River Day
June 7, 2025
River Day is designed to encourage appreciation and recreational use of the waterways of the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair and to celebrate the leadership of local citizens, organizations, and communities whose efforts are critical to protecting and enhancing the overall quality of the Clinton River watershed.
On June 7, 2025, individuals, businesses, community groups, and local governments across the watershed will join forces on River Day to enhance and celebrate the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair. Activities range from nature hikes, canoe trips, fishing derbies, and fly fishing lessons to storm drain stenciling, river clean-ups, habitat restoration, and native landscaping.
2025 RIVER DAY EVENTS
Weekly Clean
Organizer: Clinton River Watershed Council
Location: Lake Norcentra Park (800 W Avon Rd, Rochester Hills, MI 48307)
Date: June 4, 2025
Time: 10 AM - Noon
Registration: N/A
Description: Weekly Clean is CRWC’s ongoing watershed cleanup program! Join us every Wednesday from 10 AM - noon during the field season. This week's event will be held at Lake Norcentra Park in Rochester Hills.
Art, Fish, Fun
Organizer: Pure Oakland Water
Location: Beaudette Park (786 Orchard Lake Rd, Pontiac, MI 48341)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 11 AM - 4 PM
Registration: N/A
Description: Hosted by The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office, Pure Oakland Water, The Art Experience, and the City of Pontiac. A family friendly and FREE event that makes learning about water fun through interactive art and education stations. The day kicks off with a park cleanup from 11 AM - noon. After the cleanup, attendees will enjoy arts and crafts, games, face painting, live animals, bounce houses and so much more! BBQ lunch will be made available free of charge, guests can fish or learn to fish with Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash. Volunteers needed to help. Contact Jack Barshaw for more information at (248) 202-4350 or barshawj@oakgov.com.
Autumn Olive Pull
Organizer: Clinton River Watershed Council
Location: Clinton River Watershed Council office (1115 Avon, Rochester Hills, MI 48309)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 10 am - Noon
Registration: N/A
Description: TBD
Clinton River Day Hike
Organizer: Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center
Location: River Bends Park Kayak Launch (49354 Ryan Rd, Shelby Charter Township, MI 48317)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 2 - 4 PM
Registration: N/A
Description: Learn about the Clinton River through a guided hike along the river’s edge. Naturalists will identify native plants and wildlife that depend on this freshwater ecosystem. We will discuss easy ways for people to help keep the Clinton River healthy. Meet at the River Bends Park Kayak Launch (49354 Ryan Rd) rain or shine. Rustic trail with uneven terrain–we recommend sturdy, closed-toe shoes. FREE.
Clinton Twp Fishing Derby
Organizer: Clinton Twp Recreation Department
Location: Clinton Twp Civic Center (40700 Romeo Plank Road Clinton Township, MI 48038)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 10:30 AM - Noon
Registration: Online
Description: If your child loves to fish, they cannot miss this event! We invite them to try to catch that big old elusive catfish or pile up the inches with a variety of pan fish! This event is celebrating the Clinton Watershed River Day and is a catch and release format. The contest is based on total inches caught and children do not need a fishing license to participate. Parents are welcome to assist, but children must reel in the fish. Prizes will be awarded, and everybody is eligible for door prizes. 16 and under welcome!
Go Fish!
Organizer: West Bloomfield Parks
Location: Marshbank Park (2805 Hiller Rd., West Bloomfield, MI 48324)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 9 AM - 3 PM
Registration: Online or by calling the front desk at (248)451-1900
Description: Join us on our fishing pier located on Cass Lake to share in this great outdoor pastime! Never been fishing before? No problem! We will have staff on hand with a limited number of fishing poles provided for hands-on instruction to get you and your child started. Win a fishing themed prize if you catch the smallest or the largest fish! A simple craft and games will be available in case the fish aren’t biting. Special guest; Mike McKinstry from "The Bassquatch Hunter: Fish Out of Water," will be sharing great fishing tips! This program will be catch and release of ALL fish, so bring your camera to document your catch! This event is on the DNR's free fishing weekend, so no fishing license is required. **This is a family program, all children and adults must register.
