This is the first episode of the second season of What's the Deal, Grosse Ile, the podcast that explores the people places, history, and events that make Grosse Ile unique. I'm your host, Ben Fogt. Now we moved to Grosse Ile in 2016. When we did, we rented a condo in Hawthorne Glen. Every morning of school, I walked my first grader and my third grader to the bus stop on West River Road. And every morning I'd look southwest and watch the slow progress of the fishing pier that was just being constructed. It's been a long week, but the refuge gateway, the visitor center that the pier is part of, and it has had its open. Although again, it's closed because of the Coronavirus. But it's finally staff and plans are being made for a long, long future. Since I write these intros after I edit the episodes, let me tell you that you're in for a treat. Todd Weston, my guest is going to be a great communicator for the mission of the gateway. He has an evident passion for community involvement in the natural environment that surrounds us. Take a listen and stick around for a deleted segment after the close. So Todd Weston is a park ranger and volunteer coordinator for the Detroit River international wildlife refuge. Thank you for joining me today, Todd. My pleasure. Thank you for having me. How great is it that the refuge gateway is open. And it's been such a long process to open it up
it the building is and but unfortunately closed again. Because actually, we managed to be open for a month from July 8 to August 8, we were of all of the trials and tribulations we've had in this building, the fact that when we did finally have the ability to open the door to the public, that it coincided on john D. Dingell, his birthday was very special and never intended. And that is something that even though there have been many problems, that was a very special thing that we were able to do to celebrate him and his legacy through opening the doors. Unfortunately, due to what is occurring in the nation, we did have to close the doors again, on August 8, we're continuing to do programming as best we can. We'll have new programs available for the public outdoors. And we're we're not it's not over we're going to reopen hopefully, as soon as we can we have kind of this if it's been a week, two weeks, and the numbers have been going well. We'll pop the doors back open but we don't want to have the waffling back and forth of were open for a week we closed for a week group and so Time will tell so
yeah, and and for for the the listeners we're recording in August. And so it could change you know it's going to be it's going to be like anything in this in these COVID times it could be it could be by the time we publish. It'll be it'll be back open for a bit. But that's a good good explanation of where we're at. Currently. Yeah. But despite the building not being open, but the areas open so we can go there and we can use all the facilities there. Right.
Absolutely and more facilities are showing up every day. Literally while we record this. Concrete pads are being poured for picnic tables around our 700 foot fishing pier. So families who are coming out now to enjoy the fishing pier will also have a little spot where they can stop, have a nice picnic if they choose to. And just kind of add to the experience as well. The kayak launch that is by the fishing pier sees constant usage. It is an astonishing just truth that we did not advertise this kayak launch and the community of paddlers is so strong in our area that I wish we had a second one because it would get just as much use. And so that's just exciting that we have three miles of trails, 700 feet of fishing opportunities and a kayak launch that are always available. If the sun is up. We're open sunrise to sunset changes throughout the year. We're out there changing it to make sure it's daylight savings time and everything like that. So as best we can, we are always open sunrise to sunset so you can come out and enjoy the property in
something something that I always worry about. Probably because I've got kids but that that if you if you go out too late, and you can't get all wrapped up before before sunset, the gate, if I remember right has a sensor so you can still get out.
Absolutely, yeah, no, we're trapped inside and trapping people. Yes, that is not that is not our primary goal. We just ask that you do your best, but we all run we all run out of time. Some days we're out on the trail and we forget. We love in that everyone is coming out so often and if you haven't to get a little behind on your day, that's okay. We're just doing it for safe Do you have everything, we do have some people that come in after dark and it's not the best. And so we'd ask if you are leaving, if any car is trying to get in, that you wait until the gate shuts behind you completely and see that no car has snuck in after you have left. It's it's just a community effort to keep this place as clean and as nice as possible. And we really appreciate everyone who loves to come out here.
