Community Events
City of Elgin Earth Day Celebration
Hawthorne Hill Nature Center 28 Brookside Drive, Elgin, IL, United StatesThe City of Elgin will host its 5th annual Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 21, from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Hawthorne Hill Nature Center, located at 28 Brookside Drive in Elgin. People of all ages are invited to attend this free, family-friendly event and learn about ways to protect the planet. Local organizations will be ... Read more
8th Annual 5K for Water
Spa Bleu Hair Salon 106 N. Second Street, West Dundee, IL, United StatesDundee Friend of the Fox River promotes clean water during Earth Week culminating in their annual 5K
REEL PADDLING FILM FESTIVAL IN ROCKFORD
Prairie Street Brewhouse 200 Prairie Street, Rockford, ILSince 2006, the Reel Paddling Film Festival has been showcasing the very best paddling films. The World Tour screens in more than 120 cities around the world. You’ll be inspired to explore rivers, lakes and oceans, push extremes, embrace an active outdoor lifestyle and appreciate the wild places. All while enjoying a craft brew, great ... Read more
Green Drinks McHenry County – Container Veggies
Duke's Ale House 110 n. Main Street, Crystal Lake, IL, United StatesRICH TOBIASZ, McHenry County Master Gardener talks about Container Veggies. Do you live in a condo or apartment with perhaps only a balcony or patio? Would you like something besides flowers on your deck? Or maybe you’d just like to experiment with something different. Join Rich as he looks at growing veggies in containers. From container ... Read more
The Natural and Cultural History of the Fox
Gail Borden Library 270 N. Grove Ave, Elgin, IL, United StatesFriends of the Fox River President Gary Swick presents a program on the state of the Fox River. The public is welcome.
Green Drinks McHenry County – Responsible Investing
Duke's Ale House 110 n. Main Street, Crystal Lake, IL, United StatesSCOTT MACKEY Vice President, Responsible Investment Strategy Specialist Calvert Research & Management "ENVIRONMENTAL/SOCIAL/GOVERNANCE: RESPONSIBLE INVESTING" ESG (environmental-social-governance) investing involves investing in companies that provide positive leadership in areas that are material to improving societal outcomes. Some areas of impact include: Climate change Sustainability Diversity Human rights Corporate governance. When dealing ... Read more
FREP Membership Meeting – Dealing with Geese and other Pests
Prisco Community Center, Aurora, IL 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora, IL, United StatesFirst a brief FREP membership meeting, then the special program: Wild Good Chase and Other Methods of Dealing With Pests Vanessa A. Williams Animal Behaviorist / Research Program Director, Wild Goose Chase, Inc. Wild Goose Chase Inc. will present about the work they do with FVPD. Their main techniques involve using trained canines to patrol ... Read more
Bee Blitz – photographing bees locally for species counts
Dixie Briggs Fromm Nature Preserve Eastmore Lane, Algonquin, United StatesCitizen scientists take photos (with a camera or smart phone) of bees they’ve found and send them to the Bee Blitz website, where in turn they are sent to the University of IL to gather species counts. Chris Kious, a local entomologist, will lead the event. Wanted: Chris is looking for volunteers who would like ... Read more
Introduction to Fly Casting
IL, United StatesFriends of the Fox River welcomes L. L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School leader, Bev DeJovine to their Schweitzer Environmental Center on Saturday, July 7, 2018 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. for an introduction to fly casting. Friends of the Fox River board member Pat Okonek, an avid Fox River fly fisherman himself, will lead the ... Read more
FREP’s 22nd Annual Summer Social
Fabayan Forest Preserve 1925 S. Batavia Avenue, Geneva, IL, United StatesJoin FREP for a cookout celebration, some summer socializing and toss in a little tour of a watershed restoration project at the Shelter east of Route 25. AND it’s Nancy Williamson’s retirement from the IDNR Celebration! Bring an appetizer, salad, side dish or dessert to share. We'll provide the grilled meat & beverages, and papergoods/utensils. ... Read more
Join the Watershed Watchdog Team