Lost Lake Open House (FREE)
Organizer: Lost Lake Nature Center
Location: Lost Lake Nature Park (846 Lost Lake Trail, Oakland Township, MI 48363)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: Noon - 3 PM
Registration: N/A
Description: Explore Mustelids - Skunks & Badgers at our June Saturday open house. Learn how to twist a skunk balloon animal* and see how far you can follow a scent trail outside. *Balloon animals will be latex, apologies to those with latex allergies.
Paddlepalozza
Organizer: Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills
Location: Riverside Park (3311 Parkways Blvd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 8 AM
Registration: Online
Description: Paddlepalooza is a kayaking and canoeing event on the Clinton River. The event includes a men's and women's division kayak and canoe race and an adventure river paddle on an 8-mile section of the Clinton River. Participants will begin launching their watercraft at 8 AM on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at Riverside Park in Downtown Auburn Hills and end at the Rivercrest Professional Center in Rochester Hills.
River Day
Organizer: Ray Township Public Library
Location: Start at the Ray Township Public Library (64255 Wolcott Rd Ray, MI 48096), then walk to Wolcott Mill Metropark Historic Center
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 11 AM - 1 PM
Registration: Online
Description: In collaboration with the Clinton River Watershed Council’s River Day and the Wolcott Farm, join us riverside at the Wolcott Mill Metropark Historic Center for an exploration into the benthic layer of the North Branch of the Clinton River. We will be using our dip nets in the water to collect samples, sort out macroinvertebrates, and identify them. Learn how the quality of our water is directly related to the species we find that call it home.
River Day @ Dino Hill
Organizer: Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve
Location: Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve (333 N Hill Cir, Rochester Hills, MI 48307)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 10 AM - 2 PM
Registration: Online
Description: Meander along our trails and stop at our River Day stations to discover what our waterways do for us, and how we can help them. Bring water shoes (or borrow ours) to get in the water and dip net for macroinvertebrates, try your hand at water quality testing, and create a water-based painting.
River Day: Macro Discovery
Organizer: Wolcott Mill Metropark Historic Center
Location: Wolcott Mill Metropark Historic Center (64162 Kunstman Rd, Ray MI 48096)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 11 AM - 2 PM
Registration: Online
Description: In collaboration with the Clinton River Watershed Council’s River Day, join us riverside at the Wolcott Mill Metropark Historic Center for an exploration into the benthic layer of the North Branch of the Clinton River. We will be using our dip nets in the water to collect samples, sort out macroinvertebrates, and identify them. Learn how the quality of our water is directly related to the species we find that call it home.
Watercress Pull
Organizer: Clinton River Watershed Council
Location: Clinton River Watershed Council office (1115 Avon Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48309)
Date: June 7, 2025
Time: 10 AM - Noon
Registration: N/A
Description: Interested in removing non-native species from a local river? We need your help to clean up non-native watercress behind the Clinton River Watershed Office in Avon Creek! Waders will be provided. Walk ins are welcome!
Auburn Hills Annual Fishing Derby
Organizer: City of Auburn Hills Recreation & Senior Services
Location: Riverside Park (3311 Parkways Blvd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326)
Date: June 8, 2025
Time: 8 - 10 AM
Registration: On site registration begins at 7:30 AM
Description: The annual fishing derby offers youths 16 and under a chance to fish and participate in this free annual event on the banks of the Clinton River at Riverside Park in Auburn Hills. Free river day t-shirts for the participants!
RIVER DAY DESIGN CONTEST
The 27th Annual River Day design contest is open February 17 - March 10, 2025. The contest encourages local artists of all ages and abilities to get involved in the promotion of River Day, which will be held on June 7, 2025.