Let's see. So how big How big is the property? So how big is the hole? Well, we've talked about the general of wildlife refuge before, but but so we're talking about humbug Marsh is where the center is located rain. Sure
we actually have we have two refugee units right next to each other. The Wildlife Refuge here is split into multiple units. And we all combine to make the Detroit River international wildlife refuge. So the refuge gateway is 44 acres, and that is the site of the old Chrysler plant. So that would be where the Chrysler plant was where the fishing pier is. And all of that is called the refuge gateway. And then humbug Marsh, the land that was protected by local effort. That is about 406.5 acres. We're very serious about acreage some days. So it's it's about 410 acres. And it's a beautiful, beautiful woodland area to get to come in and explore two different trails cut through it. So we've got in total up and down the river about 6400 acres. And then right across from grow seal. You've got about 450 acres you can explore as well as the small section, the Gibraltar Bay unit on Grosse Ile itself, which adds a few more acres, and you're very close local area.
Yeah, absolutely. And we, of course, did that episode with john Hartigan last year about that. So
lucky to meet him once I look forward to more interactions with john in the future. I know he is still a powerful force in our area. Oh, he's,
he's wonderful. He's wonderful. I've actually run into him a lot a lot lately. So really fortunate. So that the center so the center, we can't get into it today. Hopefully, you know, by the time this comes, maybe maybe it will be open for a little bit. We gotta be gotta gotta look. Be positive about this. Right. So So how big is the center? And and what's it like, inside? What's the the ambience?
Yeah, it's a it's about 12,000 square feet of building, we've got about a third of it dedicated to the public, where we have interactive displays about our local area, the local habitat, some of the wildlife, you may see an experience. We have a whole display about mayflies, getting people to understand that it's okay. It's okay. They're there. And it's good. It's a good thing. But we also have a lot of information about how to be a good steward of your environment as well. So it's not just this is an animal, it's, it's this is an amazing animal, how can you help protect it? How do you connect into the local area and not just be an observer but be a steward as well. So the public space is a beautiful display area, we also have two different classrooms that we can teach out of as well as have partners teach out of with COVID. There's some limitations, but we are still working with people, maybe to do boating safety classes through the local law enforcement offices or retired Coast Guard group called and once site to be able to do something and we're happy, we're so happy to work with our partners in the area, because this building is meant to be used and well, it has had a long history and it's not getting the use today that we want it to have it will have that use and with our local people getting to know that even those this opportunity to have a meeting space in your area. If you are a similar type of agency and you have a desire to connect to nature and to help people connect to nature in our area. We would love to talk to you. Because this is this is a public site and we want it to be known as something the community can also use as a resource. It's not just public stuff. We also have our staff offices. We have two different divisions of the US Fish and Wildlife Service here. We have the National Wildlife Refuge System, which is who I belong to we hold and protect land and then some of it we invite people on to just like here at humbug marsh. And then we also have our fisheries crew from the Alpina substation and they do all of the different work in and around Western Lake Erie and the Detroit River. If you recall, recently, there was a 100 year old sturgeon caught and that was our fisheries crew, as well. In our building on our south side, we have three other organizations that have offices, the International wildlife refuge, Alliance, and hawkwatch. And the Detroit River Western Lake Erie cooperative weed management team. Yeah, we need shorter names sometimes. But all of these people are not necessarily Fish and Wildlife employees, but they are employees in our local area that make a big impact on the positive things we can do. And without them, we would not be able to be as effective in our community. So especially with the weed management that plays into trying to protect those spaces, so I'm sure you work cooperatively on so many things. Everyone is so great, that's here. And it is different to have an office building that has more than just Fish and Wildlife Service inside of it. But it's a big part of our future partnerships are how we can accomplish our goals. And so it's a really special thing that we've planned in space for partners, and we hope it becomes a model for other refuges across the nation. I believe we are the only refuge whose friends organization is housed within the building that has an office for the executive director for the nature store manager. And that we feel should be a precedent, because it's just something powerful.
