By Gary Swick Picture yourself standing on the banks of the Fox River 1,000 years ago. Imagine experiencing a total solar eclipse without any knowledge of what is actually occurring, or why it’s happening. It is more likely that it would be regarded as frightening than interesting or exciting. After it passed, you probably would … Read more
“The Lives of Grass” by Jack MacRae There are many grasses in the Fox River Valley; tall types, short types, native and introduced. Here are three short biographies. Grama Grass Through the lens of a magnifier, sideoats grama, Bouteloua curtipendula has some of the prettiest reproductive organs you can find in nature; feathery white stigmas … Read more
By Gary Swick Doug Williamson grew up in Indiana, and finished his high school career in Chicago. From there he headed to DeKalb where he earned two degrees from NIU. Doug’s professional career was mainly within Carpentersville’s Community School District 300 (D300). A teacher there myself, I saw that he wore many hats from social … Read more
by Gary Swick Rivers and their tributaries usually have seasonal cycles of spring and fall flooding, with a “low flow” condition in summer. Flooding has benefits to the natural river system through nutrient distribution and scouring of sediment. The land areas that absorb the flood conditions are referred to as flood plains. Land use planners … Read more
Rainbow Pride By Jack MacRae In the early 1840s the Fox River was the site of an important icthyological discovery of which we should all be proud. A Mr. S.C. Clark collected a small, nondescript female fish from the river and preserved it for scientific study. The fish was unfamiliar to the Illinois State Biologists … Read more
by Gary Swick, FOFR President For a non-profit organization, finding financial support for their important work is always a challenge. Friends of the Fox River (FOFR) has a long and strong reputation for incredible achievements from volunteer efforts. FOFR is now at a point where we are expanding our services, programming, geographic influence, membership capacity, … Read more
By Pat Okonek, Board Member, FOFR One of my favorite hobbies is fishing, especially fly-fishing. I took it up as a youngster and had the good fortune of growing up next to a river. Besides lots of actual fishing, I learned how to “read” rivers and learn how fish behave and relate to their environment through … Read more
by Jack MacRae During the summer of 1969, a blues musician from the swamps of Louisiana named Tony Joe White had monster hit. Polk Salad Annie spent 3 months on the Billboard Hot Top 100 Chart, peaking at #8. The song told of Annie, a “wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin’ woman” who made the alligators look … Read more
by Gary Swick, FOFR President Life is a process of transformations. All organisms go through stages that are ultimately driven by sex and conclude in death. Understanding this can help us to cope with the events of our lives. Our lives, our endeavors, and the river, all have seasons. This is the season of new … Read more
by Gary Swick As President, I annually attend River Network’s national River Rally. It is an opportunity to network, learn about advancements, discuss issues, and have fun with river advocates from every state and a few other continents. It’s always a wonderful opportunity for me to acquire resources that I can bring back to help … Read more