Guess what time it is? It's Eagle Tour Time!!
Sign-ups for the 2024 DTE Eagle Tour are now open through Thursday, January 4th, 2023!
What is Eagle Tour you ask? The last Saturday of January every year we partner with DTE and the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance to bring 60 lucky people on a tour through the refuge property behind the Monroe Power Plant. This area can be home to dozens and dozens of bald eagles throughout the winter. The birds are all taking advantage of the fishing available in the warmer, open water caused by the power plant. Bald eagles need open water to hunt for food and will only migrate as far as needed to survive the winter. This gives us the perfect chance to spend a day getting to see a large number of eagles all in the same place!!
Eagle Tour is January 27th this year! There will be a tour of 30 people from 9:00am-11:00am and a tour of 30 people from 1:00pm-3:00pm. Everyone selected for the tour will get a small presentation about bald eagles before being taken on a driving/walking tour of the property. Personal vehicles cannot be driven onto the refuge property, so all winners will be driven in DTE or Refuge vehicles during the tour.
If you're interested in a chance to go on the 2024 DTE Eagle Tour please sign up using this link: https://forms.gle/u6GSQcgEDvZqJUtXA
You will receive an email notifying you of your status of the lottery the second week of January.
Our main phone line at the refuge is no longer working!
We are working to get this resolved as soon as possible!
So sorry for the inconvenience! If you need to get ahold of us please email detroitriver@fws.gov.
Current John D Dingell Jr. Visitor Center Hours
- Hours: Thursday - Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Phone number: 734 - 365 - 0219
- Information Desk
- Nature Store - accepts cash and credit
- Equipment lending: Binoculars, fishing poles with tackle boxes, explorer pack
- Indoor restrooms during the above hours
- Outdoor restrooms open daily from dusk to dawn
- America the Beautiful Passes (cash and check only - no credit )
Visitor Center parking lots and hiking trails are open daily, dusk to dawn.
Visit Us
Nature is nearby at Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. There are so many options for refuge activities that it will be hard to choose just one. So, visit often and tell your friends about the neat experiences and the skills you developed. Maybe they will join you on your next visit!
The John D. Dingell Jr. Visitor Center at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is now open Thursday – Sunday. The hours are as follow Thursday - Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Want us to be open more often? Join us as a Front Desk Greeter and Nature Store Volunteer by emailing us at driwr_volunteer@fws.gov.
The grounds around the facility are open for self-guided visitation seven days a week during daylight hours. The site is located at 5437 West Jefferson Ave., Trenton, MI 48183. There are no trash cans on-site. Please pack all litter, including doggie "presents" out with you!
Location and Contact Information
Our Species
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge habitats support 300 species of birds including 30 species of waterfowl, 23 species of raptors and 31 species of shorebirds. More than three million waterfowl migrate through the Great Lakes annually. American black ducks gather in the marshes of western Lake Erie before completing their fall journey south. Migrating canvasbacks rest and feed on beds of wild celery in the lower Detroit River. Wood ducks, mallards and blue-winged teal nest in the area, and a wide variety of wading birds and shorebirds reside within the refuge boundary during the summer months.