Excellent. Excellent. So last year, john, john Harding told us a little bit of the history of the Detroit River international wildlife refuge, partly because he was instrumental in a lot of that history. And and, of course, Gibraltar Bay, and its its its lineage. But how did this gateway? How did these gateway facilities come about? What's the history of this? Was this planned from the very beginning? Or is this something that that was added along the way,
I think no matter what, when you have the ability to open a new site like this, and you know, you can bring the public and you always want to dream big, you always want the buildings, you always want everything, and it takes time. And so this easily has always been in the back of the mind. But as we move forward, and we grew and became an acquired more land, it became very noticeable. And then when we started, the really large push in the Fish and Wildlife Service for urban wildlife, there was no longer an option to not have a visitor center. When we were formerly stationed at the EPA building, on grow seal, doing programming was more complicated. Because we had to drive out we had to meet the kids at the gate, we had to walk them and when it was still an active construction site. And the just the dream of the building has been there. And we're moving forward with it. The money has came from all different people, we have so many wonderful partners who have helped us along the way, the federal government has done some of it, but the states and the privates, and just so many people have combined together to make this possible. I don't have the best, like, when was the very first note on like, I'm going to build a building. But we were so happy to be here and especially like the fishing pier. It's such a big part of our community, we've been open the longest out of all of our different facilities here. And that that really is a truly powerful partnership agreement that has came together three Wayne County Parks and there's so many other people who've helped push this idea. And the goal of having this for the public here.
Now is is this the is this the the ultimate plan? Or are there other plans for development?
Yeah, actually, um, thank you so much for mentioning that. Like I said, literally right now concrete is being poured for some of our new things. The next big thing we absolutely will have is a kids play facility and pavilion, also by the fishing pier, so there'll be one more thing. I think it's going to get started this year, if everything goes perfectly, we will then also hopefully have an archery range installed to make it easier for our staff to be able to ride archery for the public. So it's going to be it's it's, we don't know how it's all gonna work, where it's going to be if it'll be fully open to the public, or if it'll just be our use only or private groups use only, but it's just one more thing we're trying to add. We're We're working on finding ways to get more interns here from across the country. We I know myself personally, as I traveled the nation, as a youth doing things like this, you don't have housing. And so when we can finally be able to provide housing, we'll be able to have people from all over the country come and experience and learn and enjoy this area. So we're not only looking to how to continue on a very local scale, but also continue to be able to pull in people from across the country to
see how great this area is. Now, one of the things that I realized, you know, big projects like this, when you're inviting the public, and you want them to have a certain takeaway, when when they come in, what what is the big takeaway? What do you want people to experience to go away, and maybe come back with, when they when they experience the refuge gateway,
we want people to feel comfortable and believe that they can be a naturalist. And it's not a first time visit. For some people. It's multiple visits, they say, like, you don't buy a book until the fifth time you've heard of it, or something like that. And it's the same in nature, your first trip, maybe isn't that one that grabs you completely, but we want to be nice and opening and welcoming. So that you you do still have, well, let's go back, you know, let's go back and see something else. And then the more they come, the more they connect, and start to find their way to personally interact with the refuge of people that come and do yoga. And it's a beautiful thing, because it's a place you can be it's public, it's free to access. And when local individuals kind of find their own path for enjoyment and the refuge, I find that really, really special. So I hope you walk out a little more relaxed and a little more connected to nature, or at least a little more appreciative of the local area and the amazing resources that we have.
Sure. And then how can we get involved? How can we support the refuge? What are some of those ways that that happens?
Yeah, so we can absolutely love to hear from you in any way if you interact with us on our Facebook page, or come to our website and click around there, find the complex links in the Episode Notes, that would be great. Thank you so much. We love volunteers. We've absolutely loved being able to create a network of people in the area to both have them enjoy each other's company but then also be able to come in and be a part. So if you're interested at all in volunteering, that's one really good way and there's so many different opportunities to volunteer here. Do you love to drive lawnmower, we've got that if you want to count birds flying in the sky overhead and we've got that too. So I as the volunteer coordinator, it's a really big part of my job doing my best to have everyone be as much of a part as they want to be it's volunteering there's no there's no you have to we just love and appreciate everyone who does so if
You mentioned the friends group
The friends group is the Friends of the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance is the name of our friends organization. The executive director Joann Van Aken is an astonishing woman who accomplishes more in a day than I think some people do in a month and she is also someone you could reach out to as well through their website. We actually have a benefit dinner coming up September 9, for the Wildlife Refuge Alliance. It's their yearly annual benefit dinner so that's something you could do if you wanted to come enjoy the moment eat some good food and be around people who are passionate about the environment. I think being here and being a good steward while you're here is a very subtle way you can make a positive impact if you're out hiking and you don't throw your garbage on the ground. You just made a positive impact if you are following the rules and are a good steward someone could see you and maybe they were going to do some they weren't and they see you doing what you're supposed to and then it changes them a little bit or just smiling faces on the trail when someone walks by smiling face they smile too. So coming out and enjoying it is a great way to help honestly
that's excellent yeah and I would imagine that that social media shares from from the place to would help
Oh, it's never gonna hurt Yeah, always appreciate it. I do my best with that page. Yes, I do. Yeah.
