Below are job openings with the SCA, a group that has been instrumental in building and improving the bike/hike trails at Detroit’s Rouge Park:

Detroit Community Crew Programs

You can make a difference this summer! Here’s your chance to be part of a program that promotes youth leadership and conservation! The Student Conservation Association is a dynamic, nonprofit national organization which encourages and supports youth in service to the environment. The SCA is currently accepting applications for Crew Leader positions with our 2011 Detroit Community Program.

Responsibilities: Co-lead, mentor and coach a crew of 10 students, ages 15-18, while completing various conservation service projects designed to build an ethic of community and environmental stewardship. Projects include trail and park maintenance, habitat restoration, neighborhood green space revitalization and urban agriculture. In addition, leaders will facilitate pre and post-program planning which includes crew training, environmental education and reporting. Program dates are July 11 – August 19. Mandatory, all expenses paid, residential training dates are June 1-10 (possible alternate dates).

Compensation: up to $3795 total salary depending on experience and crew length.

Qualifications: Be at least 21 years old; able to legally work in the US; have a valid driver’s license and clean driving record; First Aid/CPR certification, experience working with youth or young adults (ages 14-18); experience as a teacher or leader in an educational environment; experience with conservation or related skills, familiarity with and passion for the Detroit community.

How to apply: Send a cover letter and resume to the Detroit Program Manager at scadetroit@thesca.org. Please direct questions to scadetroit@thesca.org or 313.285.1247. Crew leaders are hired on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

Yesterday I was on the Craig Fahle Show on WDET. The discussion focused on the last night’s Beaufait Greenway meeting and tomorrow’s Greater Riverfront East community meeting.

If you missed the program, the podcast is on line. The discussion on greenways begins at 1:04.

That 9-mile abandoned rail property that I mentioned is part of the planned Inner Circle Greenway.

For those who don’ t know, Fahle is a cyclist and a former bike mechanic at Alfred E. Bikes in Kalamazoo.

- Todd Scott

Planning is underway for a rail-trail project just east of Mt. Elliot. Unlike the Dequindre Cut, most of this railroad is not below ground, except for a portion at Jefferson.

Below is information on a public meeting to discuss this potential greenway project –

Gleaners Community Food Bank is hosting a community forum in Detroit on March 3rd. The forum is to discuss the concept of developing a greenway on the abandoned rail corridor connecting the riverfront to Gratiot Avenue between Beaufait and Bellevue streets. The presentation portion will provide an overview of the project and its connection to similar projects in Detroit and lead to an open discussion on the feasibility of this effort and the opportunity for community member input, questions, and concerns.

Refreshments will be served.

When: Thursday, March 3^rd 2011, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
6:30 PM presentation followed by questions/answers

Where: Gleaners Community Food Bank, 2131 Beaufait Street, Detroit, MI

If you have any questions, please contact Guy Williams (guy@gowilliams.net or 734-395-9836).

The following is a press release from the Healthy Environmental Partnership, an affiliated project of the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center:

FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 16, 2011

Julia Weinert, Communication Specialist
Phone: 734-763-0741
Fax: 734-763-7379
e-mail: weinertj@umich.edu
Website: www.hepdetroit.org

The Healthy Environments Partnership Greenway Mini-Grants Program is Accepting Applications

Detroit residents who want to create a more beautiful and physically active environment in their communities are in luck. The Healthy Environments Partnership (HEP) Greenway Mini-Grant program is funding projects, up to $1000, that will take place along the Conner Creek, Brightmoor Lyndon, and Corktown-Mexicantown Greenways. HEP will be accepting requests for proposals from Detroiters engaging community residents, building local ownership, and promoting social and physical activity along the greenways. Some examples of the types of projects that will be funded are: creating youth artwork along the greenways, planting community gardens adjacent to the greenways, or hosting walk & talk programs that bring policy makers out where residents can share their local concerns.

For more information contact Julia Weinert at 734-763-0741, weinertj@umich.edu or go to the HEP website at www.hepdetroit.org and click on ‘Community Activities’. Mini-Grant materials will also be available at neighborhood development corporations in Eastside, Northwest, and Southwest Detroit. The application deadline is April 15, 2011.

The Healthy Environments Partnership, established in 2000, is a partnership including the Brightmoor Community Center, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, Friends of Parkside, Rebuilding Communities Incorporated, The Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, Henry Ford Health System, and the University of Michigan. It is funded through the National Institute of Environmental Science and is an affiliated project of the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center.

Sure, good pavement makes most biking easier. However, when it comes to adding trails through parks and greenspace, that pavement can prevent rainwater from naturally percolating through the soil.

There has been much discussion on porous pavements as a solution.

In fact, Brewing Chemisty is hosting such a discussion at 7pm on February 15th at the Traffic Jam and  Snug. It’s a presentation on the FilterPave® Porous Paving System by David Bower, Ph.D., a Senior Research Chemist at the BASF Corporation.

The Filterpave® system provides several advances over traditional hard surface pavements which address these and other environmental issues in an attractive and cost-effective manner. It combines specially treated post-consumer recycled glass with a two component polyurethane binder to create a porous pavement that captures stormwater allowing it to slowly migrate into the soil. This nearly eliminates stormwater runoff and helps replenish the local aquifer with clean, naturally filtered water.

It does seem like this pavement could work for our trails. Not only does it allow stormwater to pass through, it uses recycled materials. The pigmentation options are an added benefit.

And trails with porous pavement don’t have puddles.

Also, if you’re still not sure what porous pavement can do, you might consider watching this interesting demo.