Environment

Earth Day Every Day

April is Earth Month, and Earth Day is officially on April 22nd. The concept of Earth Day is to recognize human dependence upon earth systems and to honor our mother, Earth. This tradition has been around for fifty-two years. In 1970, the developed world was just beginning to realize the impacts of our consumptive culture. … Read more

Fox River near Silver Springs July 2020 by Tom Schrader

Reflections on the Fox

By Tom SchraderLifelong Fisherman and Past Friends of the Fox River President Hello fellow citizens of the Fox River watershed!  I have lived in the southern part of our watershed (near Aurora) for my entire 60 years here on Earth.  I have always loved nature, particularly the water, and the plants and animals that live … Read more

The Mourning Cloak By Pavel Kirillov from St. Petersburg Russia

Meet Your Morning Cloak Neighbors

By Jack MacRae The perennial winner for the Longest Life Span Award in the North American Butterfly Category is our old friend the mourning cloak. This is one of the few local butterflies that hibernates as an adult. They have a sweet trick that extends their life span to an impressive 11 months! Sweet, Deep … Read more

-ad for WWF by TBWA PARIS France via brett jordan on Flickr CC BY

Help Wanted: 1.2 Trillion Trees

By Pat Brady, DivvyBack “So dense was the original forest, it was claimed, that a squirrel might travel from the Atlantic to the Mississippi from tree limb to tree limb without ever touching the ground.” -Folklore Try searching your favorite search engine for “1 trillion trees”. You’ll find a surprising list of support for the … Read more

Nitrogen_Cycle

Together, We Can Rebuild the Fox River Ecosystem

By Gary Swick, President Restoring the Systems Working with unified efforts and a sense of collaboration, we can move forward together while we navigate a global pandemic, overcome our national social injustices, and address climate change on all levels. We have challenges ahead but our own successes with the Fox River watershed’s protection and restoration … Read more

Toilet tissue paper roll

The Issue With Tissue

By Pat Brady, DivvyBack Managing Partner “Figures don’t lie but liars figure” is a piece of modern wisdom passed on through the pen of Mark Twain. I wonder what he would say about our modern world today? There is no lack of ironies so I suppose he would have a great time. Let’s see if … Read more

Northern Cardinal

Meet Your Bright Red Neighbors

By Jack MacRae Everyone should be able to identify the northern cardinal. The boys are bright, bright red.  Their faces are black.  The girls are a fetching tawny brown with red highlights.  Both sexes are crested and have thick red beaks. But cardinals are much more than just another pretty bird. Dumpster Diving Bird History During the early … Read more