In late January 2007, volunteers harvested reeds near DTE Fermi II and Monroe Power Plant in Monroe County, Mich. Phragmites is an invasive reed grass species frequently found in wetland areas and ditches along highways. It is commonly used in Europe as a premium material for thatched roofs.

Volunteers installed the permanent thatched roof on the children's cottage at the Kensington Farm Learning Center in Spring 2007. The reed bundles overlap in ascending layers. The butt ends of the reed are exposed and the tips are covered by the next applied layer of reed. Subsequent layers are tied, or attached with sways.

Read more about thatching at the cottage project.