More than 400 students got the opportunity to board a “floating classroom” at Lake Erie Metropark in May as part of an outdoor field-trip experience known as the “Canoemobile.”
The program aims to educate kids about the outdoors, local habitats, wildlife, invasive species and more while they navigate waterways on 24-foot-long canoes.
Wilderness Inquiry is a Minnesota-based company that brings the program to schools around the country. The Canoemobile spent five days in the metro Detroit Area, with students from six different schools participating.More than 400 students participated in Wilderness Inquiry’s “Canoemobile” program this spring.
At the start of the field trip, half of the students put on life jackets, grab paddles and board canoes. The other half make their way to the grass to sit, run and play as they learn more about what they may see — both in and out of the water.
When they’re on the water, the kids paddle as a team, navigating the river with the help of a “captain.”
Scout Trom, a captain with Wilderness Inquiry, says learning on the water provides more opportunities for students to get curious.
“They’re asking questions about the things we’re seeing, the animals we see, the birds we see, ‘what’s a marsh? What’s different than Lake Erie versus the marsh we’re in?’ And we get to talk about all of that while we’re seeing it,” Trom said.
“It provides a space for people to feel included in the outdoors and provides the knowledge and the message that everyone belongs, deserves and should have a space in the outdoors — no matter your age, ability, background or identity.”
– Scout Trom, Wilderness Inquiry captain
She says she hopes the field trip leaves the students with more than just random facts. The goal of the program is to give the kids lasting knowledge of how nature works and how humans can interact with it, she said.
“It provides a space for people to feel included in the outdoors and provides the knowledge and the message that everyone belongs, deserves and should have a space in the outdoors — no matter your age, ability, background or identity,” Trom said.
Friends of the Detroit River was the local partner for the project. McKenzi Waliczek, the group’s stewardship director, emphasized the importance of making early connections with nature.
“Oftentimes, just making that connection of, ‘hey, this resource is here, and it needs someone like you to care about it,’ is ultimately the ground floor of what we do and everything else just builds off of that,” Waliczek said.
After spending the day outside, the kids packed their bags, boarded buses and headed back to school. (Photo courtesy of Friends of the Detroit River)
The goal of the "Canoemobile" program is to teach kids about local waterways and habitats. (Photo by Emma George-Griffin, WDET)
But getting kids to connect with nature isn’t always easy, Trom said. A lot of the students haven’t been to public parks and most of them have never been on the water.
She says some kids hesitate before they board the canoes, while others jump right in.
“To see that mix of emotions come out and so very common, a group comes back, and you see everyone with a unified feeling, that in itself, is enough to bring me back to this program, year after year,” she said.
After the kids dock the canoes, they get an opportunity to explore and learn on land. Three activity stations were set up to teach the kids about local animals, invasive species and habitats.
“We kind of laugh because with the Animal Planet, you know, kids know more about South American animals than they do about what’s in their own backyard,” said Kevin Arnold, a supervisor for Huron-Clinton MetroParks — another partner of Canoemobile.
After spending the day outside, the kids packed their bags, boarded buses and headed back to school.
The Canoemobile will be back in metro Detroit for another five days in September, but this time they’ll be on Belle Isle.
Willy Tully, external relations director for Wilderness Inquiry, says this is the second time the program visited the area twice in one year, but it’s the first time the program will stay for a total of 10 days.
He also says that the program has been able to visit more often because of funding from the U.S. Forest Service. But they continue to raise money through local organizations to make sure they can keep coming back and to keep kids connected with nature.
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Last week, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison joined Mayor Mike Duggan and other officials in announcing the launch of a new teen violence prevention plan.
Under the new plan, minors age 15 and under must be with a parent after 10 p.m. The curfew for children ages 16 and 17 is 11 p.m. The plan also calls for increased curfew enforcement, illegal block party enforcement, and higher fines for breaking curfews.
The “crackdown” on curfew violations is in response to recent shooting incidents involving children in the city. But how effective can that be in stopping violent crime, and what else is the city doing to stop violence at the root?
Bettison joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss the city’s new violence prevention plan and talk about why violence tends to spike during the summer months.
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Lori Higgins, bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit, says the project is taking a broad look at student safety.
“Safety could come in a lot of different forms, you know. And Detroit, young people in Detroit are struggling with a lot of different things,” she said. “Homelessness can bring about feelings of unsafety. You know, just walking to and from school can bring feelings of unsafety.”
The two-part series will explore safety related to transportation, gun violence, domestic violence and bullying. It also looks at efforts to address violence.
The series is part of Next City’s Detroit News Hub, a reporting project funded by the Kresge Foundation.
Other headlines for Friday, July 11, 2025:
Arab American community nonprofit ACCESS is hosting a community Narcan training on Tuesday, July 15 at the Henry Ford Centennial Library. Attendees will learn about overdose prevention strategies, how to identify an overdose and how to administer Narcan. Those who finish the train will also receive a Naloxone kit. Register at bit.ly/ASAPNarcanCommunity.
The Pontiac City Clerk is inviting the community to a “visioning” session on cannabis equity at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, at the Robert Bowens Senior Center, 47450 Woodward Ave., Pontiac. Attendees will learn about the city’s plans to launch adult-use marijuana in the city, and residents will have a chance to share their thoughts about social equity initiatives related to ownership and licensing as well as business and workforce development. They will also learn about the Pontiac Social Equity Fund. RSVP at clerk@pontiac.mi.us.
State Rep. Stephanie Young (D-Detroit) is hosting a community conversation town hall on Monday, July 14, to collect ideas and concerns around five priorities in the Democratic Vision Project: Affordability, public education, health, labor and neighborhood development, and environmental issues.The event includes a free dinner and will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the James E. Tate Community Center, 21511 W McNichols Rd., Detroit.
The 7th annual Detroit Kite Festival is taking place this Sunday, July 13 on the Belle Isle Cricket Field from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.
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Finding enriching child care options can often be a challenge for parents during the summer months, especially for those looking for programs specifically geared toward the arts.
For the past 12 years, Wayne State University’s “Keys2Life Performing Arts Summer Camp” has provided that outlet to metro Detroit students ages 11–13.
The six-week day camp program, led by Detroit youth nonprofit The Yunion, offers a diverse range of performing arts experiences, led by top Detroit artists, mentors and certified teachers.
Camp Director Darell Campbell Jr. joined The Metro on Tuesday to share more about what this year’s program will entail.
Registration is now open for the day camp, which runs 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 30 through Aug. 8 on the campus of Wayne State University. For more information, including rates, visit theyunion.org/camp.
—WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.
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Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
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The Skillman Foundation is one of Detroit’s most influential philanthropic organizations, using millions of dollars to shape education policy and priorities in the city.
As Detroit’s public schools struggle with chronic underfunding, low literacy rates, and crumbling infrastructure, Skillman’s decisions hold real weight for educators, parents and children.
Angelique Power, president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation, joined The Metro during the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference to talk about how the foundation is leveraging its wealth and influence to change the trajectory for Detroit kids.
Power said while people across Michigan want something better for Detroit youth, the education systems in the city are “complicated.”
“History matters in terms of the things that have happened to Detroit,” she said. “Whether it is things that policy has done, things that philanthropy sometimes have done, often it happened to Detroiters, or for Detroiters, but not with Detroiters.”
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
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