Friends If you appreciate the Fox River, you are a friend of others who do too. Let’s work to focus more on our common ground and respect our personal differences. As an example, paddlers and power boaters often see themselves as different. At Voyageur Landing on the fourth of July this was dispelled. Paddler and … Read more
Projects and many animals both begin their life in an egg stage. A vision for the future.In the confines of that egg both develop and take shape for later success. The next stagein the cycle is as a larvae or nymph with aggressive feeding and growth. Then one day, an adult emerges to realize the … Read more
A couple of weeks ago as I was on one of my hikes along the Fox River just east of the Hoover Forest Preserve, I noticed something unusual hanging from the low branch of a small tree along the trail. As I got closer, I could see it was some kind of decorative ornament tied … Read more
It has been said that June is one of two months that people in our watershed don’t complain about the weather. Cold temperatures are now behind us and the heavy heat has not arrived. Vegetation is lush and the bugs are not yet the main topic of discussion. Now is a great time to get … Read more
The Fox River’s history includes many centuries of harmonious human use, then a century of abuse, and in the past decades increasing work to protect and restore watershed health. Today, we face new threats from the recent executive orders, and dealing with them is new territory for us. Who Is The FOX? The Fox River has … Read more
Join us for the first annual EL CARDUNAL paddling experience on the morning of Sunday, June 22nd. It’s a celebration of the NEW free-flowing section of the Fox River. The removal of the Carpenter Dam last fall exposed the river that has been hidden for over 150 years. CARDUNAL represents the Carpentersville, Dundee, Algonquin region. REGISTER … Read more
As I write this column on April 28, 2025, the spring woodland ephemeral wildflowers are in full bloom. By the time this column appears on the website in mid-May, many will be past their peak or will have stopped blooming altogether. The ephemerals are at the mercy of the sunlight being able to penetrate the … Read more
This week when asking a 4th grader what it means to be a friend, Ricky shared that a friend is someone you care about and want to help. That nailed what it is to be a Friend of the Fox River (FOTFR). We are friends by way of advocacy, cleanups, paddle trips and mostly, these spring … Read more
This year’s Giving Tuesday campaign was a big success for the Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR). “We Need a Van” was the theme. You may have seen the featured video, our Facebook fundraiser, and appeals through our website, emails, and Watershed Weekly resulted in over $7000 in support. For that, we are very grateful … Read more
When the Carpenter Dam removal was completed last year on November 1st, the leadership of Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR) knew they wanted to celebrate the long (9 year) journey’s completion. A board/staff canoe trip was envisioned. Inclement weather postponed the trip, which gave creative minds time to raise the fun factor. EL CARDUNAL … Read more