The Milliken State Park Upland Wildlife Restoration Project is one of 14 habitat restoration projects targeted by the Detroit River Area of Concern Public Advisory Council, requiring completion to de-list the Detroit River as an “Area of Concern.” The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget and Department of Natural Resources engaged PEA Group to assist with the project from conceptual design through construction.
The 4-acre site provides pedestrian access from the DNR’s Outdoor Adventure Center to Milliken State Park and the Detroit RiverWalk. Yet, it has contaminated soils from its past industrial use. A due care plan calls for placing a clean fill cap (12” minimum depth) over a demarcation barrier to serve as a base for new improvements. Plans call for invasive plant removal, giving way to a new landscape comprised of native forbs and grasses designed to attract birds and pollinators. Native trees and shrubs are strategically placed to provide shade, spatial structure, and frame views to downtown and the river.