Today, this area east of Jefferson Avenue and bordering the cities of Trenton and Gibraltar is known as the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge, operational for over 25 years (2001) and, most importantly, the end result of a 1990s battle to save this prime, last-remaining area of undisturbed natural state on the Detroit River south of the big city. This was, perhaps, one of Downriver’s finest hours in seeing the community unite against further expansion of urban sprawl. The battle to preserve was not an easy one, as you will see below.