Friends of the Chicago River is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1979 to improve and protect the 156-mile Chicago River^[1] and Calumet River system for people, plants, and animals. Friends of the Chicago River works through education and outreach, on the ground projects, and public policy and planning to achieve their vision that the Chicago-Calumet River system and its watershed are a healthy, climate resilient, biologically rich ecosystem with equitable, open access to the river and natural areas for generations to come.

Friends programs include cleanup initiatives^[2] through the Litter Free Chicago-Calumet River program and many volunteer activities designed to improve the health and quality of the Chicago-Calumet River system. Friends of the Chicago River has created as well as partnering with establishments at the local and national level.^[3] The organization continuously publishes reports, findings, and updates about the Chicago River's condition.^[1]

Overview

Friends of the Chicago River has a staff of 15 and the Board of Directors has 24 members, including Aditi Chakravorty of JP Morgan Chase and Kate Chappell of NorthShore University.^[3] Margaret Frisbie has served as executive director of Friends of the Chicago River^[4] since 2005.

Projects

In 2023 Friends of the Chicago River received a Chicago Innovation award as a Climate Champion for the Natural Solutions Tool they developed through the Greater Chicago Watershed Alliance in partnership with the Trust for Public Land. The Tool also won a 2023 Dr. George B. Rabb Force of Nature Award from the Chicago Wilderness Alliance. Friends has received over 50 awards since its founding in 1979.

In 2021, Friends received the Dr. George B. Rabb Force of Nature Award for successfully reconnecting the Mill Creek to the Cal-Sag Channel. This project resulted in the immediate colonization of the high quality creek by five new species and helped to restore the adjacent land through invasive plant removal and addition of new native shrubs and trees. The project partners were Friends, the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC), the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD).^[5]

Friends of the Chicago River documents the impact of its restoration work with annual Natural Areas Assessment Surveys^[6] that have shown continued improvement of the native plant community in the places where Friends has worked.

Friends of the Chicago River and the Forest Preserves of Cook County have worked together to support turtle, osprey, and bat reproduction. At Watersmeet Woods, Chipilly Woods, Skokie Lagoons, and Wampum Lake, rehabilitation activities for turtle habitats began in 2014.^[7]

Programs

Greater Chicago Watershed Alliance

Friends of the Chicago River initiated the Greater Chicago Watershed Alliance in 2020 to establish a cross jurisdictional forum that would result in the expanded use of nature-based solutions to manage stormwater which will reduce combined sewer overflows, community flooding, the urban heat island effect, air pollution while building climate resilience, protecting wildlife and their habitats, and improving public health and wellness.

The 25+ member Watershed Alliance includes many of the most influential practitioners and policy makers in this space including the stormwater agencies for Cook and Lake Counties, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Center for Neighborhood Technology, City of Chicago, Chicago Park District, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Chicago Wilderness Alliance, Department of Illinois Natural Resources,Forest Preserves of Cook County, the Illinois Coastal Zone Program, The Nature Conservancy, Openlands, Trust for Public Land, and The Wetlands Initiative who all serve in a volunteer capacity on the steering committee.

Chicago River Museum

The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum is a program of Friends of the Chicago River that aims to educate visitors about the history and ecology of the Chicago River. The museum is located in the southwest tower of the Michigan Avenue Bridge, which is one of the most iconic bridges in Chicago. Visitors to the museum can learn about the engineering and architecture of the bridge, as well as the history of the Chicago River and its impact on the city. The museum features exhibits on the ecology of the river, including the wildlife that inhabits it, and the efforts being made to restore its health.^[8]

My Chicago River Summer Day Challenge

Friends of the Chicago River organizes an annual clean up day where volunteers are gathered to remove trash littered along and throughout the Chicago River. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, in May, 2020, the organization transformed the day long event into a month long initiative, the My Chicago River Summer Day Challenge, where Chicago residents were challenged to pick up trash around their own neighborhoods. In 2022, 2000 volunteers gathered around to pick up tons of trash.^[9]

Chicago River Day

An annual celebration known as Chicago River Day is put on by Friends of the Chicago River, a nonprofit group whose mission is to safeguard and improve the Chicago River's condition. For the purpose of cleaning up the river and its surroundings, the event brings together volunteers of all ages. In order to clean up the river's water and shorelines during Chicago River Day, volunteers are assigned to different locations around the river.

The Friends of the Chicago River organization hosted a cleanup event for Chicago River Day at two sites in Glenview, Illinois. The cleanup event took place on May 14, 2022, and volunteers were encouraged to participate to help remove trash and debris from the river. The two sites in Glenview where the cleanup took place were the Glenview Park District and the Grove. The event is part of an annual effort by Friends of the Chicago river, and Friends of the Chicago River has been organizing these cleanup events for over 25 years.^[10]

An event listing for Chicago River Day 2023, which is hosted by Friends of the Chicago River and will take place at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The event is described as a day of volunteer service, where participants will work on various projects to improve the health and vitality of the Chicago River ecosystem. Activities will include removing litter, planting native vegetation, and removing invasive species.^[11]