May 1, 2007

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Celebrate Spring by Helping to Clean Up the Fox River!

Friends of the Fox River’s Fox Rescue Cleanup is Saturday, May 19, 2007. Locations are scheduled throughout the watershed. For more information about river cleanups, please contact Fox Rescue Coordinator Jessi DeMartini at 630-871-7548 or jdemartini@dupageforest.com.

Cleanups

Aurora – Join Friends of the Fox River for a cleanup along the Fox River. Meet at the Aurora YWCA at 9:00AM. For more info and to sign up, contact Chuck Roberts at 630-553-1912 or flyfish_fox@yahoo.com.

Algonquin – Join McHenry County Defenders and the Sierra Club at a Fox Rescue Cleanup on Crystal Creek. Volunteers should meet at 9:00AM at Towne Parke. The cleanup will run from 9:00AM to Noon. Gloves, bags, drinking water, snacks and free t-shirts will be provided. Wear sturdy shoes or boots. Bring sunscreen and a hat. Registration suggested but walk-ups welcome. Everyone must sign a Sierra Club waiver. For more info and to sign up, contact Cindy Skrukrud at 815-675-2594 or cindy.skrukrud@sierraclub.org.

Batavia – Friends of the Fox River and Batavians for a Healthy River invite you to pitch in to help clean up the Fox River in Batavia. We’ll meet at 9:00 a.m. at Clark Island Park, located on Rt. 25 just south of Wilson St., and work until noon. A ‘thank you’ lunch will follow the cleanup. Dress for the weather. Wear clothes that can get wet and dirty. If you have them, bring hip waders, canoes, and kayaks. For more info and to sign up, contact Jen Zaleiski at 773-458-3470

Carpentersville – Join Friends of the Fox River members, Dundee-Crown High School Outdoor Club, and Hexion employees along the banks of Fox River Shores Forest Preserve. Check-in at the shelter between 9 a.m. and noon to register, get gloves & bags, and enjoy refreshments. Mud boots are highly recommended. A lunch will be provided by Bandito Barneys. Participants are encouraged to bring their own boats, but some canoes may be available. If you plan to paddle, please contact Gary Swick by Monday 5/14 to reserve a spot. For more info and to sign up, contact Gary Swick at 847-426-1322 or swick@mc.net.

Elgin – Help clean up the Fox River shoreline at Voyageur Landing Forest Preserve in Elgin from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Gloves, bags, and drinking water will be provided. Wear sturdy shoes or boots. Bring leather gloves (if you have them), sunscreen and a hat. Voyageurs Landing is located on the Frontage Rd. below I-90 at 50 Airport Rd, Elgin. For more info and to sign up, contact Mary Alice Masonick at 847-931-4363 or mamasonick@FoxValley.net. Sponsored by Kane County Forest Preserve District and Friends of the Fox River.

Geneva – Take a kayak river rescue adventure with the Geneva Kayak Center, 34 N. Bennett, Geneva. Paddling begins at 7:00 a.m. Bring your own kayak or rent one for a fee, and help cleanup the river upstream to Illinois Ave. in St. Charles. Stop off at a local coffee house and then journey back to Geneva. Dress for weather conditions. The Geneva Fox Rescue is sponsored by the Geneva Kayak Center, Geneva and St. Charles Park Districts, and Friends of the Fox River. For more information, contact Ryan at 630-232-0320.

Geneva – The Geneva Natural Resources Committee along with the City of Geneva and Friends of the Fox are sponsoring a cleanup of the lagoon on the east bank of the Fox River at Island Park in Geneva from 9:00 a.m.-noon. Volunteers should meet at the registration table on the south side of the park near the railroad bridge over the Fox River. Wear leather gloves, sturdy shoes, boots, or waders if you have them. Plastic gloves, garbage bags, water and snacks will be provided. Parking is available by traveling east on Route 38 to Route 25. Then take Route 25 south to parking lot on right, just past railroad trestle. Follow the bike path along south side of railroad embankment to the park. For more information and to sign up, contact Darcy Costello at 630-262-0636 or mdjrcostello@att.net.

Montgomery – A clean river matters to Montgomery! The Village of Montgomery is hosting its first river rescue at Montgomery Park (located at the corner of River and Mill Street) from 9:00-11:30 a.m. Volunteers should meet at 9:00 a.m. at the registration tent near the bridge on west side of the river. Wear sturdy shoes or waterproof boots. Bring waders if the water levels allow for in-stream cleaning. Gloves, garbage bags, water and light snacks will be provided. For more info and to sign up, contact Debbie Buchanan at 630-896-8080 x21. Rain cancels the event. Event co-sponsored by Friends of the Fox River.

Oswego – Jump on board with the Village of Oswego’s Environmentally Conscious Oswego Committee, Prairie State Canoeists, and Friends of the Fox River who have joined forces to sponsor a Fox River Rescue cleanup in Oswego. Volunteers will cleanup the shoreline and the river by foot and by boat starting at Violet Patch Park and ending at Hudson Crossing Park in Oswego. The shoreline crew will clean up public property along the river’s edge, bike trail and parks. The river crew will cruise the river by canoe and kayak cleaning up garbage. All volunteers should meet at 10:00 AM at Violet Patch Park. The cleanup will run until 4:00 PM for those who can stay. A complementary lunch for all volunteers will be served at 12:30 PM at Hudson Crossing Park. Bring sturdy work gloves and wear mud boots. Volunteers planning to clean the river by boat should plan to bring their own canoe or kayak and sign-up with Prairie State Canoeists prior the event (go to http://www.prairiestatecanoeists.org/vi ew_trip.php?trip_id=533 to sign up.) For questions and sign up for ALL volunteers, contact George Stenitzer at 630-551-7827 or geo4747@yahoo.com.

Friends of the Fox River’s Fox Rescue cleanups are funded through a generous grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s SCALE grant program.

Friends of the Fox River’s mission is to preserve, restore and protect the Fox River Watershed’s resources by connecting people with nature through education, research, restoration and advocacy.

For more information about this press release please contact:

  • Jessi DeMartini
  • 630-871-7548
  • jdemartini@dupageforest.com