Fordson Island: Better Than Ever

Man-made islands in industrialized zones are not at the top of outdoor enthusiasts’ and nature lovers’ vacation destinations, but the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is looking to change that.

Through grants like the $150,000 Marine Debris Removal Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the DWCPA is hoping to turn Dearborn's Fordson Island into a place where residents can enjoy activities like kayaking on the Rouge River and share time and space with wildlife.

“There is an effort along the Rouge to turn the river into a greenway system and use the waterway more for recreational and environmental uses,” DWCPA Director of Economic Development and Grants Management John Kerr said.

This most recent grant is part of the DWCPA’s ongoing efforts to secure funds for the rehabilitation of the island.

“Up to this point, (funding) has been federal, but we’re not ruling out private fundraising,” Kerr said. “We’ve had dollars from the Great Lakes Restoration Plan, and we’ve been successful with (the Marine Debris Removal Grant). And we’re looking for more.”

Fordson Island is a 8.4-acre mass that was created in 1917 when material collected from dredging the Rouge River was deposited along the river in southeast Dearborn between Dix Avenue and West Fort Street.

The island is off limits to public access, accessible by one bridge from Detroit and is owned by Marathon Oil. But Kerr said that efforts by the DWCPA and groups like the are helping to make it a place the entire community can benefit from.

“Fordson Island is tricky because it’s tough to access it from one bridge in Detroit,” Kerr said. “Because of that odd location, it was hard to gain authority, but because of the Port Authority’s existence as a quasi-governmental body with Detroit, Wayne County and the state, and our non-profit status, that made us a fit to work with it.”

A major step forward in the revitalization is took place May 23, when the DWCPA was scheduled to remove 12 vessels from the area around the island.

“In the short term–and keep in mind, there are ownership issues at hand and some environmental challenges ahead–but our short term goal is to see it returned to its initial habitat, and that’s achievable,” Kerr said. “Removing those vessels will also help us create more recreational opportunities, and there is an issue of it being an eyesore, and this will make headway there, too."

Aesthetics may be the most immediate improvement of the area, but Kerr said full revitalization of the island is the ultimate goal.

“I hope the residents nearby are able to benefit from improved sightlines," he said, "but we have had discussion with Marathon Oil Refinery that their piece of the Rouge has some very interesting history that could be economically beneficial to everyone."

Kerr said that the removal of the vessels will be a major step in the efforts to bring back the habitat of Fordson Island and the collective efforts around the island are a major step forward in the entire revitalization process of the Rouge River system.

“(Fordson Island) tells an interesting story about the corridor, and (revitalization) would be a good way for us to share that story with people not from metro Detroit,” Kerr said.

“A lot of people associate (the DWCPA) with commercial shipping, and that is a lot of what we do, but we also have an arm in other things,” Kerr added. “The (Detroit) port is changing from an industrial waterfront to other uses, and (Fordson Island) is a great example of that.”