And what you know what we haven't talked about is where it is. I think most people know where to where the the wildlife refuges, but just in case where is the refuge gateway.
So we are technical address is 5437 West Jefferson Avenue in Trenton. And more visual indicator would be we are right next to the power plant in Trenton. So the power plant on West Jefferson, which I've heard is being closed very soon, actually, on May 2022, I think was what I heard. But so that is going to be a large visual landscape indicator. We are next to the power plant. If you know Elizabeth Park, that's another very common conversation we have. We're right down the road from Elizabeth Park going farther south. We're 10 minutes north of Lake Erie Metropark. So it's kind of right in the middle of some some nice little area
and right on the bike trail.
Yep. And right on the iron belt trail. That's absolutely correct. We don't have biking on our internal trails. But we love that we have such an important bike trail right alongside the refuge, we actually have a fixing station for bikes, like a repair station built in number six. And I said someone yesterday filling up the tire and moving forward and it's, it's really special
for a wagon. Hmm, I might need that to pump my wagons tires are low. So you can even use it for a wagon.
Yeah, people bring wagons on the trail you never you know, you got to, who knows. And we're happy to have the repair station there. So people can use it. It's kind of it's kind of like a free extra that's always there. Because when you break down, it's a bummer. And bam. Like we're there to help you without actually having to be there to help you. And that's that's special.
COVID safe.
Yes.
So, at the end of every episode, of course, I asked my guests to share a wish and and I think you've probably prepared something. But so if you could have a wish granted for gristle, or the Detroit River region or the metro, what would that be?
I think an easy wish would would be COVID being over. I think that's very high and high wish there. But we would absolutely love to be able to be open again. And that would be our biggest wish is to get to where we want to go as far as being a part of our community, and getting all the staff and having everyone ready and then being able to be a force for protecting our area supporting our area in enhancing, not just down here, but all over the Detroit Metro area. It's so weird wish maybe it's not the most tactile wish. But we well, it's really open. Yeah, real. Yeah.
And maybe by the time maybe by the time we publish this, they will. Yeah, I get the chance. We may have a date, at least
Yeah, when Yeah. And I'm so happy to share it with you. As soon as we have as much information as we can. Little wishes, I do have some trails that may be a little muddy, I would love if we could solve that. Something that then the public, when they came in, would have a slightly different experience after rain on one of our trails. It's just been really, really wet this year. It's been it's been amazing. And we've learned a lot about how our trails can handle it. And to make it better for the public. We're just going to move forward and do our best because it's my wish is to just be a great part of the community.
Well, I think you're well on the way.
Thank you.
So thank you, thank you for sharing your enthusiasm for natural ecosystems and and all the programs in the ways that people can interact with it. And I want you to know, I appreciate you and all the ways that you enrich the lives in Metro Detroit, the Great Lakes and especially grisea. Thanks so much.
Thank you. Yeah, no, I really looking forward to continuing to be a part of this community. I moved here six months ago, and it's just been a wonderful opportunity in my life. And this is this is a great future ahead of me here. So thank you so much for being interested in inviting me on to have this conversation today.
And I'm sure we'll we'll have more to talk about here in the future.
Yes, sir.
Yeah, thanks so much.
Thank you.
The episode notes have lots of links two ways you can get involved with the refuge gateway. Give Todd a shout out when you go visit. This episode is releasing on Thursday September 9. If you're lucky, you can still get tickets for the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance fundraiser. Find the link in the show notes. What's The Deal, Grosse Ile? is production of Fogt Media Productions, LLC. Check the Episode Notes for ways to get in touch provide feedback or to share with your friends family and neighbors. Thank you for listening to What's the Deal, Grosse Ile?
And it's Weston, right?
Yeah, Todd Weston.
Just like, just like the the former spy in Burn Notice.
Yes, my father's name is Michael Western, but we spell it differently. It's with an O and not an I. But yes, that shows that how we spell I think. Yeah, and we're Weston I mean, whatever. But yes, my father was a spy on Burn Notice on USA Yeah,