By Gary Swick, President Many years ago I was given a wood carving from an anonymous source. The accompanying note read: “This is the River Spirit. It only speaks to children and a few select adults. You are one of those.“ So I was sitting by the Fox River wondering what it has on its … Read more
By Jack MacRae Witch Hazel was one of my least favorite Looney Toons characters. She wasn’t a deep thinker like Foghorn Leghorn or a slapstick genius like Yosemite Sam. But I do like her namesake shrub. Witch Hazel was named after an attractive tree native to our understory of our wooded lands. Blooming during the fall, this … Read more
From time to time Friends of the Fox River receives questions thru our website or Facebook page about the river, pollution and other watershed related issues. Here’s a question we received that FOFR Director Art Malm researched and answers. J. Faust asks: Do you have an estimate of the volume the many water reclamation districts … Read more
By Art Malm, FOTFR Board Member Will the river stop flowing altogether in dry years if the low head dams like the one at Carpentersville are removed? “I remember back in the 60’s when we walked across the top of the Carpentersville dam and it was dry”. This was the memory of a gentleman who … Read more
By Gary Swick It’s back-to-school season for Friends of the Fox River (FOFR) and our team of educators is geared up to teach more than two thousand students how to collect water quality data in their schools’ local streams. Our “Watershed Watchdogs” education program is composed of lessons in traditional topics like local geography, natural … Read more
My Gmail automatically adds the following below my signature: “Spreading the Peace with the Planet Virus”. Things such as bacteria, viruses, and fungus usually don’t bring about positive, or warm and fuzzy feelings. But these organisms are essential for ecosystem operation. Bacteria grab nitrogen from the atmosphere for soil fertility. Fungus growing on your wood … Read more
by Jack MacRae Green herons return to the Fox River during the third week of April. They play on a smaller, more intimate stage than their big blue cousins, usually shunning the commotion of large communal rookeries. Little Green Love Shack Upon arriving at his territory, the male starts building his love nest by placing a few … Read more
by Gary Swick Having access to clean water is a need for all living things. The natural environment provides that through the hydrological cycle. Humans routinely interrupt that process and threaten their own water quality. It is the mission of Friends of the Fox River to protect our watershed through education, restoration, research, and advocacy. … Read more
By Jack MacRae Ephemeral Flora Spring beauties (claytonia) are true cuties. They’re wee little flowers found in our mature oak and maple woods. Look close and you’ll see five peppermint pink striped petals that form a saucer shape corolla, two soft green sepals that form the calyx, and five stamens with pretty in pink anthers. They … Read more
Resolution 2018: Connect to Nature By Gary Swick It’s in the middle of the Friends of the Fox River’s mission statement; Connecting people to nature is what we do. It initiates a natural wonder within people that brings a sense of joy and a desire to care for what we love. We want people to love … Read more
