I Love My Friend, The Fox River
If you participate physically or financially in FOTFR, we consider you our friend, and you will enjoy the benefits formerly of a member.
A Visitor from the Far North
The Snowy Owl is a strikingly beautiful bird and the largest (by weight) of the North American owls averaging about four pounds in weight.
Protecting a river is like playing a video game – the threats never stop coming.
Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR) was founded to save a dying river by empowering the public to take action to care for it as their river. In 30 years, much has changed and conditions are far better, but the work is never done. Challenges change, and so must protection/restoration strategies. Just like at every … Read more
Observing the Night Sky
December marks the Christmas season, the onset of winter, and the shortest day of the year. Despite it being “the most wonderful time of the year” according to a favorite holiday song, December provides challenges for those of us who enjoy exploring the outdoors in our Fox River Valley. The cold and sometimes snowy weather … Read more
A Year in the Rearview Mirror
If hindsight is 20-20, we can see we could have managed a few things differently in the year 2020. Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR) executed necessary pivots, operational adaptations, and reassessed goals when they became a moving target. We made only a few mistakes. Since we couldn’t go to the schools, we developed a … Read more
2022 Friends of the Fox River Calendar
Our 2022 calendar features a selection of the impressive, evocative photos by some of our favorite photographers from past years.
You Get What You Give
By Jenni Schiavone Giving Tuesday is today It’s the time of year when opportunities to give to benevolent causes are as abundant and noticeable as all of the brightly colored wrapping paper rolls in shop windows. For your contemplation today is this old saying, “You get what you give.” In other words, the cause you … Read more
Let’s Talk Turkey
November is a month of change in the Fox River Valley. The days grow shorter and colder, many of the migratory birds have left or are well into the process of leaving for warmer southern climes, and the growing season (and mosquito season!) have come to an end with the arrival of the Fall’s first … Read more
November is a Time for Memories and Giving
Many of us in this region have fond memories of our childhood in November. For me, they include big piles of leaves in the yard seemingly created for jumping in, the smell of burning leaves, sitting under giant oak trees listening to the roar of the wind through the canopy, and kicking through knee deep … Read more
Featured Friend: Don Purn is the Bee’s Knees
By Jenni Schiavone Meet Don Purn, our Featured Friend for this month. Don has spearheaded the Schweitzer Woods Bee Sanctuary, a large native pollinator garden at the Schweitzer Environmental Center, headquarters of the Friends of the Fox River. He has devoted thousands of personal volunteer hours and funds to support it and the human structures … Read more