Riverside Wet Meadow Project

Upcoming Events

Additional Fall Planting Day

Sunday, October 4, 3pm–5pm
Riverside Park, Ypsilanti

Our hard-working volunteers got an estimated 1,600 plugs planted at the Riverside Wet Meadow this weekend! We’re blown away.But we still have some planting left to do. Join us for the last push to fill the remaining space and get the rest of our plants in the ground.Join us in planting seedlings and seeds in our newly established wet meadow! We will have planting supplies and plants, but bring your own if you'd like. The following species will be accepted.

  • Asclepias incarnata // Swamp Milkweed

  • Carex spp. // Assorted sedges (Fox, Palm, Mace, etc.)

  • Chelone Glabra // White Turtlehead

  • Eupatorium maculatum // Joe-Pye Weed

  • Eupatorium perfoliatum // Boneset

  • Euthamia graminifolia // Grass-leaved Goldenrod

  • Helenium autumnale // Sneezeweed

  • Hierochloe odorata // Sweetgrass

  • Iris versicolor // Blue Flag Iris

  • Iris virginica // Southern Blue Flag Iris

  • Liatris spicata // Marsh Blazing Star

  • Lobelia siphilitica // Great Blue Lobelia

  • Mimulus ringens // Monkeyflower

  • Packera aurea // Golden Ragwort

  • Rudbeckia fulgida // Showy Coneflower

  • Thalictrum dioicum // Early Meadow Rue

  • Tradescantia ohiensis // Ohio Spiderwort

Reach out to [email protected] and/or [email protected] if you have any questions.

Sign up to receive updates about future volunteer opportunities:

About the Project

A Native Wet Meadow at Riverside Park for All

Riverside Park is 16-acre park located in the center of Ypsilanti, Michigan and along the banks of the Huron River. Riverside Park is one of the only public access points to the Huron River for Ypsilanti residents, making it an essential resource for a community disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change and other environmental stressors. According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s MiEJScreen tool, Ypsilanti faces a high level of housing insecurity, low socioeconomic status, and transportation instability which impede the community’s ability to recover in the face of climate change-induced flooding, heat waves, and other natural disasters.Following rain events, Riverside Park is inundated with standing water given its location within an urbanized area, near the Huron River, and in a floodplain. This impedes the use of the park for residents and events. As the owner of Riverside Park, the City of Ypsilanti has long been aware of the challenges surrounding stormwater management at the park. In recent community listening sessions by the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC), residents expressed their frustrations about the flooding issues at Riverside Park and desire to see solutions implemented.Over the past year, plans were developed by HRWC, the Mutual Aid Network of Ypsilanti (MANY) and the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office (WCWRC) to install a 0.2-acre native wet meadow in Riverside Park. A native wet meadow would increase wildlife diversity, treat stormwater, and better manage flooding. Collaboration between HRWC, MANY, WCWRC, and the City of Ypsilanti on this project will ensure Riverside Park remains a central hub for the Ypsilanti community, an access point to the Huron River, and a model of public floodplain management.

Project Status

On work days in April and May 2026, with the help of over 50 community members, we spread 160 cubic yards of woodchips in the planned meadow area. The woodchips helped smother turf grass to prepare for the planting of native species.

We also hosted a volunteer up-potting event in July to prepare hundreds of seedlings for spring planting in the meadow.

In September, volunteers gathered again to plant an estimated 1,600 native plants at the meadow. Planting will be complete at the beginning of October.

Contact

[email protected]
[email protected]