New Education Team for the Fall Season By Gary Swick For many years, Friends of the Fox River’s streams outreach education program was a one-man show, run by retired Johnsburg teacher David Rigby. In 2009, the project was funded by a federal grant for 3 years. The program quickly grew beyond Dave’s capacity. Just in … Read more
The 2017 IDNR Fox River Basin Survey By Steve Pescitelli, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fisheries During the summer of 2017, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources conducted fish surveys in the Fox River basin as part of a statewide program to monitor the health of Illinois stream resources. This is the fifth … Read more
Squirrels, Chucks and Chips by Jack MacRae Squirrels are the Fox Valley’s original “preppers.” Every autumn, both tree and ground squirrels spend considerable time gathering and stashing their nuts for the months to come. Acorns, nuts, seeds, and corn provide the critical calories necessary for winter survival. Where Did I Leave My Stash? Both fox squirrels … 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 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
Fox Snakes in the Fox Valley by Jack MacRae Fox snakes hatch hungry. During the summer, baby mini-constrictors use their egg tooth to cut a slit from inside their egg. After emerging, they’ll shed once before heading off to hunt for newborn rodents. They grow fast and furious (to a length of 40 inches in … Read more
