So Friends of Rouge Park is the base, but not everybody that lives in those neighborhoods goes to a Friends of Rouge Park meeting or is on their listserv. There are plenty of folks who use the park but we might not know them because they’re not directly involved with this group, so our intention is to host a series of fireside gatherings over the next six months just to build relationships with folks at the block-by-block level.
What is your vision for how this Nearby Nature investment can create lasting impact for the communities in which you live, play and serve? How do you hope to see your community grow and change with the implementation of this project?
Detroit is a town that has limitations in terms of its budget. There’s a really invigorated city government right now that’s growing and doing incredible things, but the task is huge--none of this is going to happen overnight. The work that we see happening in Rouge Park is a joint effort then, local organizations and neighbors. So when I think of what the vision or theme for this will be the word that comes to mind is “collaboration”. The city can’t do everything--the reality is that right now the city can’t afford to cut every blade of glass, to coordinate programming for the park space, etc. The Nearby Nature initiative offers us a way to work with the community and to strengthen the partnerships that already exist as well as develop new ones. The result will be the creation of new nature trails, bringing more people into the advocacy work, and expanding the community of park stewards. The more folks interact in a variety of ways (both with the space itself and with each other) the more those interactions will develop into something that can be sustained over time. The idea of reactivating the campground--it has the potential to bring hundreds and eventually thousands of kids into this park for overnight camping experiences-- that will create a lasting relationship between them and that space. That’s part of the sustainability of this effort as well, getting young people engaged.
To take a moment to step away from the anthropocentric view--this is also really good for the environment, too. The park is the heart of a major Detroit watershed that feeds into the Detroit river and is part of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The work that we’re doing has benefits for the flora and fauna that call this region home.
Photo credit to Garrett Dempsey and Friends of the Rouge
Learn more about Sierra Club’s Nearby Nature initiative and Outdoors for All work: sc.org/nearbynature