Towne Park 100 Jefferson St., Algonquin, IL, United StatesLearn how to monitor the health of our streams 2 Convenient Local Sessions There are opportunities for stream site stewardship as data collectors, and as educators through an established formal education program that brings students to their local streams throughout the watershed. Interested individuals should have a background in, or at a mimimum, an ... Read more
Join the Watershed Watchdog Team
Towne Park 100 Jefferson St., Algonquin, IL, United StatesLearn how to monitor the health of our streams 2 Convenient Local Sessions 9:30 a.m. or 6:30 p.m. There are opportunities for stream site stewardship as data collectors, and as educators through an established formal education program that brings students to their local streams throughout the watershed. Interested individuals should have a background in, ... Read more
Green Drinks McHenry County
Duke's Ale House 110 n. Main Street, Crystal Lake, IL, United States"Stump The Recycler" Special guests: Kristy Hecke, Solid Waste Manager for McHenry County Kim Hankins, Director of Sustainability, McHenry County College and representatives from waste haul & recycling companies. On the first Wednesday of each month, environmentally-minded people gather to network and talk about sustainable programs and “greening” the future. Everyone is welcome to attend
FREP Downstream Noon Network – Carpentersville Field Tour
Carpentersville Public Works 1075 Tamarac Drive, Carpentersville, IL, United StatesMeet at Public Works and drive to the site. We will tour 4 sites along the shores of the Fox River in downtown Carpentersville where the Village has undertaken projects to reclaim, stabilize, and beautify the riverbank. Working with various partners including Otto Engineering as the landowner, these project provided new river access points, and ... Read more
Dive into Reading – Night at Gail Borden Library
Gail Borden Library 270 N. Grove Ave, Elgin, IL, United StatesJoin Friends of the Fox River and dozens of other local organizations as we help celebrate kids who have finished the summer reading challenge at Elgin libraries. Finishers are invited to this special after-hours celebration featuring dancing, magic, and more! Children receive their ticket, and other special prizes, when they present their completed Summer Reading ... Read more
Green Drinks McHenry County – Illinois Future Energy Jobs
Duke's Alehouse & Kitchen 110 N Main Street, Crystal Lake, IL, United StatesSarah Wochos, Board of Directors, Illinois Solar Energy Association The Illinois Future Energy Jobs Act is a new opportunity for homeowners/businesses to put solar on their property at a much lower cost. Or, people can participate through a Community Solar Farm as a subscriber. This is one of the many programs available through FEJA. Our speaker ... Read more
FREP Downstream
Algonquin's Ganek Municipal Center 2200 Harnish Dr, algonquin, IL, United StatesThe Fox River Study Group (FRSG) often is asked, "is the Fox River water quality getting better or worse?" To answer that question, FRSG hired Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) scientists to plunge into available Fox River data. In 2002, ISWS created a database of water quality data collected in the Fox River watershed and ... Read more
Dundee Heritage Fest
West Dundee 125 Washington St, West Dundee, IL, United StatesFun-filled event includes live music and entertainment, beer garden, food and beverage vendors, Art in the Heartland Crafters, Antique and Classic Car Show, Children's Games and Art Activities, Chili Cook‑off, Fireworks and more. Look for the Friends of the Fox River tent on Saturday and Sunday where we'll be answering the question "Is the Fox ... Read more
Algonquin “It’s Our River” Day
Cornish Park, AlgonquinThe Village of Algonquin along with the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County are sponsoring the 11th annual “It’s Our River Day” celebration and clean-up. The event will be held on September 15 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Cornish Park in Algonquin. Come celebrate the beautiful Fox River and learn more about local environmental, ... Read more
Geneva River Cleanup
Island park 2 IL Route 25, Geneva, IL, United StatesHosted by the Natural Resources Committee, this annual cleanup involves both the shoreline and on the river efforts. Friends of the Fox River encourages you to participate in this event.