The winning River Day design will be used on official River Day shirts, the event guide, and the CRWC website to promote River Day.
Entries will be judged and evaluated on their ability to convey River Day’s goal of celebration and enjoyment of the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair, as well as their clarity and ability to be reproduced easily at a variety of scales.
Requirements:
Artist must reside in the Clinton River Watershed.
Art must be a thick, black and white line drawing.
Art must be 8.5 in x 11 in or smaller.
“2025” must be prominent and include the words “River Day.”
Deadline is March 10, 2025.
Please send entries to shannon@crwc.org.
2025 RIVER DAY LOGO CONTEST WINNERS
Adult Category Winner: Dave McDermott
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I am a geographer; geographers tell stories about places. My relief prints are images that try to capture the essence of places with thick lines and blocks of black ink on white paper. I’m also a kayaker; the place in this image is a kayak on a river, approaching a bend and whatever mystery may be around that bend.
Relief printing is a simple process that originated a couple of thousand years ago. It is not well suited to showing subtle variations of tone or fine lines, so it demands simple compositions that present the important part of any scene, and nothing else. My process typically involves making several drawings of the same place, removing detail with each new draft, until only the lines and shapes that are important to the story of that place remain. This simplified image is carved in reverse on a block and printed with thin water-based ink on slightly textured paper.
Student Category Winner: Gabriella
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I made this design for a class assignment. It was the first time I tried drawing a cartoon style frog. I usually draw realistic portraits of friends and family and famous people. Winning this contest empowers me to consider drawing animals in my own style.
PAST RIVER DAY LOGO CONTEST WINNERS
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Amanda grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama, and an appreciation of the beauty and benefits of waterways has always been a big part of her life. She studied art in college and over the years has developed a love for wildlife illustration. Her goal is to create images that both reflect nature and surprise with unexpected elements of texture and design.
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“From photography to painting, charcoal art to mixed media, my art spans across various mediums and forms, all of which focus on the captivating power and beauty of nature. I’m constantly exploring new artistic styles and messages, using Michigan’s landscapes as my muse.”
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“When I was younger, I used to think that my house was the center of the world. As I got older, I began to understand that there were bigger things happening outside of my tiny bubble. I started learning about watersheds and how they connect us all. Regardless of where we live, we're always a part of a watershed. It's amazing to think about how our actions (or inaction) in one area can impact people miles away. I'm grateful for my education on watersheds because it's helped me become more mindful of my own actions - both at home and beyond. Every day, I try to do my part to help keep our watershed. When we take care of our watersheds, everything thrives!."
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“I have been a resident of Macomb and Oakland Counties for a combined total of 57 years and have enjoyed all the beauty and activities the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair have to offer. Our family has participated in several of the Rochester Recreation Center Outdoor Programs including night hikes, we kayak the river to Yates Cider Mill, and walk the Clinton River Trail almost daily. My first grandchild was born this March and by supporting the watershed projects it will ensure she will be able to enjoy the river, lake and wildlife they sustain for many years."
EVENT GUIDE
Each year, CRWC publishes an event guide that pulls together all of the opportunities happening on and around River Day throughout the watershed! Last year, the guide featured more than 20 individual events put on by CRWC and our partners.
Through this guide, popular opportunities that protect, enhance, and celebrate the Clinton River watershed are brought together in one place to help people access opportunities in their region.
2025 Event Guide coming soon!
PHOTOS
Take photos while participating in your River Day events and submit via email to shannon@crwc.org for a chance to be featured in Watershed Announcements and on CRWC's social media pages!
Be sure to include:
Your name (as you would like to be credited)
Which event you attended
Any/all photos you would like to share with CRWC
RIVER DAY SPONSORS
River Day would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We offer them thanks for their contributions toward River Day and for protecting, enhancing, and celebrating the Clinton River watershed and Lake St. Clair.
For more information about sponsoring CRWC programs, click here.
2025 River Day sponsors coming soon!